The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-10-20

Highway Robbery by officers.
One man was stood up behind box
car and gold watch, chain and gold
penknife taken away from him.
Nearly every man was forced to re-
move his shoes lin the search for
money! and some were stripped. 1t
was a kangaroo court of the rawest
character with little semblance to lor'
n order Four men had been paid
off one job that morning and were
waiting for other jobs. Some of them
had rooms, but they were fined just
the same
One man, an ex-service man injured
in the war, was picked up in front Of
his clearinghouse. This man has
brains and courage and knows the,
law. They asked him what business
he had wearing white collar. He
slammed back: What business have
you guys got to wear white collars"
Ex-soldier Talks Back.
They thoroly searched him and
found about IS on him.
They were going to take half of it
as they were doing with every man,
no matter what his roll. He told them
to leave his money on the table and
he would take care of it himself He
told them if necessary he would get a
lawyer to fight his case. They ac-
cused him of gambling and taking
away from the other men all their
earnings. "You did not catch me
gambling, did your" They dismissed
him.
The railroad detective whispered to
the judge and the judge carried out
his orders. Such procedure is en-
tirely against the rules in court pro-
ceedings.
A Plan to Beat Down Wages.
The alleged disorderly conduct of
two or three of the men was the ex-
cuse for the arrests. But the real
underlying reason is a conspiracy on
the part of the farmers and small
business men of the town (the latter,
if they do not own farms depend upon
the farmers as buyers of their mer-
chandise, so their economic interests
life with the farmers) to force the
fruit pickers to work for low wages.
One farmer even told some of the
men after they were arrested that if
they had accepted the six hours of
work at 80 cents per hour without
board, which he had offered, he would
not have helped in causing the arrest.
There were many other details of the
trial which | will not mention here,
but which would prove the utter rot
tenness of those conducting the trial.
If they could find no other charge
they were arrested for trespassihg on
railroad property.
It's a Free Country?
Now today, September 30, another
chapter has unfolded itself. This
morning ten state troopers stood
guard in Barker and every fruit picker
or hobo who hit town was promptly
driven out. So the town is rid of
hoboes. l asked the reason for their
being driven out "They went on
strike" was the answer. 'And what
were their demands" -Four dollars
and fifty cents per day and board"
SO you see the farmers themselves
have driven out the fruit pickers, be-
cause they are men enough to demand
living wage The reactionary farm
ers do not see that they are cutting off
their noses. They think the fruit
picker who moves and climbs ladders
all day with a heavy bag of fruit on
his back and who does the hardest
kind of physical labor is robbing them.
They do not stop to consider that the
real robber is the buyer OF his fruit.
Why Not Fight the Buyero?
The buyers pay the farmer a low
price for his fruit, but when the
worker in the city buys this fruit he
pays fancy price for it. Just now
the farmer is offered 50 cents per
bushel for peaches. In tho cities the
workers must pay from S1.25 to S1.75
per bushel.
If the reactionary and individuals
istic farmer would use the energy that
he is now using to beat down the
wages Of the fruit picker and organ
lie more effectively, he would be in a
position TO get what his fruit was
worth
Same Turnout Fruit Belt.
The trouble at Barker is only a
parallel Of what is transporting in prac.
ucally every town in the fruit belt
The deluded farmer. when he comes
to the realization that HIS salvation
lies in casting his lot with the very
outeasts who gives his best TO the
farmers each year for a mere pit
lance, then and only then will condi.
lions become better for both farmer
and worker.
Fine the Penniless.
I later learned that these same men
were first driven out Of Lockport,
They went to Barker and when they
were driven from there they went 10