George Pettibone never lost courage,
never despaired,
never lost hope in the working class.
-Industrial Union Bulletin
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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday August 26, 1908
George Pettibone, Miners’ Hero, Never Lost Courage
From The Industrial Union Bulletin of August 8, 1908:
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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 25, 1918
Mother Jones News for July 1918, Part IV: Found in Rockford, Illinois
From The Rockford Daily Register-Gazette of July 26, 1918:
MOTHER JONES, REW, CARBINE
—–WILL BE SPEAKERS AT UNION LABOR MASS
MEETING SUNDAY AFTERNOON
—–BIG PARADE IS PLANNED
—–
Rockford’s union labor hosts expect many union men from other cities to be here Sunday to take part in the street parade and the mass meeting at Fair Grounds park. The local committees are confident it will be the biggest showing of the kind that union labor has made in Rockford in years.
Lieut. Col. William H. Brogunier will be marshal of the day and John E. Peters will be chairman. Mayor Robert Rew, Mother Jones and Ed Carbine will be the speakers…
The meeting is to be made the occasion of Rockford Union Men’s protest against the sentencing to death of Thomas Mooney as a result of the preparedness parade explosion in San Francisco. Mother Jones will tell about the parade. Mooney has been removed to the California state penitentiary where he awaits execution.
The program will be continued in the evening at People’s park, where it is hoped Mother Jones will find it possible to speak for a few minutes. There will be other speakers. The program for the park will be announced at the close of the Fair Grounds park meeting.
———-
[Photograph added.]
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Hellraisers Journal, Saturday August 24, 1918
Mother Jones News for July 1918, Part III: Found in West Virginia
From the Fairmont West Virginian of July 25, 1918:
UNION MINERS HOLDING SCALE CONVENTION HERE
—–
Meetings at Willard Hall Are Expected
to Last Several Days.
—–MOTHER JONES HOT SHOT
—–
W. M. Rogers Makes Plea for Big
Labor Day Celebration.
—–
The scale convention for the mines of the Fairmont field which have no contract with the United Mine of America is being held at Willard Hall this week, and opened at 10:30 this morning. The morning session was devoted to the adoption of the call, the filing of credentials and addressees by “Mother” Jones and W. M. Rogers, president of the State Federation of Labor.
Frank Keeney. president of District No. 17…called the meeting to order. P. F. Gaitens [Gatens], international board member for District No. 17, acted as secretary in the absence of Mr. Mooney, who is expected to be here on the morrow…
“Mother” Jones’ address was filled with interesting discussion of social and economic questions, as well as talk on coal mining and union organization.
W. M. Rogers made a plea for a big Labor Day celebration in spite of the fact that coal operators were opposing it. “They argue that a day’s production will he lost. I say that you can work a Sunday or extra hours for several days-that labor is entitled to one big day all its own.”
“Civilization never advances beyond he women.” declared “Mother” in her address to the scale convention. “The great danger is when the hog is developed in the woman instead of the human.”
“Mother” Jones, introduced as the most beloved labor leader in the world by Frank Keeney, president of District No. 17, was discussing the duty that lay before the coal miner delegates assembled for this convention.
Some of those parasitical fellows come along
and tell [the miners] they can’t have beer.
I don’t care about the whiskey,
but the boys do need the beer.
-Mother Jones
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Hellraisers Journal, Friday August 23, 1918
Mother Jones News for July 1918, Part II: Found in West Virginia
From the Fairmont West Virginian of July 20, 1918:
U.M.W. ORGANIZERS BUSY IN REGION
—–
Meetings Being Held in Mining Towns
Practically Every Day.
—–
United Mine Workers in this section held several meetings yesterday evening giving instruction as to further organization and inspiring miners to produce more coal. W. F. Ray and Sam Ballentyne were in Wilsonburg where they were straightening up an organization which had not been properly organized. B. A. Scott and Joe Angelo were at the Dawson mine in Clarksburg for the same purpose. P. E. Gaiens was at Lumberport yesterday evening looking after interest of the United Mine Workers Association. James Diana and Representatives Peters were at Gypsy.
W. F. Ray, B. A Scott and Organizer Peters will leave tonight to spend a few days at their homes. Mr. Ray is a resident of St. Albans,, W. Va., while Peters and Scott are both from Charleston.
President C. F. Keeney will return to Fairmont tonight from Charleston, where he has been for the past several days.
David Fowler, who has been in the Morgantown section for the past several days assisting in the organisation of miners, returned to Fairmont yesterday.
J. L. Lewis, of Indianapolis, Ind., international [acting] president of the United Mine Workers of America, came to Fairmont last night and paid a visit to the local office of United Mine Workers.
Mother Jones returned to Fairmont yesterday evening.
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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 22, 1918
Mother Jones News for July 1918, Part I: Found in West Virginia
From the Fairmont West Virginian of July 5, 1918:
MINERS PROVE PATRIOTISM BY WORKING TODAY
—–
Not a Mine in the Region Out of Operation
—–
The car supply for the mines along the Monongahela railroad tomorrow will be one hundred per cent.
—–
As a proof that the patriotism of the miners in the Fairmont district is of the 100 per cent. quality every mining property so far as in known is in operation today with full forces in most instances…
This is a remarkable showing for the day following the Independent day holiday. In former years the men used to make a several days’ affair out of the Fourth of July but this year the Fuel administration made a direct to them to go right back to work so that the much needed coal would keep coming in a steady stream and the way they have responded will be gratifying to all interested in keeping p the production records.
Miners’ Picnics.
Fully fifteen hundred people, mostly miners and their families, gathered at Traction park yesterday afternoon for the big all day picnic held there.
