Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-02-12
The Country Home
BY MRS. W. I'll. FELTON,


1t is estimated that there are
ployes in Washington city-and it is
proposed that the minimum wage in
the bill now pending before con-
gress that the cheapest one of the
lot shall certainly be paid one thou
sand and eighty dollars a year.
| that means nearly four dollars per
day-to be exact, three dollars and
sixty cents for every working day
in the year. 1t is a well-known fact
, that many families have as many
as three of four persons drawing
government pay in the departments
of the government. I was glad to
notice that Senator Hoke Smith dis
cussed this proposal without any
gloves, on January 21. when the bill
was up for discussion. Said he. 81
know a family-where two are mes
sengers-and one runs an elevator
| and one stays at home. If this bill
passes that familys wage would be
$3,240 a year"-and he reminded the
| senate that twenty-five years. ago
such services were paid for at $40
per month and they were glad to get
| l..
it is to dust off the exhibits in the
patent office, once a day., he said
they were delighted and served
gladly at $40 per month.
All this is now changed. The very
lowest grade of service must aver
age $1,000 per annum. Witness the
change! They must have $2OO per
month, with short hours for duty.
and prompt pay at the treasury,
A South Carolina senator remarked
served by holding down a chair
the most of the time.
To this the Georgia senator re-
piled: Yes, they do that practically
all the time, without getting up 10
them have the politeness Of show
ing you anything, if you want to
find it, about a department..
Senator Dial of South Stnato Gaf i0 on,
Dosing the bill. Said he: THE en-
ployes affected by the impending
| bill perform all their duties indoors.
Theirs is not hard work-thelr WORK
does not require education and skill.
The lowest kind of Intelligence can ad
perform it. If this bill is passed
we Virtually say to every one in the
| United States, If your employer does
not pay you as much as So per DAY;
| do not engage in any kind OF work
It is all wrong to onI put +, al ma manklnu
|
When we get to paying ordinary Ia.
| hor-the people who sit down IN
their chairs and have nothing TO 40
but point visitors to the next door-
and we could get along with vastly
less number Of them, by the way
and when we pay them vastly more
| than educated people are getting
here and at home-then we are 90
ing wrong" He copied from the New
York Times a statement regarding
! TO
dren in New York state. wages pald
bv the month averaged $65 the entire
| last year, 1920. A,,a
At harvest time, without board tIadS
time, $3.s9-the entire year. GIN
1874 at harvest time, wages were
S1I3 per day-other times. 81 per
day.D The average for the Whoie
country in 1920 was $64.96 per montn'
All of this is bound to be inter
estine to the farmers and their wives
who must try to start crop as soon
as the weather will permit, and cot
ton-good cotton-is only br1nglng
Is cents pound. Sorry cotton can
only ten bales of cotton and the
price remains stationary, those ten
bales bring $3.50 dollars. 1t will re-
ouire at least $500 to buy the fertll-
izers and pay for hoeing and picking
and live plain ana marc. o,o+1,o ond
feed a family Of five, and then come
the taxes! .,
One of the Barlow county com
missioners told me a few days ago
that where we paid one dollar IN
taxes in 1920 we would pay 81 IN
1921! ,,1a
lack $500 of having enough to pay
the taxes if my renters gave me ten
bales of cotton as rent.
Compare these figures with 81
$50 for messengers and elevator
bows in Washington city,.
Hadn't we better go like CoXeyy
did some years ago and camp around
the capitol and tell them we had
come to die for our country where
the money was, for we had nothing
to live on at home? The bill appro-
PIRATES ten million dollars for wage
increases, with five million dollars
to be expended in Washington city
on messengers and elevator boys
at more than 5000 per month.
When shall we start on this cru
SADIE, deGr reader?
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