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Hellraisers Journal – Saturday November 11, 1911
Kansas City, Missouri – Walker C. Smith Describe I. W. W. Victory
From the Spokane Industrial Worker of November 9, 1911:
KANSAS CITY HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE MAP
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(Walker C. Smith)
Kansas City is built on a bluff, but they can’t bluff the I. W. W.
The I. W. W. has succeeded in putting K. C. on the map and today in that hilly village the principal topic of conversation in the One Big Fighting Union of the working class. It is conceded that the authorities had to back down and they made quite a neat job of it. Chief of Police Griffin, Judge Burney and Clark, together with the public persecutor, saved their face through the medium of the Board of Public Welfare. The board consists of well meaning, old fossils, recently retired from the cockroach strata of society, who spend their time and the “dear public’s” money in sprinkling cologne on the dunghills of capitalism or in poulticing boils on the body politic. With the threat of “ONE THOUSAND MEN FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER AT LEED’S FARM” haunting them like a specter, these souphouse reformers went straight up in the air, Kansas City under normal conditions cannot care for its “unfortunates” and the present business depression, coupled with threatened I. W. W. invasion made these sentimental gentlemen throw up their lily white hands in holy horror.
On Wednesday night with six arrests, the “hobo agitators” numbered two dozen. These boys were kangarooed to the tune of $500 each for which they thanked the judge in sarcastic terms. One of them, charged with speaking on the street so as to blockade traffic, stutters so it took him several minutes to tell his name and occupation.
Trifles like this, however, never block the road of capitalist justice. This last haul filled all available space at the municipal farm and since then no further arrests have been made although the meetings are being held exactly as heretofore. On Friday night the speaking started at Sixth and Main, as usual, and the box was moved up to 12th and Grand. This is the busiest section and the crowd that had followed the speakers and singers, together with those who quickly gathered, became so large as to block traffic for the first time. Coyle, Saunders, Lyons and myself were the speakers and the cop on the beat-well, he beat it accompanied by the jeers of the crowd. Saturday was spent in putting out “Bulletin No 1,” which was a statement of the position of the I. W. W.
On Saturday morning G. E. B. member Tom Halero and I, went to the board to get permit to see the boys on Sunday. We were told to return at 3 p. m. and upon doing so were taken down to the office of the chief of police. Some of the members of the board were there and they endeavored to maneuver it into a conference with Halero and myself protesting that we had no power to take action and telling them that the men in jail were the only ones who could settle the fight. Not withstanding this the conference continued for three hours and assumed the appearance of a treaty council between equal powers. It conclusively demonstrated the tremendous power of organized might and clearly showed that we are building the new society within the shell of the old. We are gaining general recognition as a fighting force disputing control with the powers that be…..
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Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Industrial Workers of the World Declares Great Victory in the Kansas City Free Speech Fight” →
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