Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 240, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 October 1916 — BROTHERHOODS WIN; FARMERS' WIVES LOSE [ARTICLE]

BROTHERHOODS WIN; FARMERS' WIVES LOSE

Democrats Unctuously but Vainly Flatter Themselves That Tillers of the Soil Believe Their Bunk Uplift Laws Will Improve Agricultural Conditions.

FARING WORSE THAN LOWLIEST RAILROAD HAND

Plight of Women Laborers In the Fields Described by President-Pope of the Acsociation of State Presidents of the Farmers' Union as More Deplorable Than During the Daye of Slavery, and Yet Not a. Word Was Spoken In the Last Congress, Which Is Boasting of Its Farm Legislation, About the Woman Who Rakes the Hay and Gathers the Sheaves. That the increase in pay of the members of the four railroad brotherhoods, caused by the enactment of the eight hour day law by congress, will rest ultimately upou the farmer was asserted by Heury N. Pope, newly elected president of the Association of State Presidents of the Farmers’ union, in a statement issued by him. Mr. Pope declared that the farmers of the country stand for a fair wage for both labor and capital and favor an eight hour working day, but that he personally doubted the wisdom of congress fixing wages for labor employed by private enterprise. "I doubt,” said he, “if it is in the interest of either labor, capital or the people to make the wage schedule .of railroad employees a political issue.” The condition of the farmers ofthe country is worse than that of the most lowly rallrqad laborer, Mr. Pope stated, with an average farm income of only $1.47 a day, out of which must be paid the expenses of the family. The condition of women laborers in the fields he described as worse than during the days of slavery. Not a Word For Farmers.— "Not a word has been spoken by congress in defense of the woman who rakes the hay and gathers the sheaves,” said Mr. Pope. "Little has been done that has lncreased the income of the farmer or enabled him to pay a higher wage to his laborers. “But today we find the highest paid laborers in the world making three times more money thau a farmer demanding 25 per cent Increase, and congress hastening to their relief. This increase must in the end rest upon the back of the farmer and will reduce his income, Increase his hours of labor and call for another levy of farm mothers from the home to the field. “The farmers of this nation must fight through’ hold what they have and to get what is rightfully theirs from the government.” Mr. Pope stated that by the enactment of the eight hour day law congress had thrust upon the people of the country a new responsibility and organized labor now stands committed to the principle of government regulation of wages. The government, he said, should fix wages for all classes of railroad employees and should have the power to decrease as well as to increase wages to remedy comparative innnnidltlM. "Square Deal" For All. “In my opinion,” he continued, “the next session of congress slioul4-read-just the wages of all railroad employees, from railroad president to section laborer, giving all a square deal and fixing a schedule of pay based upon buslneps justice and human rights. I submit a schedule of wages taken’ from official government reports which presents conclusive evidence of the inequalities of the present dally wages: “General officers, $16.11; other officers, $6.49; general office clerks, $2.53; station agents, $2.37; other station men, $1.99; enginemen, $5 28; firemen, $3.23; conductors, $4.49; other trainmen, $3.11; all shopmen, $2.37, and trackmen, $1.50.” Mr. Pope declared that the foregoing schedule showed that the 350,000 section hands in the country were condemned to a life of poverty. He said he believed that congress, having undertaken to regulate the wages of higher paid employees, should review their wages.