Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 16, 1952 Page: 21 of 32
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Wednesday, April 16, 1952
VĚSTNÍK — WEST, TEXAS
THE GESTAPO METHODSIN TEXAS
Strana 21
Recently, a friend of ours and a wel- i official marking—she didn’t know who
known SPJST member living in the Rio | they were— and brought her to the
Grande Valley, narrated to me the con- j house. When I went to my back dooř to
ditions of .the farmeřs down on the investigate, a young officer, with a very
Mexičan border. f‘We don’t háve any
help for work and we can’t keep what to také her and her two children to
we get. AU of our workers in the field
re Mexicans, and they are constant-
ly being taken away from us. Our cotton-
pickers act like a bevy of quails: as
soon as they spot an unfamilíar car on
the road, they scatter in every direction.
The border patrol is always busy catch-
ing our field workers.”
The other day, U. S. Congressman W.
R. Poage, from McLennan County, rc-
ceíved a letter from one lady living in
the Valley, in whieh the lady bitterly
criticises the Gestapo methods of the
Border Patrol. Congressman Poage had
the letter inserted in the Congressional
Record. Since we say things about con-
ditions elsewhere, we should know the
conditions of our own people living here
in Texas. As the second president of the
Texas Republic once said that “Tire price
of liberty is eternal vigilanee,” we should
be watching so that we do not lose our
precious freedom by inches. We should think Mexico would
with me, Clara,” but the Gestapo said,
“What you háve to say' you must say
here.” I replied, “What I do in my own
house is my business,” and I took her
away to calm her and give her money.
When we returned I was asked my name
and address and informed that I would
be repqrted for “interfering with an of-
ficer.” When I pointed out that he was
in my house with no warrant, the threat
was not réferred to again. Clara and her
two little girls, all weeping bitterly, were
loaded in the car, and taken to be
dumped unceremorikmsly in a border
towh, at night. If we did not care what
happened to the poor things, I should
be guardians of democracy, and that in
špite of displeasing some bureaucrats.
Here is the letter received by Congress-
man Poage:
Harlingen, TeX;, March 28, 1952
Hon. W. R. Poage,
Congressman From Texas,
Washington D, C.
Dear Mr. Poage: Will you bear with me
while I pour out my woes to the one
factor I’ve been taught all my life would
protéct their people—the United States
Government. This is addressed specifi-
cally to you, as Representative to me and
for me, of that Government.
As we in this remote spot háve known
for some time we are living in an in-
tolerable situation. Last night it was
brought graphichally to my attention. My
liusband and I live 5 miles from Harlin-
gen, and háve had for over 4 years a
faithful femme sole, who came to this
Valley to get away from starvation in
Mexico. This is not a figuře of speech.
Pcrhaps she has been here illegally, but
not by her wish or ours. She wanted to
work (what a strange phrase that will
sound to some people) and there is no
legal process by which we could keep
her here. Investigate ,and you will learn 1
what I mean. To get on with my story:
Mr. — —’ — is out of town, and just at
dusk a Border Patrol car spied Clara—
our Mexičan woman—coming home from
the groeery store a mile away. They
lorced her into the car, which had no
big pistol, informed that he would háve
Mexico, I remonstrated, “Not this time
of night, and leave me alone on the
plače.” His reply was “Now. And she
must také everything she possesses.”
She was in a statě of such terror, and
I had to give her money, so I said, “Come Šearch property for wetbacks to immi-
come farm-labor shortages as regular
workers go to better-paying industrial
johs, Congress has once again debated
the contrcversial issue.
Latě in February, the House approved
a bili making it a felony to harbor wet-
backs. Some Texas congressmen suc-
cceed in modifying the bili to provide
that employing illegai immigrants doeá
not mean harboring them. The teeth in
proposed measure will give the right to
gration officers who háve sworn under
oath the need for a search warrant be-
fore “a court of competent authority.”
As previously, no search warrant will be
needed in the 25-mile zone along the
border.
--' ♦ * ♦ (-
Please don’t misunderstand me. I know
all of the serious problems involved—
the immigration laws, the dope smug-
gling, and infinite others. We want to
be law abiding, and would so easily be
so, if an intelligent handling, such as
prevails along the Canadian border
were worked out for our Southern neigh-
bors. But because wc are far away from
Washington, labor agitators from Wis-
consin, North Dakota, New York, and
what not .and “do gooders” from any-
where but the Rio Grande. Valley listen
to the bad stories and ignore any good
ones.v Ask me. I can telí you wonderful
stories of kindness and mutual trust. Is
there no one who will really study this
shabby situation and try to remedy it?
Copies of this letter are going to all the
Texas Representatives in Washington,
to Governor Shivers, to the State Depart-
ment, and to the United States consul in
Mexico City, I am not living in a remote,
Godforsaken country. I am living in the
United States of America .and am en-
titled to decent laws and living condi-
tions.
Yours truly,
By way of a posteript, we may add that
Mexico has refused to make a long-term
agreement on the emplcyrnent of its na-
tionals for seasonal farm work in the
Southwest, unless adequate guarantees
are given against the hiring of illegai
wetback Mexičan immigrants. To over-
CIVILIZATION RESTS UPON SOIL
This country has been built on a highly
productivé agriculture, based on the
ability of the farmer to produee more
than he needed himself. Back some
100 years ago about 85 percent of our
people lived on the farm. They produ-
ced enough to mcet their personál re-
quirements, with enough left over to
feed and clo the the 15 percent erigaged
in industry and located in the towns.
Today it is just the reverse. There are
85 percent of our people engaged ih in-
dustry and livin4 in cities and towns,
and only 15 percent on the farms.
In 1951 a little over 10,000,000 farm
workers met the agricultural needs of the
155,000,000 people in the United States,
and had enough left over a fair export
to other countries. That means that
each farm worker produced enough for
himself and 14 other people. It means
that only a smáli fraction of our cifcizen-
ry produces all the food and fiber—
which are the lifeblood of our very exist-
ence—for themselves and for our ex-
panding' population.
Stop for a minuté and think that over,
It means that 14 people are depending
on one farm worker. It means that whst-
one man does with the soil hc farms
will determine how well thosé 14 other
people live. In the broader sénse, it
means that all 155,000,000 of our people—
and the number is inereasing steadily—
are directly affected by what happens
to our farm lands. Thomas Jefferson put
it this way:
“While the farmer holds title to the
land, actually it belongs to all the people
because civilization itself rests upon the
soil,”, .
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Valcik, Stephen. Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 16, 1952, newspaper, April 16, 1952; West, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth625626/m1/21/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas.