The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-10-19

contracts you sign, boss you where
to have cotton ginned, when to
plant, how to plant, what to plant.
got you snapped in real bear
trap. The illpainted shacks they
live in maybe had slapping on
of that old buttermilk called white
wash in Adams day The lady in
Memphis who owns the plantation
a section of which Coney works is
tight as pigs end. Windows been
|. broken two years, she won't mend
them. Nothing's your own. You
think yourself lucky if your head
amt blowed off you on the road.
Why, four men run away from
fuckers farm penitentiary. They
had bloodhounds after them right
: down here to the bayou. Soma
boys passed in car. They started
shooting at them. One of the lads
is still sick abed from fright. They
caught the prisoners. They pumped
them dead full of holes while thew
was on their knees begging life )"
THEY DON'T LOVE YOU
DOWN THERE"
For while no one says anything.
In this sweet humid air, among the
singing night bugs, and the moon
coming up like young ear of corn
over the shadoWy bayou it's hard
to think of the butchery of short
time ago.
At last Harry Minimum "They
don't love you down in England"
NO. says Coney. "They don't
love any OF us. We give the town
black eye, they say, One of them
merchants couldn't berry half
million dollars from the big banks
after we went down for relief. You
know old man Davis who come
with us. After the march, he tried
organizing the hired hands for a
dollar a day. He was telling his
plan friendly like to the justice of
peace The jaypee called up the
sheriff They kangarooed him.
Locked him in Jail Stuck food
ticket into his coat to make peo-
pie believe Davis was lying about
his not getting any relief. When
ever / come down to town and
some of the farmers get round to
talk, that chief of police, a big
pussy fellow, waddling around like
a hipshot duck, always comes up
from behind and Shoves his snout
in. Yes, and they open the mail.
They got their eyes nailed on us"
nONEY describes more of the ter
v ror, hypocrisy, roguery rampant
in this part of Arkansas all because
of the brave march to England.
Because of the part he played in
it, he failed to get his federal re-
lief his seed loan. He went down
to the office. He spoke to the
Stenographer. He had made out
an application. She said his check
had come in but had been returned
because it was reported he didn't
need it. He came again to the
office. Frazier the man in charge
was in this time. He said that the
office in Memphis had recalled the
check. Coney didn't believe word
of it. He said, "Now, MIR. Frazier,
I may be hillbilly without any
education, but I'LL trace this down
even if it takes me to the end Of
the world and the last penny"
Frazier laughed. Coney wrote to
Memphis. They wrote back they
had sent the check but the local
committee has not approved it. He
went to Frazier with the letter.
Frazier's hands trembled so much
that the letter dropped to the floor.
He had to admit there and then
in the presence of three other crop
pers that the local board had re-
turned the check. The England
merchants behind it all.
FACED THEM ALL
Coney went to town and faced
the whole pack of them. He would
swap jacknives with any of them.
Had he ever gone behind their
backs? Why were they under
handed? Next year he got all his
seed money. They didn't dare
monkey around with him then. |
Well, the whole world seemed to
have heard of the going down to
England. A big Red Cross man
came to town. For week they
had some relief Carloads of flour,
potatoes. come in. Also truck. But
little did the poor people get of it.
The merchants in town took the
most of the stuff. They held it
over and sold it.
The boys sprawling on the porch,
had been listening silently. Now
one of them: There was one hun
dred sixty bushels of potatoes in
the cellar hid under one OF them
stores"