l}'S S"E

~~N~T'BE~WEEN Students and farm WorkersI

In English"The Voice of the Farm Worker" -Delano,Calif.-March 1, 1967-15~

EL MALCRIADO**Page 2

THE LEA:MON KING INCIDENTt BY EMMON CLARKE

have to give them a chance to keep that promise. "

It was late at night, dark outside, about 100' clock in the old farm house set back from theroad about a half mile. The young and, beauti­ful wife was home alone except for her threesmall children and her bed-ridden father-in­law. Her husband was out of town on business.

A pounding on the door, a shouted command"Open up, Police," and the beauty of a quietnight was no more.

So started another episode in the indiscre­tions of the young Captain Harry Gilbert of theDelano Police force.

Gilbert, together with Sgt. Bannister of theDelano Police Department and she riff' s depu­ties from Tulare and Kern Counties formed aposse that was, according to the Delano Record"combing the area for a suspect wanted on aTulare County .warrant for two counts of ass­ault with a deadly weapon.

No publicly-known facts in the case indicatethat the suspect was in the area. But, the possesurrounded the home of Leamon King on theKing's ranch located about three miles west of

ASports Hero is aVictim ofthe Delano Police

LEAMON KING REPRESENTED HISCOUNTRY WITH DIGNITY IN THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPICS BUT THIS DIDN'TSAVE HIM FROM ROUGH AND UNJUSTTREATMENT AT THE HANDS OF THEPOLICE.

"I was not after an apology, " Leamon Kingtold this reporter, "What I want is to be surethat this type of thing never happens again tomy family."

"In my mind, " King continued, "this (the citycouncil's actions) is a constructive step. Ireally don't want to make a big issue of thisthing. They (the city council) have made me apromise, now we have to wait. To be fair, we

the Delano City limits. Gilbert, the city policecaptain, led the search.

Mrs. King, frightened by the unusual activity,at first refused to answer the door. She was a­lone, her husband was away, the only men inthe house were her six-year old boy, an 18­month old infant and her stroke-crippled father'in-law.

Why police at her door? Was it really the po­lice? Why late at night? Was it a lynch mob?What had she done? What did the MAN want?

In the history of her people such a visitmeant horrible things. The Kings are Negroes.

Afraid, she weht into her darkened bedroomand got her husband's rifle. She re-entered theliving.room through a door opposite the frontdoor. The police were threatening to breakdown the door. She placed the still sheathed ri­fle on a settee against the wall and went to th'efr<;mt door.

(Continues on Pg. 30)

The Leam,on King...

EL MALCRIADO**Page 3

*******************************************This sequence of events is true. It happened onJan. 26,1967 at the ranch of Mr. Leamon Kingin the countryside west of Delano.

Ki"ftg is a native of Delano end an international­ly knowittrack star. In the mid-50's he ran inthe Olympic trials and in the Melbourne Games,as well as representing the United States inStockholm, Sweden, running the 100-yd. and100-:meter dashes.

King returned home Friday, Jan. 27, but hiswife, not wanting to worry him, said nothing.He first learned of the incident when Kern Coun­ty Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Brittain was making a fol­low-up investigation.

On Monday, Jan. 30, King and his wife attenl-

Other men in uniform gather on the little frontporch. She looks out through the small glas splate on the front door and sees a friendly face .

. He takes his I. D. card, and silently pla­ces it against the glass. She reads it and unlat­ches the front door.

Gilbert pushes the door open am strides. --astMrs. King. He pauses for a moment and speaks.

-,Mrs. King hears him say, "What's the matterwith you?" Then he moves on swinging to theleft.

Down the length of the living room and then tohis right and through the kitchen. Nothing on theback porch at the end of the kitchen. Turn rightand open a door.

Gilbert steps into the bedroom of' the seniorMr. King. Only an old man here. Across the

, room to his right is another door. It opens intothe living room.

Gilbert moves through and)to his left into themaster bedroom. Back out again, he walks tohis left and looks into the children's room. Onlychildren there. He returns to the living room.

Gilbert finds nothing so the night raiders re­turn to the dark.

They took nothing away, but they left a house. disrupted, a woman frightened and alone, andterror in the night.

Mrs. King telephoned her mother-in-law, MrsBeatrice King, who came to the ranch and spentthe night there.

J. SUJOVOLSKY- Assis­tant E'Utor.

DANIEL DE LOS REYESManaging Editor.

DOQG ADAIR-AssociateEditor.

BILL ESHER-Editor andPublisher.

,STAFF

ANDREW ZERMENO-ArtDirector

EMMON M. CLARKE­Photogr$.phy Director

BOB DUDNICK, MARYMURPHY, MARCIASANCHEZ, DONNAHABER-Editorial Staff

,second cl~ss postage paid atDeleno Ca. Fresno publica-

·tion office: 1507 No. Palm.This issue is #55, mailed 2-18,1967. EDITORIAL ,AND BUSINESSOFFICE OF EL MALCRIADO

IS 1~0 ALBANY AVE. ,DELANOCALIFORNIA. Single copy price15~; subscription $2.50 a year.El Malcriado is published bi­weekly by Farm Worker Press

:Inc., P. O. Box 1060,. Delano,California.

"EI Malcrl~do, " the Voice ofthe Farm Worker, Is an Inde­pendent publ1catlon, and Is notthe "official newspaper" of anyperson or group.' Tbe editorsare solely responsible for allstatements and views expressedbere.

EnUre Contents Copyright 1967bY Farm Worker Press. inc.

EL MALCRIADO**Page 4

Sirs:Here in the County of

"Estrella" there arepeople who kill andpeople who rob; among

sHy of California was acynical move. Strike­breaker Mohn, unableto stop the unionizing ofthe farm workers: nowjoins his pals from Agri­business, oil, and bank­ing who sit on the Boardand also monopolizebusiness in the State ofCalifornia.

Maybe Mohn can helpGovernor Reagan breakthe back of studentstrikes at Berkeley.Brown's appointment ofMohn should help farmworkers everywhereunderstand how muchworkers have in commonwith students at Berkeleyand elsewhere who arestruggling for justice andcontrol over their ownlives. Free Speech,union organizing, andfair and equal treatmentunder the law are onlyallowed when the bossesapprove.

For years the bosseshave been trying to stopstudents from gettinginvolved in labor organi­zing, civil rights, andother political issuesbecause students havepower and energy to or'ganize people againsttheir oppressors. Gov­ernment investigationsof the University willonly teach lllore youngpeople that big businessand its government pup­pets are the real cynicsand enemies of thepeople.

Sincerely yours,Marc SapinStanford, Cal.

The HeII That Is{

s lastof,tel')f

~r-

Sirs:I have been very

pleased to receive ElMalcriado during thepast year, and with muchpleasure and interest Ihave read your commen­taries on the struggle fora better life that is tak~

ing place in Californiaand other states. Iwant to congratulate youfor the clarity withwhich you have express­ed the wort~y, progress~

ive , and democraticwishes of the farm work­ers.

Their cause has re­minded many that theold victories of the labormovement did not con­clude its history, butrather that the selfishinterests of the powerfulmust be confronted todayand in the future.

I wish you the best ofluck in this next year.

Sincerely,John B. PierceSan Francisco, Cal.

COMPANIESAND PEOPLE

rs &ates

Friends:

The Struggle HasNot Yet Ended

Work for the good ofyour people and stopprinting so much aboutthe bad guy--a company~ but one person no.

May I be an honoraryunion member? God'sblessing.

Charles E. MertinsTowson, Md.

SOlACO

MISERIESEditor:

and hils

DON

Enclosed you will find a check for $4.40,$1. 40 for remittance of 2 Malcriados, $2. 00for the record you sent me, and $1. 00 so thatyou will send me the cartoon book of Don ­Sotaco.

I am writing a poem on the miseries andmistreatmenr that our people have sufferedduring the last 50 years in the fields, howthey live in shacks as if it were a village ofsavages. The Mexican-American is, and con­tinues to be, the forgotten man.

