The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-10-03
Wants Farmers to
Hold Their Own
Continued from page ons

plant and cultivate fairly intelli-
| gently and raise, In many instances
splendid crops. Thus far we deserve
all the good things that are said of
the intelligent farmer, but from here
again the large majority of US pitt
ably fail. Here We seem again to re-
vert back to the old type. Right
here we show ourselves q dis0rgan-
ICED heterogeneous body Of helpless
inc0mpetents. We seem to display
about the same forlorn despair and
passive submission toward our mas
ters" as does the wounded mouse in
the paws Of . cat.
Eye ghosts of Caesar, what mas
ters we do have! We could feel less
Inundated to have highly organ
lied, intelligent, industrial corpora
ton stealthily appropriate the profits
of our years work. But We Gods!
To have q score or so Of Mexicans---
some of whom can hardly write their
names and the best Of whom, until
they crossed the boundary line, q
! year or 30 back, were glad to get a
paso day, and dish of frejoles and
Echilli was luxury, and now, re-
4 peat, to humiliate ourselves by MAX
ing these common Mexicans our mas
ters! How can we farmers look in
the glass without blush of shame,
when we realize that the image we
see there was once that Of a proud
American homo, but now, thru our
own lack of self assertion we have
placed it in the class Of Invertebrates.
And true to our new classification
we supinely fold our hands and say:
These Mexicans ask for all my
years profits, and don't know what
can do to feed and cloth my wife
and children, but since they ask for
lit l will have to give it to them.
Oh, for the day of reincarnation
when if we have the form of men,
we can be men, and if we can not
be men let us be mice and take their
form.
Recently a Mexican was asked
about his wages for this fall in the
beet field. He replied that he ex-
pected SIS or better per day. That
he would only top beets by the acre
as the crop was very light He said
they were going to charge approx
mately $500 per acre. Now let us
see what that means to the beet
growers who hire this labor. The
average crop this year will not ex-.
coed, and more likely will run under,
eight tons per acre, which would
bring gross return of $4,000. If
you pay Mr.. Mexican $500 to top
those beets you give him 1875 per
cent OF your gross returns for one
days work. You have probably al
ready paid him " per cent of that
acres, or your whole farms return
for thinning, which on the basis of
an acre, would represent probably
less than one days work. Again you
have probably paid him " per cent
for hoeing twice, or for the three OPP
.erations, thinning, hoeing and top
ping-representing probably three
days work-he takes 1875 of your
acres yield.
Now let us see how the, farmer
comes out in this kind Of a deal.
Forty acres of beets at $4,000 would
bring $4,000. Mexican labor at $31
per acre would make $1,24O.0O, rent
or interest on investment $500, taxes
$75,, canal maintenance $50, depre-
citation on machinery 1920, seed
800, feed for three horses $3.50,
making total of $2,735.00, taken
from the proceeds of $4,000 would
leave Sass which the farmer gets
for his years work of 365 days,
while the Mexican, for not more than
100 days gets $1240. Putting 1t
roughly the Mexican works one third
as many days as the farmer and gets
a little less than three times as much
money. The farmer with his teams
and machinery earns $1.27 per day,
while the Mexican, single handed,
gets $10.33 per day.
Nov, Mr.. Farmer, shall we go on
serving our oriental or occidental
into stupid bankruptcy or
shall we make some concerted eff
fort to gain our self respect and re-
gain some financial rewards for our
labors? AS for me, | am willing to
says, Mr.. Mexican, wish you safe |
journey home, but safe or unsafe,
go home!'
while some of the above figures
may not be exactly true, the correct |
ones would probably be in favor of |
The Mexican and wish it emphatic |
ally understood that what say here |
Of the Mexican | wish it applied to |
any and every man who proposes
such extorsionate wages for his |
labor.