The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-08-01
THOUSANDS ON
THE BUM IN
HARVEST BELT
SheIbyviIIe Man Describes
Scenes in Wheat Area;
Throngs Hungry.

lnr0ngS hungry.
1--WE bummed my way from FRS
co bay to the rockbound coast of
Maine, to Canada and Mexico, and
wandered back again.
This is the theme song for the
great horde of wandering willies, or
the army of unemployed, which is
touring the country this season via
the box-car route. It numbers no
less than 100000, and represents
nearly every walk of life, declares
Loren w. Phillips of Shelbyville,
just back from the nations great
western wheat. belt. Here is the
story as he tells it
The present. unemployment situa-
ton has driven thousands of hereto
fore industrious men, young and
old and even a, number of intrepid
young women from their, homes in
search Of work in the golden west;
Hitch mixers and freight train rid
ers are to be seen at every hand,
even in Indiana, but the Hoosier
state is one of the least popular
regions this summer among the
knights Of the road.
Thousands ION Bum"
1t has been estimated that the
hobo population of the United
States is 10000. These are tramps
of the confirmed type, known to
nearly every housewife. These gen.
try toll not and neither do they spin,
nor could they be induced to accept
job requiring physical exertion or
permanent residence in one locality.
Although there are ten times more
men ION the bum" than ever be-
fore, the ranks of the confirmed
type have not increased appre-
ciably and the regular back door
beggars are held in supreme con-
tempt by their fellow travellers.
The greater number of the army
is composed of youths, ranging In
age from 16 to %. A large per-
centage of them are from average
good American homes and have
been accustomed to working.
The call of the harvest has been
heard from coast to coast and
answered with twenty-five men for
every job. From the north, east,
south and west, they have focked
into the grain belt, extending across
Kansas, Nebraska and the. Dakotas
in such numbers that the farmers
have taken every advantage that is
possible for an employer to gain
from an employee, and $3.50 a day is
the highest wage offered, but the
greatest number of workers in
Kansas and Nebraska, where the
harvesting is finished, received only
81 to $3.50 day.
Scores Ride Freights
During the latter weeks of June,
when the Kansas harvest swung into
full blast, it was not an uncommon
matter to see as many as 200 men
stealing ride" on freight train
in that section.
The Missouri Pacific lines we're
especially heavily patronized dur
ing that period and the cities along
its route-St. Louis, Jefferson City
and Kansas City, were swarming
with buns.
At a point midway between
Jefferson City and the Kansas line,
I witnessed a most striking example
of present day hard times. A Mis-
souri,, Pacific train of cattle, cars on
which more than hundred men
were riding, stopped for a few min
utes in a small village and a num-
Der of the men left the train in
search of food.
An old man, working in a garden,
pulled a large number of radishes,
which had gone to seed and cast
them into the alley, where they were
bounced upon eagerly by fifteen
men, who ate them ravenously.
Willing to Work
I witnessed a number of occur
rences, equally touching. All of
those men were willing to work-a
regular hobo doesn't eat discarded
radishes-he brazenly begs for food
and usually fares well, but it
is most difficult for a red-blooded
American workman, even in want,
to ask for aims.
The prevailing idea that men in
such dire straits are of a low order,
ignorant, unskilled or degenerate,
is quite wrong. I met and con-
versed with a large number of COL
lege students ION the bum" and
some who even claimed to possess
college degrees.
A few of these probably exagger-
ated their status, but not all of
them. I saw one Phi Beta Kappa
key and quite a number of insignia
denoting membership in lesser
Greek letter societies during six
weeks travels with the buns.
I met teachers, statesmen,
musicians, office workers, sign
painters, actors, shipbuilders, car
penters, brick masons, oil workers,
steel workers. automobile workers.