And with your permision, if you will grantit, I want to call this poem "Don Sotaco and

(CONT. P. 18)

i

E L MALCRIADO**Page 5

LETTER FROM A NAZI TO GENE NELSONLE ADER OF THE TEXAS FARM WORKERS

An ex-colleagueDetroit, Michigan

*:0;' RIt'f.:' ~£;0(; t)

ll~~ANDC--Ktf'\Iii (f[d 'l t'tl d "L ft dR' ht"In our last issue we published an artic e en 1 e e an Ig •

Now we have received a letter which, in normal circumstances, wewould have thrown away; but since it is a clear example of the men­tality of those who believe that we are still living in the age ,of feudal­ism where the ideals of Jefferson and Lincoln are no more than anempty dream, we here publish it as an illustration of the content ofour past article.

"Dear" Eugene,

We read all about you in the Detroit Free Press newspaperrecently, and think you ought to be heartily ashamed of yourself,for causing such a lot of trouble.

Since you attended Long Beach college for two years, it wouldseem you would be able to get yourself a respectable type of jobinstead of spending your life messing up everybody else's. Toobad you didn't carry out your plans for a writing career, insteadof pulling a Jimmy Hoffa trick, in organizing a bunch of ignorantlaborors. We can bet your parents are plenty ashamed of you thesedays, and hang their heads, as a result!

You deliberately moved into Texas thinking you could stop a,big melon crop (like a gangster enjoys meddling in something hehas no business in, --ala Hoffa again). You figured it was an easytouch, eh boy? ---Those Mexicans are mighty glad to get paid fOr their honest workuntil a rabble rousing guy such as you enters the premises andpersuades them they're doing wrong by giving an honest day'swork! Fie on you, Gene! It is people like yourself who makeAmerica wrong. It used to be a wonderful country until gangstersand hoods became powerful and began taking over. Actually, yourkind ought to be stopped, but quick.

Have you no concience?What makes your kind tick anyway?

Up here in Detroit its the Niggers who are giving the citizensa lot of trouble.

the latter are the sonsof the public employees,who in turn are robbers.Robbers that never evensee the jail. Instead, ththe poorer strikers areput in jail. Their crime,having fought for a justcause.

Everything you say in'your paper about this I

l:country is true. Here ttthe ,law is enforced bycriminals. I thank youfor telling this to thepublic. I know that noteven in Mexico do theytreat people as they dohere.

n I wish the Federal

'J Authorities would realizEwhat kind of situation we

ld are living in here.One of the things the

Federal Governmentshould know is that themoney they send herefor poverty programs isreally being used by thepoliticians to buy theirown votes. And thosepeople who do not wantto· comply with this areleft out of work.

A Friend of YoursApolonio SolisGrulla, Texas

For the FUTUREIOF CHILDREN

The things youare doing will give thechildren of the future aa better chance- -it isso hard to explain howgood it feels that at lastsomebody has not shuttheir ears to the crys ofhunger from our childrenren and wives, and to

S the many injustices-May the

Good Lord keep givingyou the courage and faithwhich you have shown.

John NidalDallas, Texas

P.S. Many times Iwondered what our child-

,fren thought when theysaw so many not do athing to improve the

g conditions.

Rev. Drake: "Only one thing makes the po­litical system in South Texas work. And thatthing is money. The one accepted procedure is'Mordida' -- the bribe. Thus, the lowest offi­cial on the seal e has to pay part of his salary tothe next man up the scale. At the top there is atremendous concentration of money. For in­stance, the superintendent of schools of StarrCounty, with all his federal money and power toappoint people to jobs is not an educational ad­ministrator - - he's a labor contractor!"

In this brutal setting in which the rich get richerand the poor are hungry, is LA CASITA FARMS,current target of the Texas Strike and Boycott. LACASITA FARMS pays its field labor as little as 60~

an hour and hires an average of 300-400 workers allthe time. Its sales are in the millions. The ownerof LA CASITA FARMS is Clarence Morris, a millio­naire Salinas Valley, Calif. rancher. A button ispushed in Salinas, and powerless farm workers twothousand miles away in Starr County are squeezed,dragged, and pushed a little farther down the road ofdespair and poverty.

Rev. Drake: "The law in South Texas is aman named Randall Nye, a menacing shadowwhich covers all of Starr County. Here peace­ful assembly is illegal, picketing is illegal,even praying is illegal. When strikers are ar­rested -- and there have been morethan 100arrests -- they are not given the rights whichall people must be given. Why? Because Ran­dall Nye is not only the district attorney. He isthe attorney for La Casita Farms. "

The Rio Grande Valley is rJ. string of poor littletowns along the beautiful river that forms the inter­nation al border. Many of the houses are built ofrocks and mud with thatched roofs. It snows some­times in the winter and the snow breaks through theroofs with its weight. In Rio Grande City, many ofthe houses are brick--because there is a local brickfactory--but they are without floors or interior walls.

Rev. Drake: "The local doctor has refusedto treat strikers, and they have to go to MissionTexas, when they are sick. There is a gooddoctor there who says, after treating a striker:'Don't worry about it. It is only $2, but I'llsend the bill to the AFL-CIO.' But he neverdoes."

La Casita Farms gets its scab labor from Mexico.Every day they send buses to the International Bridgeat Homa, Texas, and bring back loads of workers.Roy Rochester, trusted local manager of La Casita,knows that as long as he can hire non-citizens and nonresidents, without any rights, he is not going to have­any labor trouble. -But the Texas strikers have taughthim differently. Even the Texas Rangers-governorJohn Connally's personal shock troops-cannot savehim from huge losses when he has his markets -stran­gled by the economic pressure of decent people all

Rev. JIM DRAKE: "In Southern Texasthe law is a man called Randall Nye".

over Texas who will not buy his products.

Rev. Drake: ''When the strike started, ma­ny of the local stores just gave food to thestrikers. Then the union started a strike kitch­en, where the daily diet is rice, beans and tor­tillas. The Texas strikers are an even hardier,more courageous group than the Delano strikers-- if that's possible -- and they will stick withthis thing until they win. When you haven't gotmoney or power, then you need strong people,and that's what we've got in Starr County. "

For the first twenty or thiry arrests during thestrike, the workers were able to find friends or rela­tives with a piece of land who could guarantee the bailbond by putting up their' property. (Randall Nye keepsonly one bail bondsman in the county. If he won't bailone out, nobody can.) But now they've run out of peo­ple with property, and a cash bond is reqUired. Sothey just stay in jail until the boos wants to let themout. If it's the Texas Rangers that have put them in,they could stay in forever, without being charged,without seeing a judge or a lawyer. The Rangers haveauthority across county lines, and if there's agitationto get the strikers out of the Starr County Jail, theyjust move him somewhere else. The food in jail isworse than the strike kitchen. Reverend Drake toldEl Malcriado that he was fed a small ball of flour andrice for dinner, and that six strikers were put into acell six feet wide and twelve feet long.

At the bottom of the heap are the Texas strikers,

(CONT. P. 30)

EL MALCRIADO**>lIpAGE 8

IGNORANCE

By DANIEL de los REYESPhotography by EMMON CLARKE

FIGHT AGAINSTTHE

THE PACT BETWEEN STUDENTS' ANDFARM WORKERS REAFFIRMEDIN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL

THE SCENEThe man, tall, grown old, and with make-up on

his face, raised his arms, and with a theatrical ges­ture asked the crowd to quiet down, so that they couldlisten to what he had to say. As soon as the crowdknew he was there, it was shaken by different reac­tions. On the right started a strong chorus of voicesthat yelled, ''We don't want tuition!" And from the o­ther side, loud and fast, came the agreement, "No,no, no, no, no, we don't want tuition!"

The television cameras were focused on themce ofthe man, the flashed of the press cameras explode(i,capturing the event for history, for this was history.A voice demanded over the microphones: "Please,please let the Governor talk. "

The man was Ronald Reagan, Governor of theState of California, actor in cowboy movies duringtheforties, now getting into politics. The scene was thesteps of the Capitol in Sacramento; the crowd, twentythousand students; and the discussion, the tuition inCalIfornia colleges.

A COMMON STRUGGLEEm'ly in the morning, before dawn, while we were

tr!Weling from Delano to Sacramento in the car withC.esar Chavez and Jim Drake, we were aware thatsomething unusual was happening that day. As wedrove down Highway 99, we were passed by car aftercar of all types, filled with young people, as thoughthe older people had for this day stayed home and giv-

THE MAN WAS RONALD REAGAN.GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.

en the road to youth. Most ofthe automobiles had stickers ontheir bumpers with such slogansas, "Down with the tuition" and"Reagan, cut the act, not thebudget!"

We arrived in Sacramento.We were there because the FarmWorkers Organizing Committeeagreed to join, side by side,with their brothers, the studentswho have proved to us that noteverything in California, andthat the youth are standing up tosave the state from the reaction­ary acts of some politicians.

There, a mile from the Capi­tol, in an empty lot, were thou­sands and thousands of youngpeople representing all parts ofthe state, carrying signs with ath<ltisand statements and onegoal: to voice the opinions and

.ideas of young Californians toGovernor Reagan.

The farm workers were therewith their red flags with the blackthunderbird, and their signs,which reflected their feelingsabout the problem. Led by Ce­sar Chavez himself, Larry It­liong, Dolores Huerta, JimDrake, and other of the. leaders,they were received with applauseand cheers from the students;the same students that we haveseen so many times on the picketlines at the vineyards of DiGior­gio, of Goldberg, and of PerelliMinetti; the same youths we haveseen working tirelessly on theboycotts and at all the activitieshelping the farm workers in theirstruggle against social injustice.

Then the march started alongCapitol Mall, and it was some­thing to see the spectacle thatwas presented to the city ofSacramento: farm workers withdark faces, aged prematurely bythe California sun, marching sideby side with students with youth­ful faces; farm workers withblack hair and a determined look,by the side of blond and redhead­ed students with brilliant, spark­ling eyes, all forming a part ofa brotherhood against ignoranceand poverty, all brothe rs in acommon fight. against the evilpoliticians.

At the arrival at the steps ofthe Capitol, the park in front wasnot big enough to hold the crowds,

(TURN TO PAGE 18)

-EL MALCRIADO***PAGE 9

ABOVE WE SEE PART OF THE FARMWORKERDELEGATION ARRIVING AT THE CAPITOL.BELOW. A GROUP OF STUDENTS LISTENATTENTIVELY TO CESAR CHAVEZ.

"If it had not been for our OVJll

"Despite the words and deedsof Brother Gregory in ourpresence, Harrassment,coercion, and intimidationof employees qualified tovote has continued withincreased v.igor up to this

'¥..

Mont La Salle, near Napa, headquartersfor the Christian Brothers order and for theirprofitable wine-making enterprises.

who spoke up for/the union were hour.tlITown out of the Christian "Therefore the United FarmBrothers' labor camp. A hired Workers (AFL-CIO) and theagitator spread lies about the workers who have chosen usunion. On Tuesday, February to represent them cannot in14, the date scheduled for the good conscience participateelection, Cesar. Chavez release in the scheduled elections.the following statement: "We call upon you to fulfill

your original public state­ment that' you recognize theunion. The conduct of em­ployer agents leaves us freeto take any appropriate econ­omic action if you fail tofulfill recognition.

"WE HAD THOUGHT THECHRISTIAN BROTHERS WOULIBE AS CONCERNED AS THEUNION ABOUT SOCIAL JUS ~

TICE. WE THOUGHT THEAGREEMENT BETWEEN OURFARM WORKERS AND THEBROTHERS COULD BE AMODEL AND AN EXAMPLE."

Cesar Chavez

"OUR FIGHT IS NOT AGAINSTTHE CHURCH, IT IS NOTAGAINST A RELIGIOUS ORDERIT IS AGAINST MOUNT LASALLE VINEYARDS, OWNEDAND OPERATED BY THECHRISTIAN BROTHERS ANDTHE LABOR CONTRACTORSTHAT THEY HillE"

THEIR AGENTS­SABOTAGE A

THE CHRISTIANBROTHERS -OR

UNION ELECTION

The Double-Cross at Alta Vista

Cesar Chavez began talks withthe Christian Brothers Wineryand Ranch Properties in June,1965. Last week the relation­ship ended on the ChristianBrothers' Alta Vista Ranch inReedley, California, with theChristian Brothers in the po­sition of active union-busters.

Through its agent, who is thelabor contractor Daniel Losano:and his foreman Mike Diaz, thecompany began a campaign ofharrassment and intimidationthe workers, just three days ,before the elcc ·on. Workers

·~ L MALqRIADO**Page 10

j-----_...._------

ANYONE WITH EXPERIENCE OR KNOWLEDGE OF THEEMPLOYMENT OF SUGAR BEET WORKERS FROM TEXASAND THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES: DO YW KNOWSOMETHING ABOUT THE HIRING, 'IRANSPORTATlON,WAGES, PAYMENT PROCEDURES, WORKING CONDI­TIONS, OR ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE FARM WORKERSWHO WERE BROUGHT BY THE EMPffiE STATE SUGARCORP. TO WORK IN NEW YORK STATE SUGAR BEETS INTHE 1966 SEASON, .OR WILL BE IN THE COMING 1967SEASON?IF YOU DO, PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME TO DEVEC,1034 MADISON STREET, SYRACUSE, N. Y. 13210, SOTHESE WORKERS CAN GET A FAIR DEAL THIS YEAR.

be the good intentions of the Chri~

tian Brothers, the workers a­greed. And this was the point ofno return.

The company's hired agents begana campaign of lies and smears a­gainst the union that was more sa­vage than even the bitterest daysof DiGiorgio's fight against theunion. When it reached this point,on Monday, February 13, wherethe workers were being subjectedto union-busting sermons, andwere fired for defending the union,Cesar Chavez stepped in and cal­led off the election.

p~..'~ .

Picturesque old champagne cellars of The ChristianBrothers at St. Helena~ in the heart of Califo,nia.'swine country. Reminiscent of a medieval castle, thevast 9re~ stone structure was built in 1889.

It was a sad day for the ChristianBrothers' workers in Fresno andNapa County, who had come soclose to getting a living wage and "the dignity of a union contract. Butit was also a sad day for the dedi­cated men of God who call them­selves Christian Brothers.

Above Left:Vineyards of The Christian Brothers at Mont La Sallein the foothills of California's Napa Valley, wer~planted from choice European cuttings. Here, Broth­er Timothy, cellarmaster for the winery, .decides thatgrapes have reached the peak of perfection requiredfor harvesting.

ched the Christian Brothers law­yer, he said that there was somequestion about whether the unionreally represented the workers.The union went out again andsigned up almost all of theemployees--for the second time,and presented proof to ChristianBrothers. At this time theworkers, represented by theirnegotiating committee, presentedthe company with their ideas fora written contract.

Tricked by what they believed to

Christian Brothers' lawyer putthese aside. He also put aside theBrothers' original recognition a­greement. And he called for an &­

lection.

The next time the union approa'

.feeling that a religious ordershared our concern for the work·ers, " Chavez continued, "wewould never be in this position.We trusted them and we believe~

that they were a cting in goodfaith. "

After Christian Brothers ,announced last ye ar that theywere recognizing the Farm Wor­kers Union, they were approachedby the union for negotiations.They told Chavez to walt andagreed to sign the same termsas in the .Schenley contract,whatever that would be. Theunion waited, and after theSchenley agreement, went backto Christian Brothers. By thistime the union was not dealingwith the Brothers themselves,but with their lawyers. The'workers were told to wait some

.more, until thb complete, finalSchenley contract was released.But they were impatient and askedfor an immediate 30¢ an hour .raise in the wages at the BrothersNapa and Reedley Ranches. Thelawyers refused. Again, theunion went along with them.

Chavez pointed out that theunion would never have done this

·with·any other employer. "They. are Christians; they are Catholicswe thought that their cause andour cause were the same: Rightnow it appears that we werewrong. "

In a special letter sent from Delano headquarters, the Uni­ted Fartn Workers announced this week that "THE UNIONWILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE EL MALCRIADO FORMEMBERS." Many members had the itnpression that EIMalcriado was provided free to all who paid union dues, anda few members were ,actually receiving the paper. "THE U­NIoN IS GROWING AT SUCH A FAST RATE," the letter said,"THAT TO GIVE EL MALCRIADO WILL COST US MANYHUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. THE ONLY WAY WE COULDGIVE EL MALCRIADO TO THE MEMBERS IS TO RAISETHE DUES. AND WE WILL NOT RAISE THE DUES."

