The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-03-06
LABOR AND
THE "OKIES"
BY J. r. BUTLER
President, Southern Tenant Farmers
Union

BY J. r. BUTLER
| President, Southern Tenant Farmers
Union
After many years, the workingmal
and the farmer have finally both real
lied that their interests lie together
and that what benefits one can do M
harm to the other The reasons fol
this mutual dependence are many; mo-
the least of these is the prevalence
of tenancy and migratory labor among
the farmers, especially in the cottor
country
Sharecropping was makeshift sys
tenn instituted after the Civil wal
selves without land or work and re
turned to their former masters on a
sharecropping arrangement. But after
proud King Cotton was dethroned and
a tremendous cotton surplus leopard
lied the very existence of cotton farm
ers, the real social change took place.
Small farmers lost their lands and
turned into renters; unable to keep up
their rent, they became sharecroppers;
finally, with the advent of mechanical
cotton production, especially the trac-
tor and mechanical cotton chopper and
picker, were forced from their homes
to become day-laborers during the
season and paupers out of season.
OF the nine million ST arecropper
men, women and children more than
100000 were reduced t. these cir
cumstances during the past five years.
Many of them, 1000 families accord
ing to government statistics, are now
wandering from state to state in a
desperate effort to earn living as
migrant farm labOrers. UnOrganized,
these hordes of hungry, naked, shelter
less people are a menace to all organ
lied labor; they are threat to the
American standard of living, poten-
tial toys for the demagogues and agita-
tors of fascism.
The one ray of hope for these dis
inherited is the Southern Tenant
Farmers Union. It's record for the
past six years, during which despite
tremendous odds, it has established
itself as factor in the south, insures
confidence that it will do the job it
has set out to do. At its sixth annual
convention held in Arkansas early in
1910, the Southern Tenant Farmers
Union prepared for the organization of
the homeless wanderers. Foxes have
holes, and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man hath not where
to lay his head" is the slogan of the
Migratory Workers local of the STU.
Organized in a strong union, these
people will be able to obtain better
wages and better living conditions
collective bargaining. Edu-
Gated and trained in democratic prin-
ciples of unionism, they will cease to
be a potential strike breaking army
and will not so easily fall victims to
agitators who threaten
the foundations of our democracy.
These people represent challenge
to America. They do not seek tenn
porary relief or pure government hand
outs = but intelligent, directed help
which will enable<them to once more
become self-respecting, useful citizens
with a decent American standard of
living. Such a program has been
worked out by the Southern Tenant
Farmers Union; its principle plank
calls for the expansion of the Farm
Security Administration to provide
homes for tenants and sharecroppers
the chief source from which these
migrants come. For the migrants
the union proposes the
of cooperative COM
and farms where they can
begin their lives anew. The union
also seeks to extend the benefits of
he Wages-and- Hours law to the agri-
cultural regions by providing that any
arge landlords planting cash crop
If 25 or more acres-receive no gov
,rnment benefits unless he pays lab
)rers at least Csc an hour for a
0-hour day.
The Southern Tenant Farmers I'm
on calls upon the organized labor |
movement to support this program in
he interests of solidarity and because |
ntee that organized labors wage
Gales will not be cut by runaway
hops and INSCRIPTIONS employers
Who seek to dodge the responsibility
f collective bargaining. The South
IN Tenant Farmers Union calls upon
he organized labor movement to sup
ort program for the unions goal
hat of making occupancy and use the
My valid title to land. The unions
S 900 members are united regardless
( race, creed or color, in great
ause. They have built movement
Dr. social emancipation whose purpose
is to achieve economic and social
ecurity upon the land for those who
III the soil, share in the fulfillment
nd extension of our democracy and
ctive participation in the reclamation
{ the soil and the rehabilitation OF
no peopIe throughout the region.