The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-21
SECOND DRIVE TO
KILL CHOPPERS
Tallassee and Camp
Hill Battles
CONTINUED FROM PAGE oNE)

confiscation campaign by the land
lords.
Toiiers Destitute.
Today the vast majority OF the
farming population of the South IS
destitute. The toilers who have pro-
duced cotton in limitless quantities,
do not have even sufficient rags to
cover themselves with.
The eros they raise are COZ seated
by the landlords, as vel las live
stock, land and all other possessions.
BY means of systematic and forclble
plumber the landlords drive the CROP
pers into debt and eventually force
them off the land.
Typical are the cases of Jim Pat
terson, father of a family OF 6, who
works for George Harper. Harper
confiscated the entire crop raised by
Patterson and his family When
Patterson protested, he was offered
$500 Harper did the same with
Anderson Higgins with family OF
7, ERNEST Oliver with family of 8,
and several others.
White Choppers Also Hit.
While the Negro population bears
the double burden of national as
well as economic and political OPP
preston, the white troopers, in many
respects, are scarcely better off.
Losing Land.
Small farm owners, white as well
as Negro are losing their land. This
is born out even in government fig
ures which put the increase in ten
antry during 1880 in the Southern
States, at 60 per cent. The over
whelming majority of the victims,
are Negroes. Since that time the
inpoyerishment of the southern
farmers has proceeded at much
faster rate.
These are the conditions which ac-
count for the growing solidarity OF
the Negro and white toilers OF the
South in common struggle against
their exploiters.
Growing Terror.
It Is with the object OF enforcing
these conditions and suppressing all
opposition by the toilers and particu-
larry the Negro toilers that the land
lords have intensified the campaign
of terror and suppression which was
recently smymboliSed in the Scots
boro case.
Framing Negro toilers on the most
common charge Of attack" on white
women, the gentlemen" OF the
southern ruling class engage in gen.
uine and widespread violence against
Negro women, A typical example is
that of Pat Heard, a U. S. army SOL
dier who came into Negro workers
house ard at the point of a gun,
brutally raped three girls. Another
outstanding case in this region was
the attack by three ladnlords on the
wife of a Negro cropper.
The main purose OF intensified
terror by the southern landlords IS
to reserve their potts in the face OF
the gowing depression, and to place
the buden of lower cotton prices and
other effects of the crisis entirely on
the shoulders of the impoverished
farming population.
Union Fights Starvation.
Unbearable conditions and growing
militancy of the Negro and white
troopers finally resulted in the or
ganization of the militant Choppers
Union. Following are some OF the
conditions the union has been hight
ing.
Choppers have to pick cotton for
some one else in order to get enough
to live on, being paid at the rate
of 30 cents hundred. Most OF the
pay is in groceries. The troopers
have to feed themselves while pick
ing for this starvation wage GOO
pounds day is exceptionally good
from sun-up to sun-down).
Some OF the choppers have no hogs
to kill. The landlords even take
part of the syrup they make. In
winter-time the choppers live at the
mercy of the landlords who advance
food to ractically enslave the CROP
pers into picking the next crop, but
frequently do not advance the food
and force the troopers to migrate
or starve.
Fighting In the face OF murderous
terror by the sheriffs, lynch gangs
and the entire capitalist-landlord
regime Of the South, Drawing starva-
ton at the hands Of the landlords
who appropriate all the means OF
life, the toilers of the South, Negro
and white are carrying on a heroic
struggle In solidarity with their
worker and farmer brothers through
out the country.
The presence Of Negro delegates at
the recent farm conference in Wash
ingto proves that the troopers are
willing to bave eadth itself in the
struggle for better conditions and
agains tthe entire system Of exploit
tation, for self determination in the
black belt.
But this struggle can only be won
by he southern toilers fighting
against tremendous obstacles and
terror. with the support Of the work.
ers and farmers of the entire coun-
try