Evening star., 1943-08-28
Work or Fight
Continued From First Page.)


and white man convicted for driv-
ing ar auto while drunk. He seemed
10 have difficulty comprehending
that he was going to have a new
trial.
He denied that his pay had been
withheld to pay his fathers debt
to the complainant, Mr.. Bussard, on
whose farm the Day family lives.
Family in Court.
BY the time Stanley arrived at the
courtroom his father and mother,
Mr.. Bussard and the latter's son
Thaddeus were there.
He used to draw his own wages
and spend them, his father testi-
fed.
Stanley then testified that he was
paid 81 for a 12-hour days work.
According to the testimony. young
Day worked on the Bussard farm
during the week before his arrest
and conviction. The boys hands
were heavily calloused-something
his half days work on the road
could not have brought about.
According to Stanley, he worked
all of last week, including Saturday.
On Monday James BuSsard. son of
the farmer, asked him to cut corn.
Day said that when he refused the
farmers son threatened to turn him
"in for slacker.'
An Tuesday, Edith Bussard, the
farmers daughter. went to the
tenant cottage and asked him to cut
corn and he refused. On Wednesday.
according to Stanley's testimony.
Thaddeus said, Take your foot off
the place and never come back"
Stanley started down the road to
see his sister, Mrs. Paul Crown, at
Derwood He was arrested on the
way on a warrant that had been
issued on Monday.
Case Studied by u. S.
Mr.. Noyes said he suggested the
hearing after the youth charged
part of his pay was being withheld.
Mrs. Crown earlier had charged
that her brother was paid whenever
her father and Mr.. Bussard felt
like it.
Officials of the Justice Depart
ment Civil Liberties Division said
earlier today they had the case
under consideration" to find out
whether any one of a number of
Federal laws safeguarding the civil
liberties of an individual were being
violated in this case. officials said
they had no idea, pending an investi-
CATION, of whether the case involved
an abrogation of anti-peonage or
other Federal statutes.
Mrs. Crown, the first member of
Days family to appear in his behalf,
said that when they feel like it
they give him some money" She
said they" included her father and
Mr.. Bussard.
Il have never heard of my brother
getting any money" she said He
comes to Derwood where his brother
Albert works at a. feed mill and
another brother, Norman. works for
the A. Guide Nurseries and they
give him money for cigarettes and
the movies"
Sometimes he works at other
places, and then he gets paid" she
added, but when he works with
my father. he (the father always
gets the money for Stanleys work" I"
Mrs. Crown said her brother is
one of IL children. She said four
brothers are in the Army, Russell
is in North Africa and William,
Franklin and Jesse are in camps in
the South.
Tells of Army Rejection.
Mrs. Crown said her brother was
rejected by the Army because of his
eyes and because he can't speak
clearly. He is a little slow" she
said. The Rockville Draft Board
yesterday said he was not rejected
for physical defects.
Mr.. Bussard said Day had worked
for him II or l3 days this summer
and always had been paid He said
on one occasion when the boy left
home he was paid by his father
because he (Bussard) was not at
home at the time the boy wanted
his money. He added, however, that
he had paid the father.
Mr.. Bussard said he had not with
held any of the boys wages to be
applied on a debt owed by his
father
Maybe Mr.. Day owed me some
money earlier this summer" he said,
but I probably owe him now. MY
arrangements with the boy and his
father are kept entirely separate"
Mr.. BusSard declined to say how
much he is paying the elder Day,
but said farm wages have gone up
during the year.
Mr.. BuSsard, who reported Day to
authorities after he failed to report
for work last Monday, said the boy
had been offered 50 a day and had
not expressed dissa atisfaction with
the offer.
Mr.. Bussard said he had always
gotten along with the elder Day and
as far as he knew Mr.. Day would
continue to work for him.
He said the boy had not been a
very steady worker"
THE trouble with the boys Mr..
Bussard said. lis that they never
had any boss"
w. O. Anderson. Montgomery
County agent. said the average wage
in the county for farm workers is
$3.50 day with dinner furnished
for general farm work, about $4 a
day for harvest work and $3.50 to
IS day for cutting corn and filling
silos.
Ben G. Wilkinson, former State S