Montana labor news., 1936-07-02
TRACICPOVERTY IN
COTTON FIELDS


Myers, Industrial Secretary Of the Fed
eral Council of the Churches OF Christ
in America, was interviewed here today
concerning his observations on the Sit
uation in Eastern Arkansas. He stated
that he had been in contact with the
problem at various times for over a
year, following a careful study of the
basic problems OF cotton tenancy made
in representative areas under the spon-
sorship OF an Arkansas committee OF
which Mr.. Brooks Hays was chairman
and with the cooperation Of the Re-
search Department OF the Federal
Council OF Churches.
Mr.. Myers said that during his
present visit he had interviewed many
ministers who were deeply interested
and concerned, and also government
officials, planters, lawyers, and repre-
sentatives of the tenants, share-crop-
pers and field workers. He also at
tended the trial OF David Benson at
Forrest City, taking careful notes
Mr.. Myers declared that the condi-
tions Of cotton tenancy reveal tragic
poverty and misery in the entire cot
ton belt including many states, and are
by no means confined to Arkansas.
This has been amply shown by scien-
tific studies made by Southern experts
including Mr.. Will w. Alexander of
Atlanta, now with the Federal Reset
tlement Administration, and published
through the Rosenwald Fund by the
University Of North Carolina Press I'M
der the title Of "The Collapse OF Cotton
Tenancy" Mr.. Myers pointed out that
many kindly and fair-minded planters
deplore the general situation and are
doing the best they can, faced as they
are with basic economic difficulties.
But this should not blind u eyes
nor harden our hearts" he continued,
TO the fact that the whole cotton ten
ancy problem cries out to high heaven
for ~far-reaching reconstruction and the
abolition Of what the authors of the
Rosenwald study have referred to as
the new form Of slavery involved in
tenancy"
when under such conditions" he
continued, farm workers desire to as
sociate themselves together for mutual
benefit and to seek through peaceful
organizations believe in American de-
mocracy and its principles Of civil lib
critics, to learn OF the extensive evil
dence OF fragrant denial Of these civil
liberties and Of the widespread terror
ism which has occurred during the past
year and in recent weeks in Eastern
Arkansas against the Southern Tenant
Farmers Union, an organization which
the American Federation of Labor en-
dorsed at its last convention.
ct is still more shocking when this
reign OF forcible suppression Of civil
liberties eliminates in a trial such as
that of David Benson at Forrest City
in which the jury was said by those &C
quainted with them to be predominantly
composed of landowners whose farms
are in the strike area, and when the
state ranger testified that Benson was
breaking no law when arrested but was
apprehended because he drove a car
with a foreign license Washington, d.
O. l heard no shred Of proof impli-
eating Benson in any unlawful acts, I'M
less the possession Of letters in his
pocket showing that he was a Union
organizer could be considered as evil
dence that he was a law breaker, and
except for the possible minor o%ffense
of having been in Arkansas a few days
without obtaining an Arkansas license,
Yet the verdict of guilty with maximum
penalties Of $1,000 was imposed. After
the trial, as the press reported, the
lawyer for the defense was threatened
by a crowd and told to leave town, and
the lawyers driver, a Union official,
was beaten by a crowd, and open
threats of lynching was heard. Nor
was this the first occasion on which at
torneys for the Southern Tenant Farm
ers Union have been interfered with in
the exercise of their legitimate calling.
Three previous attorneys have been
threatened or attacked according to re-
liable evidence. The house OF one Of
them was shot into.
There have been charges OF violence
or threats on the part Of strikers which
| trust may also be investigated by
some truly impartial body able to OBJ
tain and report the real facts. AT Ben
sons trial, however, there was no evil
dence submitted as to who fired the
three shots in the woods which fright