The daily worker., 1930-04-12

Sk = 81 !!s4-&s&-j
Types of southern textile workers.
They are, left to right, Elizabeth
McGinnis, 16, and Benney Green, IA.
bloom, knowing nothing of hard
slavery in the cotton mills until l
was twenty years old. l was raised
by hard-working parents, knowing
my father to work for so cents and
81 per day to support his family.
Having six in the family to sup
port you know he could not give
his children any education and but
very little chance in life. When /
was the age of 10 years my father
died, leaving my mother with a
burden of four children to support.
Also my mother had no brothers
or sisters to look TO for help, and
we were left all alone. My grand
father being killed in what is known
as the Civil War, but only civil for
the capitalist class. We know there
was no civil war for the working
class.
! So here my mother was left an
orphan in her childhood days. Also
my grandfather on my fathers side
was crippled in this same Civil War
for the boss class, and having only
one leg, my grandfather was not
able to help my mother with US
children.
From the time | was six years
old | had to work in the field.
Not being large enough to hoe
corn by myself had to help my
brother on his work, he being
older than myself. All country
children, especially the poor farm
ers' children knew their places. 1t
is very plain to see the farmers
child has no chance in life as well
as the textile workers children,
only they do get the fresh air and
sunshine that the textile children
Go not get.
Worker For Ten Cents Day.
| worked in the field for ten cents
day after my father died to help
my mother with the younger chill
dren. These miserable struggles
were with us until l was Is years
Of age. I decided then that l
wanted something for myself. ] be-
gan cooking away from home for
the wages of 81 per week. So you
see my fortune never came.
Into the Textile Mill.
This kind of work l did until we
moved to the textile industries,
where the capitalist class said in
those days money grows on trees
and the river flows with milk and
honey. But when we arrived the
bosses had already gathered all the
money and the tree has produced
none since only what the boss gath
ers for himself.
l have been shaving almost 20
years in the textile mills and I have
got less now than l had the day
| entered the mills to learn the
trade. I have learned several dif-
ferent trades in the mills, thinking
| might earn little more on one
job than could on the other. But
I find but very little difference in
them. It is only speed-up, stretch
out, long hours and low pay for the
workers and big profits for the
bosses.
The first mill I ever worked in
worked four and one-half days
and made go cents. The second
mill / worked in ! made 40 cents
per day spooling. So decided l
wanted to learn different trades, SO
1 learned weaving. After learning
/ made 80 cents per day running
ten hand-threading looms, and to
make this 80 cents a day began
work in the morning at o'clock,
running through noon hour, stop
ping at o'clock at night. So you
see what profit l got and the profit
the boss got. / made 60 yards of
cloth for Is cents for the boss and
if went to the company store to
buy one yard of this same cloth !
had to pay the boss 10 cents per
yard. Now there you see where
the bosses profits come from.
Raising Family On 80 Cents Day
l was married in the year OF
1909. Being married one year our
first baby was bornd. Then ou,
struggling in life began. For we
so much wanted to give our child a
chance in life and see it have the
things that children should have.
But all in vain. For on such wages
as 50 and 80 cents per day that
my husband made we could not
accomplish anything for our
selves or baby. So at the age of
three months old nv baby was left