Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-24

x
Bees IL is pretty generally admitted tina, dis,
loFted truth Is worse than a direct lie. Mrs.
/ HioFnbergers recent stusion, together with the
| photos she supplied for The Sunday Bee OF jan
uary II, form combination OF distorted truths
Thar work great injury 10 an important indus
\ try, cast unjust reflections upon a great many
people, and in addition contain lot OF ridiculous
/ and absurd statements. First let NE refer 10
/ the "shaniies" mentioned BY Mrs HoFnbeFger.
/ These "shan,ies" are better habnalions. as a
rule, than the hfsi homesteaders OF this territory
/ enjoyed. Aud while the hamesteaders lived In
| their "shaeks" the year around, the beet workers
occupy theirs only during the pleasant summer
| aud iall months. The sanitary condition OF these
| "shanies" is just what tho occupants make H.
| II they desire, the sanitation Is excellent, for
there IS plenty OF running water and excellent
| drainage.
Mrs. Hornberger talks about erich owners
OF the beet fields going TO Lincoln with "arm
| loads OF contracts" That is rare Bit OF humor
There amt no such animile as a rich owner OF
beet land in this entire valley Aud the land
owners do not make contracts with the beet
laborers. They do not even send representatives
TO make contracts for them. These contracts
are simple enough. The land owner contracts
with the sugar company TO cultivate specified
acreage OF beets. The sugar company contracts
with the laborers 70 tend TO a certain number OF
beeiS at a specified price per acre. The aborerS
are then distributed 10 the land owners and are
paid by them
Mrs. Hornberger's ignorance OF actual condi-
lions in the sugar beet section is evidenced in
many ways. First. she talks about these coll
tract aborers planting the bee,s.' Bce,s arc
not planted, She talks about these contract la
borers picking beets." Beets are not picked.
She talks about the constant stopping" OF the
children The work that requires STOPPING occu-
pies about three weeks Of the entire season. and
after four years OF close observation l have
never seen any signs that IL resulted in physical
injury TO the slightest degree. She talks OF chill
dren using large, dangerous knives" Knives
arc used IN topping beets, and beet topping is
the work OF strong, skilled men; children are
not used in this work. She talks about the daily
handling OF beets weighing much more than a
child OF immature age should handle" Well,
the average beet weighs less than two and one
hall pounds; the beets are only handled at the
Tag end OF the season. after they have been lifted
from the ground by machinery and are ready
Tor. the toppers. This daily" handling occupies
perhaps couple OF weeks. 1t must be hurried,
for the beets are allowed TO remain in the ground
until the last possible moment, and are then
topped as quickly as possible to allow getting
them to the factories before they freeze.
OF course the Russian with the largest family
gets the most money. They also acquire the
best land in the valley Their children are taught
habits of industry while native sons and daugh-
tiers are taught how to play basket ball and
1OOlDdll. hat Is lnc ICdsoH We HcNcI sec a
lot OF young Russians hanging around the street
corners and bemoaning the fact that there amt
no chance a-tall no more for poor young man."
That sort of thing is left for our native born sons.
challenge Mrs. Hornberger to pick out
1000 American boys and girls in Lincoln who
will compare in health aud thrift and industry
with the 1000 Russian children who corrc to
this valley to work in the beet fields. OF course
the native born American children have better
school opportunities, but that is because school
conditions are made to fit them, instead of fitting
the school conditions to all the children. Just
why we have to begin school on the first of
September and run them until the first Of June,
regardless Of conditions. is something no man
has yet been able to explain. Probably it is be-
cause some wise man in Boston $50 years ago
said it must be so. and we haven't had sense
enough to change it and make the school year
fit industrial conditions. Mrs. Hornbcrgcr would
ruin great industry rather than assist in chang
ing our school laws SO as to permit Of common
sense school terms.
Again, Mrs. Hornberger talks about the long
hours the children have to work. She saws ''thc
hours of labor are nearly twice those of union
hours" Admitted but the hours in the beet fields
are no longer than the hours in the corn fields
or on the average farm.
When Mrs. Hornberger asserts that Ne
braska is "countenancing slavery" i'll the beet
fields of western Nebraska she gives voice to a
downright fasehood. She has never seen a
"beet" special pull into one of our sugar factory
towns in the spring and unload their cargo of
Russian families. I've seen them time and time
again, and happier, healthier lot of men, wo-
men and children would be impossible to find
And they are happy all summer long, and happy
when they leave for home with their pockets
lined with honestly earned money. Talk about
exploiting the youth and vitality of the coun-
tryT 1t would be laughable were it not so
grossly libelous. These Russian children are a
thousand times better off, physically and NOR
ally, working in the beet fields than they would
be loafing through the summer in Lincoln.
admit that the school problem is puzzling.
But the solution does not lay in destroying a
great industry. The way to solve it is to fit the
school year to our industrial conditions, and this
may easily be done without curtailing the time in
school or injuring the industry. And it will
never be solved by the officious interference of
salaried "reformers" and busybodies who are for
ever stirring up something to reform" in order
to hold fast to their salaries and liberal expense
accounts.
Having only eight children of my own, am
forced to admit that l do not know blooming
thing about raising children, SO whenever l
must have accurate information l consult some
old maid or bachelor. They always are reliable
authorities. Not knowing blooming thing
about the beet industry, l presume Mrs. Horn
berger is warranted in posing as an authority
The trouble with her is that she knows so much
hat,