The union stated that, "IT IS EVERY FARM WORKER'SOBLIGATION TO KEEP INFORMED ABOUT WHAT IS HAP­PENING." The letter ended with a request that everyonesend $2.50 to EI Malcriado for a year's subscription.

Another view of the thousands of students and workerswho marched in Sacramento last week against Reaganand tuition.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

EL MALCRIADO**Page 12••••••

Reagan's Plan To Improve (?)

AgriculturREAGAN

Governor Reagan last week sUQmitted to the lawmakers his "8­point plan to improve agriculture."Five of the eight points wereunion-busting tools.

(1) The first point called for600 "migrant houses" to be builtat a cost' of $9,000 each. EL MA~

CRIADO SAYS-the houses will beused for foremen and supervisorsonly.

(2) A mediation service for la­bor disputes. California alreadyhas a mediation service which o­perates fairly and is nationallyr~

cognized. EL MALCRIAOO SAYS-Reagan is trying to get rid of allgovernment employees that he ca!!not control, and replace them with.his own puppets.

(3) a "revitalized" farm-laboremployment service. The farmlabor service has always operatedin the interests of the rancher.

Its officials have alwaysbeen corrupt in shutting their eyesto violations of the law. EL MALCRIADO SAYS-To spend moremoney on this sick state agency isa crime. The farm placement service should be shut down instead:-

(4) Removal of the 160-acre water rights limitation. This is a ­law designed to protect small far­mers. EL MALCRIADO SAYS­If there is no room for small far­mers in California why doesn'tReagan. stand up like a man andsay so, instead of trying to sque­eze them out of the back door.

(5) To create an AgriculturalYouth Corps. Teenagers and col­lege students would be given sum­mer jobs needed by professionalskilled farm workers who havetheir families to support. ELMALCRIADO SAYS-If Reagansuggested this ridiculous idea forany other industry, he would belaughed out of the state.

(The other three points in hisprogram dealt with plant disease~

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\A Practical Wayof Helping· Us

EL MALCRIADO**Page 13

number. The Union has had itsown number (47947) since 1966,but until now it has only received$16. Please help b):' giving thenumber of the Union on your bigpurchases, and your own numberfor your small purchases.

..-

Five priests arrested in J~

nuary for appearing in RioGrande City in support of thestrikers, were released fromdisciplinary act ion by their bi­shop. One of them stated,"This is not the end. It's onlythe beginning." The priests,returning to Texas from aweek's exile in New Mexicofor "meditation," said "we atesome fire (during the punish­ment) and we are ready tobrea~he it forth." The storywas carried nationally in thedaily newpapers. San Francis­co headlined it "Two ExiledPrie sts Return to Fight."

Rio Grande, Texas-254 storeshave agreed to cooperate in theboycott that has been organized inTexas against the sale of the pro­ducts of La Casita Farms. Amorgthem is included 148 markets ofthe Safeway supermarket chain.Gilbert Padilla is in charge ofthis boycott which has had so.much success.

Moreover, the FBI has begun aninvestigation of civil rights, as aresult of the arrests by Sheriff Alberto Pena of Starr County, whohas been acting as if he were tak­ing the law into his own hands.

The last straw that has broughtabout the FBI investigation wasthe arbitrary and illegal arrest ofthree Catholic priests who havebeen helping the strikers of RioGrande City.

help the Farm Worker Strike. TheFarm Worker Union now has itsown number: 47947, and if youuse the number when you buy, theUnion will get money at the end ofthe year. You don't need to be amember of the union to use this

Fi B I INVESTIGATESTEXAS ARRESTS

Oakland, Calif. -Ricardo Cam­pos, 27, born·in Amador, Calif.,was killed last December 6th in asmall village in Vietnam, victim (of war. Son of migrant workers,Campos was orphaned at a veryyoung age and spent all his life injuvenile detention homes or in or­phanages. Richard had no choiceother than to join the army at 17.He was shipped out to Vietnam andnever returned alive.

Since his birth, Ricardo· Campos was exploited by the samesystem which sent him to hisdeath, but when the body was sentback, the politicians praised themanner of his death, and spokeof naming parks after him.

But it is too late. Should some­one have to die in order to live asa \1uman being in this country?

Cases like that of Ricardo Campos would not happen if all the ci­tizens would listen to organiza­tions like the farm workers, struggling to end such injustices, andwould join them.

RICARDO CAMPOS

A Victimof War-

I

Berkeley and San Francisco-Ifyou live in the Bay area and buy

. at the Berkeley Co-ops, you can

YOU CAN HELP STOP this drain on Texas wealth! Refuse to buythese products, produced by strikebreaking slave labor on theLA CASITA FARMS in Texas.

THE MILLIONAIRE & "Don QUIXOTE"

ALetter From P.Minetti. ..My dear young man:

Mr. Robert M. PhilmusUniversity of CaliforniaDepartment of LiteratureLa Jolla, Calif. 92038

AN INTERESTING DIALOGUE BE1WEEN THEMILLIONAmE RANCHER, AND A POOR STU­DENT, -WHO IS ALSO A ~MILLIONAmE' BUTIN IDEALS, A '!RUE 'DON QUIXOTE'.

Iell the Iruth, MisterA. Perelli-Minetti !.

In any business, there prevails the laws of eco­nomics which must be observed if one does not wantto go broke. If you guarantee us a 5% profit, we willpay any wage you want us to. Proof of your financialability to back this up would be necessary.

Advice from a man who is very likely older thanyour grandfather: Deposit a copy of the letter youwrote us in your box at the bank. Wait 20 years sothat you may have had some business ventures ofyour own and then re-read the letter and comparewhat you wrote us in January, 1967. with your reac'­tions of 1987.

I

.:nstituti.on

-E L MALCRIAOO**Page 14

Don't BuythesePRODUCTS'

MANUFACTURED BY

A.Pere!!i-}f}ne!!i '~'~'~·~P~i~~

VJcmIt.DUGoARISTOCRAT

Incidentally, the picking crew who walked out inSeptember, 1966 did earn an average of $3.27 anhour. A fact of life is that the AFL-CIO is on amembership drive.

The Leamon King...(CONTINUED ~ROM PAGE 30)

also contacted byphone, "wehavealready initiated two changes, oneconcerning booking and' reports,and the other dealing with an intercounty agreement between the ci­ty and Kern and Tulare counties.

The Mayor could not explain thediscrepancy between his stateme­nts and that of the police chief.

It appears that someone is try­ing to fool the people, but wedon't know yet who.

As to our contract, it was signed September 18,1966. While Schenley signed recognition agreement.in the spring of 1966, it did not sign its collectivebargaining agreement until October, 1966. TheSchenley UFWOC - AFL-CIO contract, a copy ofwhich we have, includes neither medical insurance,nor life insurance, nor unemployment insurance, allbf which are included in our contract for temporaryas well as permanent workers.

Our contract was the first full collective bargain­ing agreement ever signed in behalf of farm workers,and still is the most generous and comprehensive.

Yours very truly,

Antonio Perelli-Minetti

And t~e Right Answer !.Dear Mr. Pere1U-Minetti:

Thank you for your reply to my reply. I hope you don't mind ifI don't wait 20 years to send it to El Malcriado, which has al­ready printed my letter to you. After all, you hardly typed iton the sort of paper that is likely to benefit from being in a bankfor any number of years (20 years is a rather long time, by thesay; Horace in his Letter to the Pisos recommends 9, as I re­call). Besides, I think your workers are entitles to your replyas well as this reply to you r reply.

Let me emphasize again that my letters to you are not an exer­cise in personal acerbity or disrespect. The point of my firstletter - - which point you seem to disregard - - is that you sentout a letter which purported to de-mislead people about thestrike at Perelli-Minetti and which instead was more mislead­ingly unclear and ambiguous than anything else I have read a­bout the strike. If you look over my letter again, you will findthat with one exception, all the information that it contains wastaken -- sometimes verbatim -- from that "de-misleading"letter you yourself originated. Let me repeat: my only inter­est in this matter is the TRUTH!

