The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1932-08-05
Ruin In the Kansas
Wheat Fields

manner in which unemployed are
treated in the wheat regions of
Kansas. You find towns like Wich-
tia pulling any who look like buns
finger printing, charg-
ing them with vagrancy, and SEN
fencing them to indefinite periods
in the city pen farm, where by
forced labor they pull plows and
cultivators like slaves.
"Then there is Hutchinson with
an ornery police department that
has instructions to round up the
floating element" at night, go
through the booking routine, jug
them, and tell them to get out of
town within two hours the next
morning. The main thing of the
city administration is to keep the
transcients out and on the move.
Shoot up the "Jungles"
"At Hays, Kansas, the police
searched about a dozen out of
nearly 100 men for red IWW cards
or red literature. l was spotted
as a probable agitator and "shook
down" but they found no evidence.
The city marshal told me he had
jailed eight that evening for fur
Their investigation. The morning
left Hays the deputy sheriff and
city marshall shot up the jungles
and gave the crowd two hours to
clear out.
"You may be interested to know
what organizations are co-operat-
ing to drive farm workers out Of
the plains. They are the Cham.
bers of Commerce, the Farm Blu.
reau Federation, the county agents
and the local bankers.
"This crowd hangs close togeth
er. At Great Bend, the Chambe
of Commerce and the Farm
Bureau are on the same floor O.
the Barton County courthouse.
County Agents as Stool Pigeons
with the hearty cooperation o
the county agents, these groups
have formulated the general polio.
that farmers shall be induced" Il
only hire unemployed people VIII,
live in their own district, and tran
sients are to be moved right on
of town. The Chamber of Com
; merce has actually sent out propa
ganda advising that transient
workers should stay out of the
: whole state of Kansas, as the
would be able to supply farmer
with local unemployed men.
at is significant that the Fed
eral agent, C. R. Hoon, whom tn
/ Department of Labor sent out
: make a survey Of harvest cor
ditiOns and labor supply, makes hi
headquarters at the Chamber Q
, Commerce at Plat, Kansas"
Patriotic Attack on Agricultural
Workers
D. Under the cloak of local patriC
; tism, these groups are of cOurs
benefitting themselves by this ws
against the agricultural worker
{ First because farmers workin
part time on neighboring farm
p will accept lower wages. 'Tf
e home guards win work IL to
0 hours a day for from IS cents
S1.50, while regular harvest hanC
e hold out for 81 or more. At Gre;
o Bend, an outsider was urging SCI
: eral hundred men who were hanl
: ing around looking for jobs to no
e out for 1888. Because of this
e was singled out as an agitator al
a ordered to leave town, the sheri
Q driving behind while he walked o.
i of the city limits" Even farme
q who want to pay more than Il
+ miserable rs cents to $1.50 a ds
+ to their hired workers, are orders
p mot to do so by the bankers WI
+ holds the loan on the crop. "Tl
bankers clique won't let farme
and farm workers deal directl
l. The bankers agents must step l
0 and maneuver the situation to t
Re great disadvantage Of both far1
n ers and farm workers"
1t Local Merchants want Profits
70 A second reason for this poll
II is because the local merchant
n members of the Chamber of Coz
r merce are anxious that such wag
lie as are spent shall pass throuI
le their local stores.
= A third reason is because crow
~ of farm workers who travel toget
Il er and work together are in
N much better position TO barga
N and make demands as a mass, tn
'e Individual farmers working ps
time off their own farms.
"Now do you see why we 9
given the shake down and order
ne out of town."