Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1915-03-19
Former Arkansas Man and
Woman Testify Graphical
ly of Their Long Struggle.
CASE TYPICAL OF $4,000
q
Federal Commission on Industrial
Relations. in Hearing nj Dallas,
Learns nj FIRST Hand. Experiences
0i p0or Farmers in Their vi.
OF Poor Farmers,

The difficulties which beset al
| every tur' the poor nan who strives
to earn living for himself and fami-
~ at farming. and who endcavors ia
FurGhas' his own place, arc graph l.
cally described in the following AS
ISOLATED Press dispatch, from Dallas
printed yesterday in the Little Roc Il
Gazette:
woman's story of the lot of wom-
EN- on tenant farms Of The Southwes:
was told at tcday's land hearing OF
IN y Federal Commission on Industrial
Relations. The witness was Mrs. l.
/. Steward. tae mother of II chill
Iren. living. Mrs. J. Borden Harri-
man. OF the commission questioned
her The hardships she described
were estimated, according to the
testimony Of other witnesses. to he
shared in considerable degree bv
wcmen and children OF from 10000 to
100000 families on the Southw stern
farms. most Of them white.
w. S. Noble. secretary OF the Land
League of Texas ted the commission
that he had this We elk found two land
stricken that they were offering 70
give their children away.
Steward Typical Tenant.
Noble said he had found these ten
ants IN a search for what he con-
sldered typical example Of the
poorer class of tenant farmers. Not
believing them typical he said. he
mad brought to Dallas as a voluntary
witness, L. r.. Steward. farmer
whose experiences were more tvpi-
cal CT some $4,000 tenant families
IN the southwest. Alongside sat his
wife and six of his eight children,
ranging from 3 TO 20 years OF age.
Three OF the smaller children were
harefooted laeir fee, showing sores
from frostbite.
After Steward had testified, his
wife took the stand.
Mrs. Steward said she was a native
OF Arkansas, married at l.. and for
ABOUT 10 years thereafter resided IL
Arkansas, then moving to north Tex
as. IN Arkansas she said she worked
~ the fields every year except one
IN the crop seasons. continuing this
work untIl nearly the time when
chlidren we're BON Her routine. she
sad, was to ger breakfast at a. m.
work in the fields until nearly noon
1heh return to the house to begin
houseAo!d duties. and take zone day
out week to do washing. For sew
eral years she said she made all her
husbands clothing. her own and hel
chlldr-ns' Mrs. Hartman aske. ;
about farm tenant housing conditions
Carries Water Half Mile.
"Some houses are tolerably
a. cent" rcrlied the witness. Some
are not. have carried water my
self half a mile from the nearest
we'll TO the house"
After coming 10 Texas Mrs. Stew
ard stopped field work, replacing il
with sewing, she said. until her sew
ing machine was taken away few
weeks ago to pay debts. She said
she had known many women VINO
worked as hard Since the first o,
this year, Mrs. Hartman brought out
the family has not had enough to eat
and their hcgs. their only remaining
food supply. are now on sale uadel
foreclosure to pay for debts. When
the hogs were seized. Mrs. Steward
said. she was allowed to retain three
messes' for the family to eat:
Don't you worry?" asked Mrs.
Hartman.
Il always say" replied the Witness,
smlling, that ' never let any rTou-
Die fly over my head than can kick