The daily worker., 1924-04-18
v!!g !!!!.|!:!! Tie !, ,y!g'!dI||r ! vepkEpz
CUrVucIIU y IF. TPuNG NoRKrM LEAGUE

average age is about 25. These work
ers are not strictly farm workers; for
when the crop is harvested most of
them go either to the cities or farther
west to the lumber camps.
Child Labor on the Farms.
There are in the United States over
100000 children from to is years
of age; and 81 per cent of these
children work on farms.
The conditions of the child farm
iaborers is indeed miserable. In the
Southern cotton fields, the little chill
dren drag big heavy sacks about in
the fields, picking cotton, under the
blistering sun. Their work is very
long, sometimes exceeding 10 hours.
There are no legal regulations in the
South. Thousands of colored children
are also employed in this work.
In California, so-called enlighten-
ed section of the United States, en-
ploys literally thousands of children,
some five and six years old. Even in
the highly industrialized states of
Rhode Island, Michigan and New
Jersey, as well as Maryland, special
investigations by the United States
Department of Labor (Children's Bu-
reau) reveal horrible facts regarding
the exploitation of children and
youth in the farming territories.
The hours of all the young farm
workers are extremely long. Housing
conditions are rotten, and can be lik-
ened to the conditions described by
Frederick Engels in his "conditions
of the Working Glass in England"
In Maryland and New Jersey, for in
stance, hundreds of these people
sleep in one shack without any
semblance of privacy. Children and
older people sleep and perform all
functions in the same chambers
without any partitions.
Because there are no laws to pro-
tect these farm children, they receive
the most meager schooling. The aver
age number of grades finished by
these children is very small, and the
type of schools attended are indeed
primitive because the wages of the
teachers are poor.
Laws Neglect Children.
Most of the states have passed
some form of child labor law, but it
is significant to note that in no state
do they pertain to the welfare of the
farming youth. On the land, the chill
dren are left to the mercy of the ex-
ploiters and their parents, both of
whom. in most instances look upon
them as objects of work-as farming
Implements.
And the number Of child workers
is growing.
Organization of Farming Youth.
Strange as it may sound, the
American farming youth is pretty
well organized, but not in it's own in
terests. Reactionary farm bureaus,
churches, and capitalist controlled
agricultural universities expend great
sums Of money and abundant effort in
organizing the farming youth osten-
sibly to keep them on the farm, since
the American youth has shown such
a strong tendency to leave the land.
These youth farm organizations
have as their purpose the making Of
better farmers of the rural youth. At
the same time, they are taught the
most reactionary sort of trash. For
example, the anti-labor president,
Calvin Coolidge, was made honorary
head Of all the youth farm organiza-
tions comprising membership of
over 100000. IL may be safely said
that the bulk OF the American farm
ing youth are the most reliable sup
porters Of the reactionary capitalist
elements, tho, at the same time, this
spirit is gradually being undermined
by the economic reverses which their
parents are now facing.
President Coolidge recognized the
importance of taking over the ideo-
logical leadership Of the greater mum.
ber OF farming youth. when he said in
accepting the honorary leaderships
over the organized farming youth:
Probably no activity is OF more
Importance to the future standing,
prosperity and social position of agri-