Month: September 2018

Hellraisers Journal: From the Appeal to Reason: “Red Special on the Way” by Eugene V. Debs

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Hurrah for the Red Special
and the Social Revolution.
-Eugene V. Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday September 10, 1908
“Crimson Flyer Speeds Westward Bearing the Message of Socialism”

From the Appeal to Reason of September 5, 1908:

RED SPECIAL ON THE WAY
—–
Crimson Flyer Speeds Westward Bearing
the Message of Socialism.
—–

EVD, 1 Red Special Itinerary, AtR p2, Sept 5, 1908EVD, 2 Red Special Itinerary, AtR p2, Sept 5, 1908EVD, 3 Red Special Itinerary, AtR p2, Sept 5, 1908

CHICAGO, Aug. 31.-When the Red Special made its appearance at the Chicago depot, thousands of social revolutionists, gathered from all directions, cheered continuously. Even the representatives of the Chicago capitalist press were present with pencil and camera to picture the great train and its decorations.

People now seem to realize for the first time that the socialist party is not only in the field, but that it is an active and portentous factor in the campaign. Not only was the train viewed by thousands of interested spectators at Chicago, but it evoked exclamations of surprise all along its route.

At 9:30 this morning the flaming special leaves for the west with the state candidates of Illinois, representatives of the national office and other guests aboard. Never have the exponents of a great cause started forth under more favorable auspices or with greater confidence and determination to overcome all obstacles and reach their goal in triumph.

Hurrah for the Red Special and the Social Revolution.-Eugene V. Debs.

—–

Circulars from the office of the national secretary announce that arrangements have been made to carry several hundred passengers every day on the Red Special. Any person can get on the train at any stop and ride as far as he likes at the rate of 2 cents a mile. Meals on the train will cost fifty cents each. there will be no sleeping berth for these passengers, but a first-class day coach will be provided.

Indications are that workers will be getting on at every stop to ride to the next and thus get into touch with the train they sent out. every afternoon passengers will be carried from small stations to the city where an evening meeting is to be held. Debs and all the special train party and all their fellow workers who board the train for short trips will have their meals together and these gatherings are to be made gay affairs. The train will enable workers of one town to get acquainted with those of another and the gathering of so many men and women interested in Socialism is expected to be a great encouragement to those in small communities and to the speakers and candidate for president.

“Those who intend to join the special train” said Otto McFeely, correspondent for the Workers’ Press association “should give the names of their party to the local newspapers and also call the editor’s attention to other special events of the celebration in their town.”

The following is a schedule of the arrivals, departures and stops from the time the train leaves Denver, the sixth day out, until its return to Chicago, September 25.

———-

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the Appeal to Reason: “Red Special on the Way” by Eugene V. Debs” →

Hellraisers Journal: Eugene V. Debs for Social-Democratic Herald: “The Social Democratic Party and Labor Day”

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Quote EVD, Modern Wage Slave, Terre Haute May 31, 1898, Debs-IA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday September 9, 1898
Eugene Debs on Labor Day: “This day is consecrated to the working class.”

From The Social-Democratic Herald of September 3, 1898:

The Social Democratic Party and Labor Day

EVD, New Time Magazine, Feb 1898

It is eminently fitting that The Herald, as the representative of the Social Democratic Party, should show due recognition of Labor Day. This day is consecrated to the working class, and the Social Democratic Party is the party of that class.

What shall be said of labor’s holiday and its opportunities? The interrogatory is inviting. Much can be said and will be said, but only that is worth of consideration which provokes inquiry or challenges reflection.

Where the day is given wholly to sports, most of which do no rise above the “greased pig” level, its significance is lost. For such as these, Labor Day means nothing except a few hours’ release from slavery. I would not have solemnity the order of the day, I would not deny a due share of pleasure and recreation, but above all, the central object of this day, that of discussing the rights and duties of the working class, and considering ways and means of emancipation from the bonds of capitalism, should be the commanding feature of every program and impressed upon the minds of all.

