The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-07-13

Woodward and 152 from Tulsa.
These men were paid from 81 to 50
per day. This was the figure the
farmers had said they would be will.
ing to pay.
Mr. Ashton says the excessive
rains that came just before harvest
time and continued .or almost a
month. delayed the harvest and set
at naught all calculations that had
been made as to when II would be.
gin. Despite this, however, the men
who came to get work got it. and
there was no hardship among them
greater than is TO be expected such
as gettag ready for harvest labor He
said:
Hoboes Proved Menace.
Probably the worst menace to the
entire situation was the influx of no.
boes, stockyard buns and Industrial
Workers of the World The latter,
Of course, were more active and ac-
cOmplished more by reason OF their
having an organization, but am win
dering if there are not thousands
OF men throughout the country today
who wish they had the dollar back
that they parted with to join this
organization. From the best infor-
nation we could obtain it seemed
that their original program was to
flock into the state, organize the har-
vest hands and attempt to pull off
general strike in an effort to force
the farmers to pay more money than
they had advertised they would pay.
but after weather conditions became
so bad, they seem to have changed
their tactics, and instead of DESTROY
ing property and trying to incite a
general strike they would flock into
different localities of the state in
great numbers and attempt to dis
courage all legitimate harvest hands
by trying to convince them that there
was a great surplus of labor in the
state and that thousands of men
would not and could not be given
They succeeded in a
measure and caused many a good
man to 90 back home, but the fact
that all who have asked for work
were given work is a sufficient ex-
planation and a sufficient assurance
that there was not a real surplus of
labor in Oklahoma.
Aside from the main line of the
Rock Island, from FL Reno north we
have mad very little complaint about
too much labor Our investigation
showed that before the cutting in |
many localities there were many men
but, as stated, these men seemed to |
be hoboes and left towr about the |
time work was ready. Further than
this, we have had but few complaints |
and where there was a surplus re-
ported it was only a few men, and |
these were sent to other points in
the state. The main line of the |
Rock Island was flooded with men at
all times, but even in this army all |
who wanted to work were employed"
Some Didn't Want Work.
The number of men who did not
want work at all vas noted by the |
of labor in his trips |
over the state lie was impressed |
by the manner in which these men |
eyaded the test when the time came |
10 make good on their demands for
1T was an interesting incident
he said, when a citizen of Guthrie |
became kind hearted at Enid and fed |
like eighty-five of these
individuals. In looking over the |
bunch, 4 discovered many familiar
'aces, most of them men who had |
'oamed Ends streets for weeks, but |
never applied at our office; again,
quite a number ] knew had rooms
in Enid. were paying their board,
merely waiting until they could be
'ent directly TO the harvest fields.
questioned them as to why they
we're joining in this feastmaking oc-
'asion and they told me that when
'ver anybody was handing out any
hing they felt they had a right to
yet their share. About the best test 1
o be applied 20 these hungry indi-
.iduals is work, and the experience