The people's voice., 1939-12-13
HOW A SYSTEM WAS BUILT

one years service to the time set
forth in the indenture. They were
worked hard, were dressed in the
cast-off clothes of their owners, and
might be flogged as often as the mas
ter or mistress thought necessary. II
they ran away, at least two days
might be added to their time of serv-
ice for each day they were absent.
rather, mother and children could be
sold to different buyers Such rem
nants of cargoes as could not find pur-
chasers within the time specified were
bought in lots of so or more by q
class of spectators known as soul
driver who drove them through the
country like so many cattle and sold
them for what they would bring.
In the middle and southern states
almost all labor, skilled and unskilled,
was done by slaves, redemptioners,
and indentured servants. The adver-
| tisements of redemptioners mentions
weavers, gardeners, spinners, carpen-
ters, smiths, wheelwrights, shoemak-
ers, and school teachers, stonecutters,
brlcklayers, tailors, hatters, harness
makers-men and women skilled in
every sort of labor then needed in
the country" (McMaster: The Ac-
quisition of Political, Social, and In
dustrial Rights of Man in America,
PIP. 31-35).
So this was the start the American
wage Garner had. He has been forced
to claw his way out from under slav-
cry in its worst form, through piles
and piles of subversive laws that tied
him hand and foot and landed him in
prison at every turn. He has arrived
at a junction where he feels that he
can breathe again. But there is grave
danger in labor taking too long a
breath, as we have at the present
time Two government organizations
under military minded heads have al
ready made inroads into organized
labor. Col. Harrington of the WPA,
by lowering the standard of living Of
the WPA worker who is doing the
work that formerly came under or
ganized labor, or at least paid the
prevailing scale of minimum wages,
especially in the skilled crafts, is the
head of one such Organization.
Then we have the 0CC, directly un-
der the control of the army, with the
youth of the nation working at the
low scale of WAGES of $4,000 per
month and being forced to contribute
$4,000 of that to a dependent; an
other lowering df the workers living
II war was declared tomorrow we
could be put Mnder military dictator
ship of government and our wages,
hours, jobs and conditions of work
would be dictated to u.s. If the worker
has any idea that war and war orders
are going to bring him high wages
and lots tof work as they did in the
ast war tthey are going to be disap-
pointed The workers of the World
war that lwere employed in filling war
orders received a good scale of wages
and the1r services were in demand
But this sharing Of the war profits
With the great masses of American
workers twas not to the liking of the
war lordA. From the close of the last
var up 70 the present there has been
staff OF scientists and politicians
working and building a political ma
'hlne 1hat will give them greater con-
rol of labor. There will be a mini
mum amount of labor employed due to
he Invention of new machines The
wage scale and conditions will be con-
rolled by the big interests and can
'e summed up in few words: Poor
for the worker.
Up to this time, generally speaking,
abor has waged a fight for more
wages and less hours, taking little
lse into consideration. But the time
5 here when we must branch out
nd take inN more territory. In other
5ords we must have a definite plan,
set goal t2 strive for