The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-06-02
Chickasha is Threatened with Over.
flow Of Enid Invaders Apply
ing to County Agent
Cooper for Jobs
CALLS RESULT in
LABOR SURPLUS
Come From Far and Near to Find
Work In the Wheat Fields
But Meet Only Disap.
pointment

That Chickasha is threatened with
the same overflow of farm laborers
and camp followers that took Enid
by storm, was evidenced this morning
when up to 10 o'clock more than SO
men had applied for work at the office
of O. c. Cooper, Grady county agricul
tural agent, many Of whom bore slips
from the government department of
labor with directions to come to Chick
asha and with the assurance that EN-.
ployment awaited them here at 81 to
SO per day with board and lodging.
There are probably men among
them who would not work II given em-
ployment, but the great majority bear
1.-The appearance Of being sincere in
their desires for farm work of any
kind. They come from many parts
OF the United States. Four, who have
Travelled together. come from Pennsyl-
vania. One OF these men said. I'VE
came to Kansas City ON the cushions
and saw "A federal man there. He gave
us some slips and told US to come 20
Enid and that there was plenty OF
work there for us. We paid our fare
as far as Caldwell and from the time
we started to Caldwell. we had paid
out about 800 Tor railroad tickets.
When we got to Enid we found that
the town was overrun with men.
Last Sunday night the soup
kitchen at Enid fed 437 men for sup
per. The town fed us for several
days, first starting In with three meals
a day and then cutting ii down to two.
Breakfast at III o'clock In the morn
ing and supper late in the afternoon.
Sunday the mayor posted notices that
the soup kitchen would close at sup
per Monday night. Monday they held
us in Enid at the point of a gun and
In the evening made us leave Monday
Enid The government man at Enid
gave us four the tip Monday to come
to Chickasha and said that the harvest
here would commence a few days
sooner than up here"
When asked concerning the report
ed riot in Enid the men said. "Yes.
there was riot started but bunch
of about 25 or 80 of the |. w. VS.
started 1t. When the notice was post
ed that the soup kitchen would close
Monday night, committee from the
/. w. WIS called on the mayor and he
sent down bushel Of potatoes. some
onions, about rs loaves of bread and
lot more stuff, enough food fofr about
1875 men. The !. W. WIS built a fire,
made long table, cooked the stuff
and had big meal They ate first.
There we're about 50 men yet TO be fed
when they finished. The chief Of po-
lice and some deputies were there and
when the |. w. w. bunch had finished
they let us come up 10 finish. The
chief asked one of the leaders what
had become of all that bread and he
said, It's over there on the table, We
went over and found about half q
dozen loaves. Their bunch had eaten
the rest. The chief arrested three Of
the leaders and took them to the city
Jail. The rest of the gang went up
the track, got soap box and some o.
them started to speak. Our bunch
stayed down at the other end of the
yards. The police drove the agitators
away. After that the l. w. W.'s called
on the city officers and iold them that
IL they didn't turn the three men out,
they would have to arrest the whole
.trew and il the officers refused to do
that, they would wire the |. w. w.
headquarters and flood the town with
men The three leaders were turned
out and the whole bunch loaded on a
freight train going north. We were
loaded into a freight car like a bunch
of cattle and started south Some OF
us got Off here and the others went
on south. don't know where"
The slips were signed by man nam
ed Green from Kansas City and were
headed "The Department Of Labor