The Press., 1915-01-27
illustrating the. character of unneces- sary expenses to which we refer.
 Union onnoses "EuIl Crew" RLIl.

Union Opposes "FuIl Crew" BIIl.
 The Texas Farmers Union regis tered it's opposition to this character of legislation at the last annual meet ing held in Fort Worth, Tex, August 4, 1914, by resolution. which we quote, as follows:
 The matter. of prime importance to the farmers of this state Is an ade- quate and efficient marketing system; and we recognize that such a system is impossible without adequate rail- road facilities. embracing the greatest amount of service at the least pos sible cost We further recognize that the farmers and producers in the end pay approximately 95 per cent or the expenses of operating the railroads. and 1t is therefore to the interest or the producers that the expenses of the common carriers be as small as is possible, consistent with good ser vice and safety. We, therefore, call upon our lawmakers, courts ana juries to bear the foregoing facts in mind when dealing with the common carriers of this state, and we do espe- cially reaffirm the declarations or the last annual convention Of our State Union, opposing the passage or the so-called 'full-crew' bill before the thirty-third legislature of Texas.
 The farmers of Missouri in the last election, by an overwhelming ma iority, swept this law of the statute book of that state, and it should come of of all statute books where it appears and no legislature or tnls nation should pass such law or similar legislation which requires un- necessary expenditures.
 The same rule applies to all regu- latory measures which increase the expenses of industry without giving corresponding benefits to the public There is ofttimes 8 body of men as- sembled at egislatures-and they have a right to be there-who, ln their zeal for rendering their fellow associates a service, sometimes favor an increase in the expenses or ln- dustry without due regard for the men who bow their backs to the summers s gun to meet the payroll, but these committees, while making record for themselves, rub the skin of the shoulders of the farmer by urging the legislature to lay another burden upon his heavy load and under the lash of be it enacted" goad him on | to pull and surge at the traces of CIVIL ization, no matter how he may sweat, foam and gall at the task. When Legislatures "cut a melon for labor | they hand the farmer lemon. The farmers of the United States | are not financially able to carry dead heads" on their payrolls. Our own hired hands are not paid unless we have something for them to do and we are not willing to carry the hired help of dependent industries unless there is work for them. We mus, therefore insist upon the most riglt economy.
 LeqisIative House-cieaning Needed.
 While the war is on and there is { Hull in business, we want all leg1sla tive bodies to take an inventory the statute books and wipe oh al extravagant and useless laws. goo' house-cleaning is needed and econo
 mics can be instituted here and ther
 that will patch the clothes of indigen
 children, rest tired mothers and lii
 mortgages from Respondent homes
 Unnecessary workmen taken of an
 useless expenses chopped down a
 along the line will add to the pros
 perity of the farmer and encourag
 him in his mighty effort to feed an
 clothe the world.
 If any of these industries have SUI
 plus employees we can use them O
 the farm. We have no regula
 schedule of wages, but we pay goo
 farm hands on an average of $l.5 per day of thirteen hours when the
 board themselves; work usually run about nine months of the year and tn three months dead time, they can d the chores for their board. If the
 prefer to farm on their own account
 there are more than 14.000,000.0 .00 acres of idle land on the earth's SUI
 face awaiting the magic touch of tn
 blow. The compensation is easily ol
 tainable from Federal Agriculture
 Department statistics. Tho tots
 average annual sales of a farm the continental United States amount
 to $516.00; the cost of operation
 s34O.O0; leaving the farmer $176 pc
 annum to live on and educate h1 family.
 There is no occasion for the legi , latures making a position for surplu employees of industry. Let them com "back to the soil' and share with , the prosperity of the farm.