The program began shortly after 10 o’clock in the morning with addresses by William M. Rogers, president of the State Federation of Labor, and James Dianna, the latter of Bomer, W. Va. and one of the most prominent labor organizers in the state. He addressed the miners assembled at the park yesterday morning in the Italian language. In the afternoon an address as delivered by Frank Keeney, who is in charge of the United Mine Workers for the seventeenth district.
The fellows who are now in palaces
ought to be in jail.
The fellows who are in jail
ought to be in the palaces.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hellraisers Journal, Friday August 21, 1908
-Mother Jones News Round-Up for July 1908, Part II
–Found Speaking at Denver Convention of W. F. of M.
On July 18th, Mother Jones was present in Denver at the Sixteenth Annual Convention of the Western Federation of Miners when she was invited to address the delegates gathered there. She was introduced by John M. O’Neill and spoke at length. The following summary of her remarks is taken from The Denver Post of July 19th (see full article below.)
MOTHER JONES, PEACEMAKER AT MINERS’ CONVENTION
[From Speech by Mother Jones]
The Western Federation has paved the way for labor to come together. The crucial time is on now with the guns of capital trained against you from Washington. Did not labor of the world stand behind you in your troubles? Take the United Workers of America by the hand and thank God you are getting together. Forget the little worries over the check-off system. When we all get together we will kick the check-off boss overboard.
When you join the United Mine Workers of America you will put some warm blood into them. Don’t forget, too, that they have good members and plenty of them.
We are working in a new century and must abandon the old things for the new. Women should organize as strongly as the men. I lined up 3,000 women in the Eastern mining camps and they took away the guns of the sheriffs and their dude deputies. These dudes carried little guns on their hips and sported miniature mustaches.
Do not wait for a written document from the other side in labor peace pacts. Take Tom Lewis by the hand. They were forced to adopt the check-off system when they were up against it. Feel that the United Mine Workers are still your brothers. The peace that Christ teaches should rule between your organizations.
———-
I have just closed a four months’ tour in Texas
and I want to say that I never met
with more loyal comrades
than I did in the State of Texas.
-Mother Jones
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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 20, 1908
-Mother Jones News Round-Up for July, 1908, Part I
–Closes Out Four Months’ Tour in Texas
From the Appeal to Reason of July 11, 1908:
From Mother Jones
I have just closed a four months’ tour in Texas and I want to say that I never met with more loyal comrades than I did in the State of Texas. Their whole energy seems to be devoted to the Cause-even the young farmer girls refuse to dance with any young man who is not a subscriber the Appeal to Reason. I could not, in justice, single out any particular one to pay tribute to, because all are devoting their best efforts to the Cause that so much needs them. I must, though, make an exception of Galveston. The Comrades there were laboring under some terrible difficulties. They were not permitted to hold street meetings for many months. I called upon the chief of police and found him a gentleman in every sense of the word and he explained to me the reason why, and I felt from his explanation that he was perfectly justified. He allowed me the use of the streets for five nights and they are now open to any speaker who is not trying to advertise himself by breaking into jail. I wish every city in America had just such public officials. We would have less of this thing called anarchy.
It is not surprising, indeed, that the comrades of Texas are so self-sacrificing when without exaggeration I say that their state secretary is one of the most efficient secretaries in the movement today. I wish that every state in the union had him duplicated. His every energy is devoted to the Cause-clean, impartial and just. Every comrade knows that I would be the first to condemn him if he did not merit my honest approbation and regard. I ask no favors from any secretary in the country and so I am perfectly free to express my opinion.
When our cause is all triumphant
And we claim our Mother Earth,
And the nightmare of the present fades away,
We shall live with love and laughter,
We who now are little worth,
And we’ll not regret the price we have to pay.
-Ralph Chaplin
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Hellraisers Journal, Monday August 19, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – Jury Out for Just 55 Minutes
From The Chicago Sunday Tribune of August 18, 1918:
How often have court rooms served as undertaking parlors
for the aspirations of rebellious workers?
-Harrison George
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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 18, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – “Guilty Is Verdict Against I. W. W.”
At 5:30 p. m. on Saturday August 17, 1918, the Federal Trial of the leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World ended when the jury announced its verdict:
Guilty as charged in the indictment.
Asked for his response to the verdict, Fellow Worker Harrison George stated:
If America can stand it, I am sure the I. W. W. can.
NEBEKER concluded his speech at 10:33 a. m. [August 17th], and the crowded courtroom listened expectantly for Vanderveer to open the floodgates of oratory. Nebeker had used less than one hour of the two allotted to the prosecution, and his assistant, Claude R. Porter, was to finish the presentation of their side with a flag-waving broadside of denunciatory eloquence that was not only to sway the jury, but was intended to elect him governor of Iowa. For, thoughtful of his campaign in that state, he had on the previous day sent advance copies of his speech to a great many of his partisan papers in Iowa for release on that day, when he intended to talk himself into immortality.
Judge, oh, ye gods! how deeply he was wounded when Vanderveer forbore to orate, only rising to thank the jury for their patience during the long trial and asking their consideration for a “Christian judgment.” The spectators were nonplussed at such an unusual situation, while Porter, pale and stunned, sat voiceless, trying to grasp the fact that Vanderveer, by refusing to address the jury, had cut off further argument, and that he, Porter, was up against wiring those Iowa papers to kill his oration, already going into the presses.
To speak for labor; to plead the cause
of the men and women and children who toil;
to serve the working class,
has always been to me a high privilege;
a duty of love.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hellraisers Journal, Monday August 17, 1908
The Socialist Party’s Red Special Will Criss-Cross Nation
From The Pittsburg Press of August 15, 1908:
