The Phoenix index. (Phoenix, Ariz.) 193?-19??, 1939-08-12

st year. | hey expect broader
battle field this winter, but much
larger and stronger union mem
bership in all of the cotton par
ishes. Secretary Mcintyre declares
the landlords are organized to
blacklist any man who refuses TO
sign the higher contract, so that
ne will not have chance to find
a home in 1940 We must be or
gained, too
LIFE, PROPERTY THREATENED
Planters have said they would
burn down the churches where
union meetings were to be held, and
they have threatened the life OF
McIntire and other union officials.
1--WE know the landlords and rob-
issary owners do not like the
union," said Mr. McIntire, "be-
cause they want tC control with a
Nfree hand. But we won't be bluffed
or inundated, and our meetings
and cooperative activities will go
ahead as scheduled. The union
will not stop until we reach all of
the dirt farmers in this state and
help them achieve economy secur-
ity."
R. M. Singletary, vice-president
of the Louisiana Farmers Protec-
tive union of strawberry growers,
and the Rev. Owen H. Whitfield,
outstanding Negro leader of Mis-
souri, tenant farmers, are guest
speakers of the Farmers union for
this series of mass protest meet
ings.
NEGRO LEADER SPEAKS
Rev. Whitfield last week said,
Nov is the time for action. l am
not down here with the Farmers
union as a paid speaker, but be-
cause I am interested in humanity
that is starving in a land of plen-
ty. 1t is not Gods will that we
starve. God said we should go
forth and till the soil. 1t is mans
common heritage to work. God
said to go forth and till the soil
and eat the bread thereof The
boss says to go to work and till
the soil but NOT to eat the bread
1t is time for us tenants and share
choppers to rise up and say No
sir, boss, when we work, we're 60
ing to dat. If we starve, we'll
starve sitting under a shade tree.
/ &c ri n, thnf
workers should go hungry, Hun
| ger is for loafers.' -
For ten years Rev. Whitfield
was preacher on a cotton plan
tation in Arkansas. Il preached
about Jerusalem" he said. Il told
my people to take their burdens to
the Lord and leave them there. The
boss said that was good preaching.
But in 1887 when suffering became
intense and we got no money for
our crop, and no work from the
| WPA, and we found the relief Of
ficeS closed to us, it was then I
decided we must take up our own
burden.
WENT To WASHINGTON
Then l, baldheaded share
cropper, pulled off my sack and
went to Washington. l didn't
know what ! was going to do and
/ didn't care. because l was hun
cry and sometimes when a man
is hungry, he doesn't care about
anything. But 1 made my arrival
in Washington and 1 secured d
hearing. 1t wasn't me they heard
it was all the farmers of my or
ganization. Election was coming
on and they were afraid not to
hear. And when 1 came back to
my people, I came back with au-
thority to write relief orders for
the needy myself"
Rev Whitfield stated that in 1888
lie had q 55-acre farm with the
Farm Security administration al
LaFarge, Mo. This meant peace
and security for him and for his
large family for the first time in
his life. But he couldn't stay there
while his brothers were starving
to death and being evicted from
their homes. Once again he took
up the fight in their behalf. Since
then he has been chased by the
landowners, but they can't catch
him. ITS easy to catch a man
when he's alone, VIXEN there's no.
body with him. said Rev. Whit
field. But all of the sharecrop-
pers and tenant farmers are behind
me now. We are not driving at
social equality, but we are driving
at higher standard of living for
ourselves and for our young ones
Il expect to spend all the days
that l live building a union of
farmers. fighting for the better
ment of my people and for high
er standard Of living for those that
are coming on behind. I want to
live so that anyone can look at my
grave and say There lies the body
of one who went down like a man,
fighting to make America better
country to live in "
URGE UNITY OF RACE GROUPS
Rev. Whitfield urged the Negro
and white farmers to unite against
! the plantation system. He said that
| the landlords had been swapping
/ them about continually, pitting the