The capitalist class are immensely pleased to see Labor Day turned into a cheap circus and given entirely to “horseplay.” They command the day and contribute to its observance and smile upon the antics of their slaves.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Eugene V. Debs for Social-Democratic Herald: “The Social Democratic Party and Labor Day”” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part II

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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I have no country to fight for;
my country is the earth;
I am a citizen of the world.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 8, 1918
Terre Haute, Indiana – John Reed and Art Young with Debs on July 4th

From The Liberator of September 1918:

With Gene Debs on the Fourth

By John Reed
[Part II]
—–

EVD, w Reed n Young, Liberator, Sept 1918

It was on the Fourth of July that Art Young and I went to Terre Haute to see Gene. Barely a month before, the terrible rumor had gone round, chilling all our hearts- “Gene Debs is going back on the party!” That lie he nailed in the ringing statement published in the New York Call, and the Wallings, the Simonses, the Bensons cringed under the lash of his words…. Then came his tour through the middle states, menaced everywhere with arrest, violence, even lynching…and Debs calmly speaking according to schedule, fearless, fiery and full of love of people…. Then his Canton speech, a clear internationalist manifesto, and the Cleveland arrest.

“Gene Debs arrested! They’ve arrested Gene!” people said everywhere, with a shock, a feeling of pity, of affection, of rage. Nothing that has happened in the United States this year has stirred so many people just this way. The long sentences given to conscientious objectors, the suppression of the Socialist press, the indictment of editors, lecturers, Socialist officials under the Espionage and Sedition Acts-people didn’t seem to be deeply moved by these things; but the arrest indictment of Gene Debs-of Gene Debs as a traitor to his country! That was like a slap in the face to thousands of simple people-many of them not Socialists at all-who had heard him speak and therefore loved him. Not to mention the hundreds he has personally befriended, helped or even saved from every sort of evil….

“Gene Debs arrested! Our Gene! That’s going too far!”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part I

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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I have no country to fight for;
my country is the earth;
I am a citizen of the world.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday September 7, 1918
Terre Haute, Indiana – John Reed and Art Young with Debs on July 4th

From The Liberator of September 1918:

With Gene Debs on the Fourth

By John Reed
[Part I]
—–

EVD, w Reed n Young, Liberator, Sept 1918

“WHAT’LL it be, Mr. Sparks?” asked the drug-clerk, with the familiarity of common citizenship in Terre Haute, Indiana, and the respect due to a successful politician.

“Gimme a nut sundae, George,” said the lawyer, who lived around the corner on Sycamore street. Sparks is not his real name. He was dressed up in a new grey suit, adorned with a small American flag, buttons of the First and Third Liberty loans, and a Red Cross emblem. “Reg’lar Fourth o’ July weather, hey George?”

Through the windows of the drug-store Eighth Street looked extremely animated; with families trooping toward the center of the town, flags aslant in children’s hands, mother and pa in holiday attire and sweating freely; with patriarchal automobiles of neighboring farmers, full of starched youngsters and draped with bunting. Faintly came the sound of an occasional fire-cracker, and the thin strains of martial music from the parade. A hot, sticky wind blew occasional puffs of yellow dust up the street.

“Yes, we got a spell of heat all right,” responded George. “We’re going to close the store pretty soon and go up town to see the p’rade.” He scooped ice-cream and went on gossiping. “They say Gene Debs has got arrested up to Cleve-land….”

Everyone in the place stopped talking and looked up.

“Yes,” said the lawyer in a satisfied tone. “Ye-e-es, I guess from what the papers say Gene stepped over the line this time. I guess they’ll shut him up now.”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: The Liberator Calls for Contributions to Debs Defense Campaign: “The Million Dollar Fund”

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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I have no country to fight for;
my country is the earth;
I am a citizen of the world.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday September 6, 1918
“Debs Is Arrested! What will you do for him”

From The Liberator of September 1918:

Debs Defense, Liberator p36, Sept 1918

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: The Liberator Calls for Contributions to Debs Defense Campaign: “The Million Dollar Fund”” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part IV

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Remember, this is the only
American working-class movement which sings.
Tremble then at the I. W. W.,
for a singing movement is not to be beaten.
-Jack Reed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday September 5, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – “Take care, most arrogant master-class…”

From The Liberator of September 1918:

Part IV of John Reed’s coverage of Chicago I. W. W. trial with drawings by Art Young-

The Social Revolution In Court
By Art Young And John Reed

—–

Chg IWW Trial by A Young, Documents Seized, Liberator Sept 1918
—–

Day after day, all summer, witness after witness from the firing-line of the Class Struggle has taken the stand, and helped to shape the great labor epic; strike-leaders, gunmen, rank and file workers, agitators, deputies, police, stool-pigeons, Secret Service operatives.

I heard Frank Rogers, a youth grown black and bitter, with eyes full of vengeance, tell briefly and drily of the Speculator mine fire, and how hundreds of men burned to death because the company would not put doors in the bulk-heads. He spoke of the assassination of Frank Little, who was hung by “vigilantes” in Montana, and how the miners of Butte swore to remember…. (In the General Headquarters of the I. W. W. there is a death mask of Frank Little, blind, disdainful, set in a savage sneer.)

Oklahoma, the tar-and-feathering of the workers at Tulsa; Everett, and the five graves of Sheriff McRae’s victims on the hill behind Seattle… all this has come out, day by day, shocking story on story. I sat for the better part of two days listening to A. S. Embree telling over again the astounding narrative of the Arizona deportations; and as I listened, looked at photographs of the miners being marched across the arid country, between rows of men who carried rifles in the hollow of their arms, and wore white handkerchiefs about their wrists.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part IV” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part III

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Remember, this is the only
American working-class movement which sings.
Tremble then at the I. W. W.,
for a singing movement is not to be beaten.
-Jack Reed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday September 4, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – “”Do you recognize the right of people to revolt?”

From The Liberator of September 1918:

Part III of John Reed’s coverage of Chicago I. W. W. trial with drawings by Art Young-

The Social Revolution In Court
By Art Young And John Reed

—–

Chg IWW Trial by A Young, Red Doran, Liberator Sept 1918
—–

What has all this to do with the trial in Chicago? I plead guilty to wandering from the point. I wanted to give some of the flavor that sweetens the I. W. W. for me. It was my first love among labor organizations; I have had the honor of being arrested in an I. VV. W. strike, and of being in jail with Bill Haywood and other worker-champions for a few days. I shall never forget the impression made on me by a young Italian striker, who read Robert Ingersoll eagerly aloud in the jail; and by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, then at the height of her rebel beauty; and Carlo Tresca, one of the biggest souls in the world’s labor movement; and Arturo Giovanitti, who writes English poetry to my mind more magnificently than any English-speaking poet….

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part III” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part II

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Remember, this is the only
American working-class movement which sings.
Tremble then at the I. W. W.,
for a singing movement is not to be beaten.
-Jack Reed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday September 3, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – “Big Bill Haywood, with his black Stetson…”

From The Liberator of September 1918:

Part II of John Reed’s coverage of Chicago I. W. W. trial with drawings by Art Young-

The Social Revolution In Court
By Art Young And John Reed

Chg IWW Trial by A Young, Haywood etc, Liberator Sept 1918
—–

In the early morning they come over from Cook County Jail, where most of them have been rotting three-quarters of a year, and march into the court-room two by two, between police and detectives, bailiffs snarling at the spectators who stand too close. It used to be that they were marched four times a day through the streets of Chicago, hand-cuffed; but the daily circus parade has been done away with.

Now they file in, the ninety-odd who are still in jail, greeting their friends as they pass; and there they are joined by the others, those who are out on bail. The bail is so high-from $25,000 apiece down-that only a few can be let free. The rest have been in that horrible jail-Cook County-since early last fall; almost a year in prison for a hundred men who love freedom more than most.

On the front page of the Daily Defense Bulletin, issued by headquarters, is a drawing of a worker behind the bars, and underneath, “REMEMBER! We are in HERE for YOU; You are out THERE for US! ”

There goes Big Bill Haywood, with his black Stetson above a face like a scarred mountain; Ralph Chaplin, looking like Jack London in his youth; Reddy Doran, of kindly pugnacious countenance, and mop of bright red hair falling over the green eye-shade he always wears; Harrison George, whose forehead is lined with hard thinking; Sam Scarlett, who might have been a yeoman at Crecy; George Andreytchine, his eyes full of Slav storm; Charley Ashleigh, fastidious, sophisticated, with the expression of a well-bred Puck; Grover Perry, young, stony-faced after the manner of the West; Jim Thompson, John Foss, J. A. MacDonald; Boose, Prancner, Rothfisher, Johanson, Lossiev….

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part I

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Remember, this is the only
American working-class movement which sings.
Tremble then at the I. W. W.,
for a singing movement is not to be beaten.
-Jack Reed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Monday September 2, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – “Small on the huge bench sits a wasted man…”

From The Liberator of September 1918:

Part I of John Reed’s coverage of Chicago I. W. W. trial with drawings by Art Young-

The Social Revolution In Court
By Art Young And John Reed

Chg IWW Trial by A Young, Prosecution, Liberator Sept 1918
Chg IWW Trial by A Young, Defense, Liberator Sept 1918
—–

IN the opening words of his statement why sentence of death should not be pronounced upon him, August Spies, one of the Chicago martyrs of 1887, quoted the speech of a Venetian doge, uttered six centuries ago-

“I stand here as the representative of one class, and speak to you, the representatives of another class. My defense is your accusation; the cause of my alleged crime, your history.”

The Federal court-room in Chicago, where Judge Landis sits in judgment on the Industrial Workers of the World, is an imposing great place, all marble-and-bronze and mellow dark wood-work. Its windows open upon the heights of towering office-buildings, which dominate that court-room as money-power dominates our civilization.

Over one window is a mural painting of King John and the Barons at Runnymede, and a quotation from the Great Charter:

“No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned or be disseized of his freehold or liberties or free customs, or be outlawed or exiled or any otherwise damaged but by lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land-

“To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice….”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young Cover the Chicago IWW Trial, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: Fellow Workers at Chicago IWW Trial Draw Big Fines and Long Prison Sentences from Landis

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Why should the temporary withdrawal
of a hundred members seriously affect
the welfare of a group composed
of nearly 100,000 laborers in
the United States alone?
-Big Bill Haywood
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 1, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – Judge Landis Imposes Severe Sentences

From The Chicago Daily Tribune of August 31, 1918:

HAYWOOD GIVEN 20 YEAR TERM;
93 SENTENCED
—–
Big Fines and Prison Sentences
for the I. W. W.
—–

BBH Sentenced, Bst Glb p1, Aug 31, 1918

William D Haywood, “uncrowned king” of the Industrial Workers of the World, and ninety-two other principal officers and organizers, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the American war program, were sentenced to terms ranging from one to twenty years in the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kas., and given heavy fines by Federal Judge K. M. Landis yesterday.

With Haywood fourteen of his principal aids must spend twenty years in prison; thirty-three others of the organization leaders must spend a maximum of ten years in prison; thirty-three others a maximum of five years, and twelve others one year and one day. Two of the defendants escaped with ten day sentences in the county jail, while the case against two others was continued.

The combined prison sentences of the defendants aggregates 807 years and 20 days.

Added to this prison penalty is a total of $2,300,000 in fines assessed against the ninety-three prisoners. Individual fines ranged from $20,000, the minimum, up to $30,000.

In Jail Here Till Friday.

The defendants were permitted to remain in the county jail until next Friday before they will be removed to the federal prison. In the meantime, George F. Vandeveer, chief counsel for the “Wobbles,” announced a writ of supersedeas will be asked of the Court of Appeals and petition will be made for enlargement upon bail. Ninety days’ time was granted in which to file bills of exception on behalf of the convicted men.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Fellow Workers at Chicago IWW Trial Draw Big Fines and Long Prison Sentences from Landis” →