With regard to the letter of yours now at hand, I propose to fol­low the same method as in my reply to your previous letter.That is, I shall use only the information which you yourself fur­nish -- this time with the exception of two reported facts.

I would first like to expatiate on your repeated assertion thatthe crew which went on strike was earning "an average of $3. 27an hour" (not $3.26 1/2 or 3.28 1/4?). That statement is per­fectly compatible with the statement that most of the crew wasearning less than the minimum wage, or even less than $1. 00an hour, as anyone acquainted with statistics will knew. Forexample, if you had a crew of three and the foreman were earn-

(CONTINUED 0 P. 18).

Pete Ca.rdenas and Ruth Trujillo talk to theworkers at the Di Giorgio ranch.

Dolores Huerta talks about the Union to agroup of farmworkers.

With interest and attentiveness the workers listen to Cardenasand Dolores Huerta who went right to the vinyards to talk to them

~

Some of the olClest workers of the Di Giorgio corporation learnabout the benefits of sefiorial they will receive in the Union.

Josefina Gabaldon never trusted the Union, now, convinced, she signs the authorization card.

A BIG CONTRASTTHE STRONG CONTRAST BETWEENA DEMOCRATIC UNION SUCH ASUFWOC AND THE UN-AMERICANTEAMSTERS CAN BE SEEN INTHESE PHOTOGRAPHS. THE TEAM­STERS HAVE USED CLUBS, GUNS,AND OTHER GESTAPO TECNIQUESTO REACH THEIR GOALS. THEUNITED FARM WORKERS ORGANIZ­ING COMMITTEE, THE UNION OF;AND FOR THE FARM WORKER,WENT INTO THE FIELDS. SPOKETO EACH OF THE WORKERS, ANDEXPLAINED THE BENEFITS OFUNIONIZATION. THE WORKERSSIGNED CARDS WHICH ALLOW THEUNION TO DEDUCT DUES FROMTHEIR PAYCHECKS AND WHICHGIVE THE WORKERS THE FULLBENEFITS UFWOC HAS SET UP FORTHEM. AND SO, THE BEST WEA-PON WE HAVE--DEMOCRACY-­GOES INTO THE FIELDS TO SERVETHE FARM WORKERS.

All the questions are answered clearly. Once the workersare convinced that the Union is acting for their good, they sign.

Beat

E L MALCRIADO**Page 18

Tell the truth".~ {CONTINUED FROM P.lS)

ing $8. 00 and hour, that crew woul9. be "averaging" $3. 33 anhour if the other two workers were earning $1. 00 an hour.Would you the refore, in the intere sts of truth, undertake to<:ertify exactly how mu·ch most of the workers were earning onthat crew, and what wage per hour the least paid was earning?

I ask for this more truthful statistic, because whatever expla­nation you may have for the strike, a strike of people in the e­conomic status of farm workers must have an economic motivein terms of wage-and-hour rates. I see no reason why this factshould not apply to your farms as well as to the DiGiorgio hold­ings, etc.

I must here insert a fact of my own gleaning; namely, that notonly did your workers go on strike, they went on strike volunta­rilyand without provocation from the UFW. A delegation ofyour workers -- so fantastically highly paid, according to you,compared with farm wo.rkers elsewhere -- actually went to so­licit UFW support for a strike. Yet you continue to obscurewhat economic motivation they might have had. Do you expectme to believe that they risked their jobs, their "high wages"and the welfare of their families to play some sort of practicaljoke on Perelli-Minetti? Just what do you expect me to believe?That the "AFL-CIO is on a membership drive" does not accountfor the strike; you can't get workers to go on a strike when theyare being better paid than their fellows - - that's a practical"law of economics" too. And that is the reason, to give a con­crete example, why the workers at IBM have never joined aunion.

As to the contract you signed with the Teamsters, you give thedate of signing as September 18, 1966. Now I don't·have an ex­ceptional memory, Mr. Perelli-Minetti, but isn't that just ninedays, according to your form letter, after the strike began at'your farms? And isn't such an agreement - - a "backdoor con­tract" I think it's called - - one of the underhanded means usedin the annals of laQor history to break a strike? And, further­more, if - - to refer t.~ your first letter - - this contract wassigned with a union which represented a "majority" of yourworkers, how is it 'that the strike went on -- indeed, is still go­ing on?

Now you begin this reply to my letter by informing me of theeconomic facts of life. I don't want to get into the complexitiesof economics, and I certainly don't want to get involved in yourbusiness problems -- I've got enough of my own, thank you.But permit me to point out that "a 5% profit" is another trickystatistic - - 5% profit on what? On your farm workers? Aslong as you bring up your own economic considerations with re­gard to the strike, however, let me ask you a question. Pre­sumable, you are against the strike on economic grounds, sinceyou argue on this basis yourself. But hasn't the strike and theresulting boycott cut your distribution and sales by two-thirds?Wouldn't it be less costly to negotiate to end the strike, seeinghow you are paying such high wages anyway?

Please keep in mind that these questions of mine are not rheto­rical; they are asked by COMMON SENSE in the interests ofTRUTH. What are the answers? And again let me reiterate.that I have nothing against you personally, still less your pro­duct - - which the boycott :prevents me from judging, as to itsquality anyway. Nor have I brought up any matters which youyourself have not touched upon first -- concerning which you

(CONTINUES ON P. 30)

(CONTINUED fROM P. 15)

What is he ?....Drake," we responded. Rev.Drake, who had just returnedfrom Texas, was above any kindof suspicion or reproach.

"REVEREND DRAKE!" snort­ed Minetti. "REVEREND DRAKEHAS FOR OVER A YEAR NOWDISPLAYED HIS PREJUDICESLIKE A SIGN IN FRONT OF HIM.NO, I WILL NOT TALK WITHTHE REVEREND DRAKE."

We said goodby and called theDelano Record, a local adver­tising sheet that has for two years'been at the service of Minetti.

. We asked the Record to set up ajoint interview with Minetti, inthe interest of public informa­tion. The Delano Record saidthey were very much interestedin the idea but that they wouldhave to think about it.

We hope to be able to bringyou, in the next issue of EI Mal­criado, a joint interview withthe Delano Record, Fred perelliMinetti, and ourselves. Weintend to ask Minetti why he isafraid of our printing his side ofthe story, why he has so ruth­lessly opposed the same farmworkers who have created hiswealth, and whether he thinksthe days of the local so-calledaristocracy of rich and power­ful families is at last at an end.

Don Sotaco and ...(CONTINUED FROM P. 4)

His Miseries", or "Don Sotocoand the Patroncito", either ofthese names. I will send youcopies as soon as I have finishedit.

In order to finish it, I needsome details on the Huelga in De­lano. The cartoon charactersare my inspiration, together withthe history of the strike, and Ihope to carry in my person thosesame principles of the strike:that of the betterment of the

. people.Please receive my kindest

regards.Yours very truly,M. C. L. Ruiz,Brawley, California

EL MALCRIAOO**Page 19

No.4 -:

'.

EL MALCRIADO**Page 20

ILLllSTRATIONS TAKENFROM MATERIAL PUBLI_SHED BY THE DEPART_ I

l\IENT OF EDUCATION OFTHE U.A. W. 800 E. Jeffer­son Ave., Detroit 14,l\lichigan.

THE SACRIFICE OFAND THE BIRTH OF

THE WOBBLIESTHE AFL-CIO

THE GREAT DEPRESSION WAS HERE, MIRRORED IN THE STARVING EYES OF MILLIONS OF AMERlc;ANS

By BOB DUDNI:C!K

PLEAse WAI

TURti lh B~

The Wobblies were finished,The Knights of Labor rattledtheir chains in the dead past.Gene Debs had lost the Pull­man strike, ending hope forone big rail union. The warwas over. Prosperity was o­ver. The Great Depressionwas here, mirrored in the ho.!low and starving eyes of mil­lions of Americans.

But still labor creaked a­long. There was only 'one hou­se of labor now, if you didn'tcount the independent railwaybrotherhoods. That one housewas the AFL. It h d done muchgood work in organi' andprotecting the skilled w ers ..Plenty of them were out ofjobs in this year of 1934, buteven mote of the unskilledwere selling apples and slurp­ing starvation Army Soup.

John L. Lewis knitted histhick eyebrows at the AFL co~

vention that year of '34. Hemust have thought of this as hemulled over past-and future­blood to be spilled in the coalmines. He looked up to theplatform where William Greenwas presiding as AFL presi­dent, successor to Gompers,who had died in 1924.

No two men started fromthe same point and wound upso far apart. Both were sonsof Welsh miners and both had

been miners in their youth.That was the end of the simil~

rity. Green was a quiet, politelittle man who wanted to get ~long with everybody. Lewis

was a big, bulky, opiniona~ed,

erratic man-and when he mo­ved, mountains got out of theway.

Lewis began agitating forsomething similar to the oldIWW goal of mass, "vertical"unions which would representeveryone in a plant regardlessof their job classification.

He pressed this so energe­tically that at the next year'sAFL convention, the Commi­ttee on Industrial Organizationwas set up to keep Big Johnhappy. But there was a jokerin the deck: the CIO was to beonly an arm of the AFL. Fur­ther, it was only to study andreport back to the parent bodY,.Its activities were to be limi­ted to "educational and adviso­ry" work.

But Lewis & Co. had nosuch limitations in their minds.They immediately used the·CIO to organize the mass in­dustries-steel, rubber, autos,textiles, radio-the works. TheAFL was enraged. It kickedout the unions which had re­presentatives on the Commit­tee on Industrial Organization.Only the International Ladies

CONT. ON P. 22

EL MALCRIADO**Page 22

The Sacrifice of... Today. .. Today...And yet today: The law

protects not everyone. Suitsare not sold to all 'union orga­nizers. The NLRB does notadjudicate all disputes. Allmen are not yet equal.

Labor has come a long way.It has a long way to go.

It has 8. long way to go insome fog-shrouded little farmtown in a rich California val­ley. In a dirt street, ,back­wash of some hacienda down illthe forgotten part of Texas.

***************

History has not changed forthese people. They are the li­ving extension of the textile,steel, mining and lumberingstrikes of yesterday. The u­nions won those battles yesterday. History says they willwin new battles tomorrow.

But tomorrow's battleswill not be won without painand sacrifice. This is alwaysthe way it has been. So, innext issue's installment, we'lllook at some of the greatstrikes and individual unionsof the past. There are manysimilarities l?etween theirstruggles and our own.

Two months later I was in theBakersfield Court on some busi ­ness of the Huelga. By coincidencein the hallway, I saw the kid whohad lost the two lambs. He washandcuffed to an assistant D.A.whom I knew. I stopped them.

"What's happening?" I asked,as I saw his eyes flash again. Howmuch time are you going to get?"

His eyes glazed over and helooked at me with an incrediblydull stare. His voice soundedempty as he s~d, emphasisin'geach word, "What's the difference?"

The UA. tugged at him and theywent down the hall, their stepsechoing.

The Stor-y IBle'hi,nd:. _,_(CONTINUED FROM P. 25)

kid lay on the ground, clawingthe earth with pain. Brutus Quinncame after him again. He did'ntsee the knife in the kid's handuntil after it was too ' late.

~he rest. With one exception:this time I abor was winning.

Later, of course, tbe AFLand the CIO merged to presenta united front against manage­ment. Today, the great strikesof the past are nearly forgot­ten. Today, labor men wearsuits and ties almost as expensive as those worn by ma- ­nagement men.

contribute to-any union, aclause which destroyed mostcompany unions. It formed theNational Labor RelationsBoard (the NLRB).

There were many stirringstrikes after that, as labor became confident and manage- ­ment grew enraged. It was thesame old story allover again­the same as at Pullman, Paterson, Colorado, 'Bisbee, and -

Today, the law-even withthe Taft-Hartley Act-protectslabor to a greater extent thananyone could have dreamed ofin the early days.

JOHN'L. LEWIS

CONTINUED FROM P. 21

Garment Workers was allowedto remain.

This deterred Lewis not atall. The ousted unions decidedto form a rival federation.They renamed the committee

,the Congress of Indu3trial Or­'ganizations, keeping the CIOinitals.and Lewis.....WI'ote toWilliam Green:

lIDear Sir and Brother:Effective this date, I resignas Vice-president of the Ame­rican Feperation of Labor. 1I

Lewis was elected CIO presi­dent and the organizing drivebegan..

Sit-down strikes, slow...downs, battles, pickets, poli­tics-everything \\ent into it.The CIO had two advantages:first, it had some of the smar­test people in the movement,and second, it stayed awayfrom the utopianism thatwrecked the IWW. Nonethe­less, the lICIO organizerllwasa terror in the minds of ma­nagement and good, solid,peo­pIe, everywhere, not to men­tion the AFL.

The CIO got underway in1938. The previous year ha~

been pivotal in the history oflabor because that was theyear that the CIO as well as 9­ther labor groups were givena new weapon: the Wagner Act

The Wagner Act actuallywas passed two years earlier.It was rescued from the bulkof the National Industrial Re­covery Act, which the SuprezrnCourt held unconstitutional.But in 1937, the Wagner Act,which was based on Sect. 7(A)of NffiA, was declared consti­tutionally pure by the courtand the gates were opened t~

organizing.This was Labor's Magna

Carta. It gave the mov.ementa standing in law that it hadnever had before. It prohibit~d

management to interfere withorganizing in any way. It for­bade the boss to restrain em­'ployees and required him tobargain collectively. It toldhim not to dominate-or even

EL MALCRIADO**Page 23'

-LEARN THE LAW AND SAVE MONEY-

Visit us at 105 Asti street or write to us at Box 460, Delano, Calif., 93215. Phone 725-0161

PART OF THE PERSONNEL IN CHARGE.OF PREPARING THE LESSONS.

New TEST YOURSELF AND SEE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED.CHOOSE TWO OUT OF EACH GROUP OF THREE SENTENCES.ONE OF THEM IS INCORRECT.

'sau!:J-!paUl uo puads nOA ~-eLJ.M. . £

'SUO!~

--e.lado .lalflo .10 A.lalhns uo~uads aA-eLJ. nOA ~-eLJ.1x\ AIuO ''Z's1Pq ~spuap pu-e .lOpOa 'I

:3:aD'1:::>NI S3:lIDnaN3:dX3: H~'1V3:H lIDOJ.. NOSNOU:::>Da3:a 3:H~ .iI0 3:WOS

'ssa.lpp-e ~LJ.g!.l.

aLJ.~ ~-e nOA LJ.:J-ea.l ~,U-e:J ~t pu-epaAoUl aA-eLJ. nOA asn-e:Jag .£

'Ulatp puas ~,usaop

----------- -~UaUIU.laA02 alfl asn-e:Jag ''Z'

·S.la):[.lOIx\

.l!alfl o~ UlaLJ.~ puas ~ou opS.lO~:J-e.l~uO:J aUlOS asn-e:Jag '1

:SWlIO.iI 'Z- M. 3:H~ 3:AI3::::>3:lI~ON oa 3:'1d03:d 3:WOS J..HM.

'ssoq .lnOA UlO.lJ .lanaI V '£'noA paA-ed ssoq .lnOA ~-eLJ.~

s):[:JaLJ.:J aLJ.~ UlO.lJ sqn~9 aLJ.~ ''ZUl.l0.iI 'Z- M. aLJ.~ '1

:03:3:N DOJ.. SWlIO.iI

XV~ 3:H~ ~DO '1'1U O~

FREE LESSONSOFFERED NOWDid you know that 30~ of yourincome goes to the InternalRevenue because you are notfamiliar with the tax laws?

Lesson I.Usually th~ companies that a per­son w'orks for _sends them eithera W-2 Form or Earnings ReportEfor the {last year, These tell ex­actly how much that person madefor that company during the pastyear. Many times though, lab­or contractors do not furnish theW-2 Forms or the Earnings He­ports. In that case, the personshould have their check stubs sothat they can figure out how muchthey made in the past year.Some people will not receivetheir W-2 Forms or their Earn­ings Reports because they havemoved and their mail is not for­warded. In that case, too, theyshould bring their check stubs sowe can figure their earnings for,the past year,

<.

There are many things which aperson pars forJduring the year)which are considered tax deductLible--that is they can be subtrac­ted from the person's earningsand one doesn't have to pay taxeson them. Medical and dental ex­penses and dr'ugs and medicinesare de~ucti~le. If you have re­ceipts for such expenses bringthem with you when you come tohave your tax return prepared.

If you don't have the receipts, tryto remember how much you paidfor Ml'ldical and dental bills andfor drugs and medicines duringthe year.

EL MALCRIADO***PAGE 24

TH( STOR Y B(H INOT H(A STORY

BYBILL ESHER

EL MALCRIADO.***PAGE 25

/

He was twenty-one years oldand he, together with afriend who went partnerswith him, kept a few p.igs andtwo lambs in the tumbledownpens out back. He wasn't allAmerican and he wasn't allMexican but he was an awfullot of both. ,

"I just got out of jail, " hesaid. "Somebody stole thelambs while I was away. "His hair was cut close fromthe barber at the county jailand he had that trim darklook like an animal who some­times has to run and some­times has to hunt.

"What were you in jail for?"I asked him. .

He smiled tightly and said,"What's the difference? Yougringos are all alike. What'sthe difference? i was in jail,see? For two months, that'sall, and while I was theresomebody stole those twolambs." He muttered tohimself and then kicked vi­ciously at a nearby sectionof irrigation pipe sending itflying.

I didn't want to be there.I said, "I'm sorry, " and his

eyes flashed. Then seeingthat I meant it, he turnedand walked away abruptly,embarassed at our instant ofcommunication. When hewas a little way off he callec."I'll see you" over hisshoulder.

But I didn't see him. I sawhis brother in front of theirhouse the next week. Theyowned an old four-roomhouse where 14 of them lived--mostly small children. Thefather had lost his fingers ina work accident last year andthere wasn't much money."We're all going pruning nextweek, " the brother told ~e.

"The taxes have to be pald onthe house and the Chevyneeds a transmission. Munozis giving us work, " he added,making an ugly face.

They went to work at Pri­ola Number Nine, pruning'Vines for the contractor PaulMunoz. Munoz was one ofthose coyotes who bringwinos and others up from LAin busses, keep them in alabor camp, work them todeath and cheat them, andthen turn them loose as brokeas before.

But sometimes when heneeded a sm all crew he would

hire local teenagers at lessthan the going rate, and that'show the kid with the lostlambs happened to be there,working with his brothersand several others.

Th e Crew BossI

I had known Brutus Quinnin Delano High S~hool beforebut we met again at Mar­shall's party and the girls wewere going with knew eachother, so I would see himnow and then. He was a littleunpleasant to'look at: it wasthe look of an ex-marinegone soft. ins father had asmuch money as most people,since he managed Priolo'sbiggest Delano ranch. B ru­tus fought a lot witlr him, es­pecially when they'd bothbeen drinking--and the oldman drank a lot.

Brutus drank a lot too. Itwas the drinking of boredomand despair, the drinking ofa small drab city that is or­ganized for making money,but not for Iiving. He woulddrive out into the country inhis father's GTe with a fewfriends at night and they

would drag race, or shoot uproad signs with their 22's.

One night I met him at theTic-Toe. He was boozed upand talkine: loud. disturbingthe old men gambling in theback. After a while--toodrunk to drive-- he asked" meto drive him home, since itwas on my way.

On the way home he toldme about the two lambs, howhe'd gone o,ut to the countrywith some younger guys,stolen them, and then set upa game.

''We held 'em and soaked. 'em with gasoline, " he toldme, as I drove him throughthe dark streets, "and lit 'em

. both up at the same time. It'was a race, you know? Well,mine won, but you shouldhave heard the noise theymade! "

We stopped at a stop sign,and his whirling brain set it­self onto another subject, andI never heard about the twolambs from him again.

The next week he lost hisjob as security 'guard at Di­Giorgio and went to work forPaul Munoz on his father'sown ranch. Munoz had hired

. him as a crew pusher for abunch of Mexican teenagers

and women who were pruningvines.

***********

Some of the kids were fool­ing around, all in a bunchdown at the nd of one of herows. The fog was swirlingaround the vines and theythought the boss was at theother end of the vineyard.But suddenly he appeared.

It had been an aggravatingday for Brutus Quinn. Thecrew wasn't much good. Infact, the minute he took hiseyes off them they wouldstart fooling around. It wasSunday anyway, very' cold,and nobody felt like working.He knew that one of the kids,just that day, had called him"El Pendejo", and now theywere all doing it, not quite·within hearing.

He lit into the group ofjoking kids, grabbed one ofthem who hadn't been work­ing worth a damn, and gavehim a shove.

"You're through, " he said."You can get out right now. "

"But senor, " the kid saidwith mock intensity and ateasing expression, "eet eesfive miles to the pueblo and

i no got a carro. Pleese donot fire me, 0 senor pendejo!"

The group drew back, thegirls giggling, the boys curious, afraid and proud of theirspokesman. Brutus Quinnfelt a curtain of anger dropdown over his eyes. He turn­ed toward this intense mock­ing Mexican who was so effec­tively putting him on. Heflet the anger tighten insidehis skull and he felt it snap.He smashed his fist into thatmocking brown face. But thekid was too fast and BrutusQuinn bounced off the wiresof the vines, off balance andsurprised.

But he recovered and gavethe kid a tremendous kick,sending him sprawling. The

(Turn to page 22)

By Andrew Zermeno

& Daniel de los Reyes

---s;;;;;~~"DID YOU HEARbill _ '::;::-:THAT? WE HAVE 3 1/MORE CLIENTSl i /RIGHT NOW I HAVE /AN ORDER FOR 15MEN FOR A RANCHIN TEXAS."

THANKS TO HONORIO HAVING TRADED HIS VALUABLE WATCH FOR A FALSE PASS·PORT WffiCH HE THOUGHT MIGHT COME IN USEFUL IN THE FUTURE, HE AND HISFRIENDS WERE ABLE TO LEAVE JAIL. DESPERATELY HUNGRY, THEY WALKEDTO THE FOOD MARKET IN SEARCH OF THE COYOTE CONTRACTOR THAT WASRECOMMENDED TO THEN'IN JAIL, AS A TRANSPORTER OF WET-BACKS TO THETEXAS FIELDS.

''WELL, I'M NOT SOSURE ABOUT HIM-LASTIME 'E L PINTO' TOLDME THATHISBOSSHAD­N'T PAID roM YET ANDSO HE STILL OWES METHAT MONEY. "

, '."\~:~" '.~ ~... ~~_.<;:71<~~; ,.:~'. oJ' '__~'::, '-

~_noLDUS~:'~ 'It'THAT WE COULD ~'''''----2 /P

'::::FIND 'EL PINTO' ::...::J;: "SURE, 'EL PINTO'~HERE. IT SEEMS --SIS INSIDE THERE. I~THAT THERE'll A ~ ALREADY SIGNED,'" CHANCE OF GETTING 1 AND IT SEEMS THAT

WORK ON THE OTHER WE LEAVE TONIGHT"SIDE. "

~

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....J-:(.

~

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<l>bI:cd0..**oQ«§...:l«:;E...:ll"il

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~lIn, '\

UTE' CONTRACTOR, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEmHUNGER, FORCES THEM TO SIGN THE PAPER WInCH STATES THEmGH AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THEY MUST PAY TO BE TAKEN TOTEXAS. /" ,;1,.

coC'I

Cl)01.cIj

Po<**~§...:l«~

...:ltil

"THANK YOU, BOSS,THA,NK YOU. NOW IWILL BE ABLE TOMAKE MONEY TO SENDTO THE OLD LADY AND

. THE KIDS."

0)

C':l

Q)

bOCIl0..**o.~§....:I.<:::E....:IPLl

''WE ALREADY HAVE THE 15 MEN THAT WE NEED. TIDS WILLGIVE US AT LEAST $1200. CHUY ONTIVEROS SURE IS DOINGA GOOD JOB, SENDING US ALL THOSE WETBACKS."

"I THINK THEY JUST PUT UPITHAT STATUE TO SAY THAT

"'~NLIFE BECOMESUNBE~L~"•ABLE IN OUR COUNTRY, WE ~-~._~~-~;--~~~~~§SISHOULD FOLLOW IDS INSTRU l'\I

TlONS AND GO NORTH." .

ATHAT CAR AND THATOMAN, THAT'S FOR ME,

AND IF ONE MAKES MONEY~ THE U. S. I WILL GETrl·HOSE THINGS SOME DAY.'

"SOMETHING MUSTJ:3ONG. WHY WOULD HE

E CHARGING US SO MUCH?'

EL MALCRIADO**P~.~30The Leamon King.;.

lContinu~d from Pg. 3)ded the city council meeting and voiced theircomplaint. The Council took the matter underconsideration and started an investigation.

On Wed., Feb. 1, the·city manager Luis She­pard asked that a special meeting of the Councilbe held on Friday to hear~the King case.

On Friday, Feb. 3, the Council met, took evi­dence, and then adjourned until Monday.

But the Rev. R. B.Moore, Belano's Uncle Tom.interceded on Saturday, F,eb.4, when, accordingto the Delano Record he "contacts Police ChiefAiles to warn that the Bakersfield NAACP maybecome involved and urges the problem be set­tled before Monday night.

Mayor Joe Hochschild' called a spec ial meet­ing Saturday night between himself, the City M~nager. the Police Chief and Mr. King.

On Monday, Feb.6, Mayor Hochschild reports" that in the Sat. meeting "the matter was resolved

satisfactorily, so there will be no further publichearings by the City Council." The Mayor con­tinued, '.'Procedural changes in the office of the

police department have already been made ... "Councilman Frank Herrera called for strong­

er action by placing three proposals before thecouncil. One calling for a re -examination of theNovember reorganization of the Delano policedepartment. Second, the cancellation of thenLt. Gilbert's promotion to Captain. And third,an investigation of the incident to be conductedby a special board.

On Tues., Feb. 7, Police Chief Ailes is repo!ted to have said that "no change s in police pro­cedure have been made and no specific changeshave been proposed.

Only two of the proposal were submitted asmotions and only the motion callin for the re­examination of the police department structurepassed. The second motion calling for an inves·tigation failed, with only Herrera voting for it.

On Wed., Feb. 16, Chief Ailes told this re­porter in a telephone interview that "there havebeen no changes· made. I have received no dire~

tives to change any training or any procedures.It's been talked about informally, but we haveno definite plans.

However, according to .the Mayor, who was

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)

::. EL MALCRIADO needs reporters that will send in informative andgraphic material from California and the rest of the U. S. We wouldprefer those persons who are involved with the farm workers and theircause, If you ARE a farm worker better still, but this is not a pre­requisite. We want these collaborations to be in accordance with theeditorial policy of EL MALCRIADO -- a magazine to help farm work­ers, with no interest in monetary profit, rather a strong commitmentto a just cause that is not only the cause of the farm workers, but alsoof all the rest of the Mexican-American people. Write to us at ELMALCRIADO, P. O. Box 1060, Delano, California, 93215.

have supplied most of my information. I have not. to give anexample, mentioned the fact that you and most of the other largEfarming concerns in this state have profitted from irrigationprojects paid for by all of the taxpayers of this state.

In conclusion, sir. let me say that I am interested in hearinghonest facts, not advice (whether you be as old as my grandfa­ther is a purely academic question. both my grandfathers hav­ing died some time back). You want it to appear that you are anhonest man, and I will not deny that. Why don't you assuem thatthat your workers are also honest men. most of them hard-

.working and trying to earn a decent wage in a world where it ismore difficult to make something our of nothing than it everwas? They don't want dignity; dignity is something they were

. born with, not something you or anyone else could bestow onthem. But they want to be treated with dignity; they don't wantto be managed and manipulated by backdoor contracts and sta­

tistics.I cannot wait until 1987 to send you this letter; .that would bethree years after 1984. and it's too close to 1984 already.

Truthfully yours.

Robert M. Philmus

The Ominous....~

(CONTINUED FROM P.7)

and at the top of the pyramid ofmisery and greed is Connally. Inbetween are hundreds of morondeputy sheriffs, company guards,hired thugs, and corrupt judges.Added to this year upon year arethe hopelessness and disallusion­ment of the poor. It -Is into thisfantastic mess of man againstman that EI Malcriadi is travel­ing next week, to bring you thetrue story of the dismal presentand the possible future of theValley of the Rio Grande.

(CONTINVED FROM P. 18)." TleU thel: truth...

E L MALCRIADO**Page 31

THE PROMISEThis was the beginning of the end of these bad poli­

ticians, those blinded by their power and wealth andwhose ignorance keeps them from seeing that students·throughout the world are dynamite. It was clear to seethat this was the beginning of the formation of the"Third Force," and that the idea of forming a strongalliance among the minority grwps, victims of the e­vil politicians; and germinated here.

A student stood up and yelled, "We want to hearCesar Chavez!" Another repeated the demand, andthis was supported unanimously , until the dynamicleader of the farm workers came to the microphone.At the end of a short, brilliant speech, he committedthe farm workers to fight side by side to victory withthe students with this phrase: "This fight is our fight,and, as we say on the farms, 'We ain't givin' j'1. 'tillwe win. If

'

heard by the 200,000 residents of Sacramento, fol­lowing Governor Reagan as he abandoned the micro­phone and disappeared in a hurry.

Speakers followed one after another, with wordsthat made history, words that showed the way, reach­ing the minds of the 20,000 students there who listenedwith rapt attention.

Phrases like: "The shadows of ignorance surroundus"; "ThiS is a destructive administration"; "We arethe people, and yOU'd better listen, Governor"; "It'snecessary to put in order the chaos caused by RonaldR~an"; "Form the Third Force: farm workers, students, Negroes, and the poor whites"; "We are goingfrom houS'e ';0 house, if necessary, and get the sup­port of those who don't yet understand the damage hehas been doing to our state."

A' FULL-SIZE 8 x 10 BLACK AND WHITE GLOSSYPHOTOGRAPH OF THIS PICTURE OF CESAR CHAVEZ~

SUITABLE FOR FRAMING.Mailed to your home•• 0 •••• 0 $2. 50Set of five(all the same)•••• $10.00

This picture was taken February 11, 1967 as Chavezspoke to over 15? 000 students gathere.d at the steps ofthe Capitol in Sacramento. This is the first photoof Cesar Chavez by any photographer that has beenmade available to the public.

The photographer. Emmon Clarke, is the staffphotographer ofEL MALCRIADO, and has been publishedin several magazines and newspapers in the UnitedStates and Mexico.

The photo prints are available from~

PHOTO, Box 1060, Delano, California 93215

NOW YOU CAN OWN A PICTUREOF CESAR CHAVEZ

HE STRUGGLE AG~INST IGNORANCE--------

WE ARE THE PEOPLE

Unfortunately the Governor had not gone there tolisten to the students, but, it seems, to give them asermon and to reprimand them. He raised his voiceand said with a certain scornful tone: "I interruptedmy schedule to come over and listen to you, but youshould understand that as the Governor I representthe people of California and I will do what has to bedone!"

And saying "I will do what has to be done," he:meant that he intends to cut the budget of the collegesand the University, and to raise tuition, stopping thepoor people from getting an education. He was speak­ing of taking 82 million dollars out of the 278 millionper year that the University needs. He meant to cutthe number of teachers and to affect the quality of theeducational equipment, and to throw thousands of stu­dents out of the classrooms. In short, he was talkingof making out of public education only a privilege forthose with large fortunes, and closing the door of education to the poor.

This simply meant "to keep them in their places,"in a sea of ignorance, those who are fighting in Cali­fornia to stop the exploitation of man by man.

And he didn't have to go too far for an answer.From the throat of a lone student came a yell that

as repeated by many others until it became a verita­Ie storm: "We~ the people!" And they repeated

s phrase, which resounded from the tall buildingst surround the Capitol, a yell that must have been

and at the request of the organizers of the march,eryone sat down so that those beWnd, some as far

as several blocks, would be able to see what was 'ppening. That was when Governor Reagan got in­

to the act and asked to be heard by the crowd.

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