Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1915-01-01
NATIONS LABOR
PROBLEM
OVER A MILLION AND A HALF
WOMEN WORK AS FARM HANDS
IN THE UNITED STATES.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Unior.

Our government never faced SO ire
mendous a problem as that now lying
dormant at the doors Of congress and
the legislatures, and which. when
aroused, will shake this nation from
center to circumference, and make
civilization hide its face in shame.
That problem is-women in the field.
The last federal census reports
show we now have 1,514, 900 women
working in the field, most of them
south of the Mason and Dixon line.
There were approximately a million
negro slaves working in the fields
when liberated by the emancipation
proclamation. We have freed our
slaves and our women have taken
their places in bondage. We have
broken the shackles off the negroes
and welded them upon our daughters.
The chaln-Gane Of Civilization.
A million women in bondage in the
southern fields form the chain-gang of
civilization 49, the industrial tragedy
of the age. There is no overseer quite
so cruel as that of unrestrained greed.
no whip that stings like the lash Of
suborned destiny, and no auctioneer's
block quite so revolving as hat of or
ganized avarice.
The president of the United States
was recently lauded by the press, and
very properly so, for suggesting medi-
alton between the engineers and rail
road managers in adjusting their
schedule of time and pay. The engi-
neers threatened to strike if their
wages were not increased from ap.
proximately ten to eleven dollars per
day and service reduced from ten to
eight hours and a similar readiust-
ment of the overtime schedule. Our
women are working in the field, many
of them b%arefooted, for less than so
cents per day, and their schedule is
the rising sun and the evening star,
and after the days work is over they
milk the cows, slop the hogs and rock
the baby TO sleep. Is anyone mediat-
ing over their problems, and to whom
shall they threaten a strike?
Congress has listened a%pprovingly
to those who toll at the forge and be-
hind the counter, and many of our
statesmen have smiled at the threats
and have famed the flame of unrest
among industrial laborers. But wom-
en- are as surely the final victims of
industrial warfare as they are the
burden-bearers in the war between ma
tions, and those who arbitrate and
mediate the differences between capt.
tai and labor should not forget that
when the expenses of any industry are
unnecessarily increased. society foots
the bill by drafting a new consignment
Of women from the home to the field.
Pinch no crumb From Women's Crust
of Bread.
No financial award can be mate
without someone footing the bill, and
we commend to those who accept the
responsibility of the distribution of in
dustrial justice, the still small voice of
the woman in the field as she pleads
for mercy, and We beg that they pinch
no crumb from her crust of bread or
put another patch upon her ragged
garments.
We beg that they listen to the
scream of horror from the eagle on
every American dollar that is wrung
from the brow of toiling women and
hear the Goddess of Justice hiss at a
verdict that increases the want Of
woman to satisfy the greed Of man.
The women behind the counter and
in the factory cry aloud for sympathy
and the press thunders out in their
defense and the pulpit pleads for
mercy, but how about the woman in
the field? VIII not these powerful
opponents of human rights turn their
talent, energies and influence to her
relief? VIII the Goddess of Liberty
enthroned at Washington hold the cal
lOused hand and soothe the feverish
brow of her sex who sows and reaps
the nations harvest or will she permit
the male Of the species to shove
women-weak and weary-from the
%bread-line of industry to the back al
leys of poverty?
Women and Children First.
The census enumerators tell us that
Of the 1,514, 900 women who work in the
fields as farm hands 400, 900 are six
teen years of age and under. What is
the final destiny Of a nation whose flu
ture mothers spend their girlhood days
behind the pillow, pitching hay and
hauling manure. and what Is to become
of womanly culture and refinement
that grace the home, charm society
and enthuse nan to leap to glory in
noble achievements If II daughters
are raised in the society of the OK and
the c"ompanionship of the plow?
In that strata between the ages Of
sixteen and forty.ive are $50 900 wom-
en- working as farm hands and many
Of them with sucking babes tug
ging at their breasts, as drenchei
in perspiration, they WELD the scythe