Hellraisers Journal: A. F. of L. Convention Passes Unanimous Resolutions on Behalf of FW Joe Hill

Wednesday November 17, 1915
From El Paso Herald:
-A. F. of L. Convention Pleads for Life of Fellow Worker Joe Hill

Resolutions on behalf of Joe Hill were passes unanimously yesterday by the thirty-fifth annual convention of American Federation now in session in San Francisco. Last evening’s El Paso Herald reported the news:

Labor Pleads For Murder Convict’s Life
—–

HILLSTROM IS TO DIE FRIDAY
—–
Federation Calls On Utah Governor To
Exercise Clemency for Swede.
—–
President Wilson and Swedish Legation
Are To Receive Appeal Also.
—–

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Nov. 16.-Resolutions asking clemency for Joseph Hillstrom, member of the Industrial Workers of the World, sentenced to be shot at Salt Lake City Utah, Friday, were passed unanimously by the American Federation of Labor, meeting here in its 35th annual convention.

The resolutions were presented by the ways and means committee, to which the case was referred yesterday by president Samuel Gompers, after appeals for action in the case were made before the convention by Thomas Mooney, not a member of the convention, and delegate Camomile, both of Salt Lake City.

President to Receive Copy.

The resolutions authorized president Gompers to transmit immediately copies of the resolution to the governor of Utah, the board of pardons of Utah, the Swedish minister to the United States and president Wilson.

New, Fair Trial Urged.

Gov. Spry was urged “to exercise clemency in the case and to stop the execution of Hillstrom, and that he be given a new and fair trial.”

“The feeling against Hillstrom as a labor agitator was such as to mitigate against him with the jury to his detriment,” the resolution said , and that there was the “gravest doubt” as to its sufficiency.

Claim Case Well Investigated.

It was stated that the resolutions were presented after the convention had listened to persons who claimed to be conversant with the facts after investigating the case thoroughly.

—–

[Photograph of Joe Hill added.]

From the Deseret Evening News of November 16, 1915, Salt Lake City hears the news:

ASK FOR CLEMENCY FOR JOSEPH HILLSTROM
—–

San Francisco, Nov. 16.-Resolutions asking clemency for Joseph Hillstrom, member of the Industrial Workers of the World, sentenced to be shot at Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday, were passed unanimously today by the American Federation of Labor, meeting here in its thirty-fifth annual convention.

—–

[Photograph of Joe Hill added.]

From the floor of the A. F. of L. Convention:

SEVENTH DAY—Tuesday Morning Session

San Francisco, Nov. 16, 1915. The convention was called to order at 9:30 a. m., Tuesday, November 16th, President Gompers in the chair….

Report of Committee on Ways and Means.

Delegate White (J. P.), Chairman of the Committee, reported as follows:

RESOLUTIONS IN THE MATTER OF JOSEPH HILLSTROM.

San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 16, 1915.
To the Officers and Delegates of the Thirty-fifth Annual Convention of the American Federation of Labor:

We, your Committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the appeal affecting Joseph Hillstrom, report as follows:

That we have examined this case as thoroughly as time would permit, and have listened to lengthy statements from persons who claim to be conversant with the facts, and we beg leave to offer the following resolution for immediate consideration and action:

WHEREAS, Joseph Hillstrom, a workingman of the State of Utah and active in the cause of labor, has been sentenced to death by shooting, by a Utah court, and the date of his execution has been fixed for the 19th day of November, 1915; and

WHEREAS, The circumstances surrounding the said conviction and sentence are such as to make the grounds for this conviction and sentence appear to be utterly inadequate and matters of the gravest doubt, in that the evidence was of a purely circumstantial nature and highly improbable, and the rights of the said Joseph Hillstrom do not appear to have been sufficiently, or at all, safe guarded, but on the contrary seem to have been violated to such an extent that the said Joseph Hillstrom did not have a fair and impartial trial; and

WHEREAS, The feeling against the said Joseph Hillstrom as a labor agitator was such as to have militated against him with the jury, greatly to his detriment; and

WHEREAS, We are of the opinion that the said Joseph Hillstrom did not have a fair and impartial trial; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, By the Thirty-fifth Annual Convention of the American Federation of Labor that we urge the Governor of the State of Utah to exercise his prerogative of clemency in this case, and to stop the execution of the said Joseph Hillstrom, and that he be given a new and fair trial; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the President of the American Federation of Labor is hereby authorized to forward at once copies of these resolutions to the Governor of Utah, to the Board of Pardons of the State of Utah, to the Swedish Ambassador, and to the President of the United States, and that they be published in the American Federationist and in the official publications of the affiliated unions.

Signed on behalf of the Committee,
JOHN P. WHITE, Chairman.
J. C. SKEMP, Secretary.

A motion was made and seconded to adopt the report of the Committee on Ways and Means. The motion was adopted by unanimous vote.

Chairman White suggested that an open letter to the Board of Pardons of the State of Utah by Mr. Hillstrom’s attorney, and a statement prepared by Mr. Hillstrom on the eve of the date first set for his execution be printed. The suggestion was approved by the convention.

[Photograph of John P. White, President of the United Mine Workers of America, added.]

The entire of text of Hiltons letter to the Board of Pardons was then entered into the record of the Convention along with Joe Hill’s statement to that same august body:

OPEN LETTER TO THE BOARD OF PARDONS OF THE STATE OF UTAH,
O. N. Hilton Denver, Colorado, Oct. 17th, 1915

MR. HILLSTROM’S STATEMENT.

Both of these documents have been previously published in Hellraisers Journal, and, for that reason, are not included here.

At this late date, we have learned that after business hours yesterday, President Gompers sent copies of the Convention’s Resolutions to Governor Spry of Utah, to President Wilson and to the Swedish Minister, W. A. F. Ekengren. As to the instruction contained within the second resolution that “they [the resolutions] be published in the American Federationist and in the official publications of the affiliated unions,” we would point out that our Rebel Songwriter will most likely be taken from us before these labor journals ever see the light of day.

~~~~~~~~~~

SOURCES

El Paso Herald
(El Paso, Texas)
-Nov 16, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/image/42568453/

Deseret Evening News
(Salt Lake City, Utah)
-Nov 16, 1915
http://newspaperarchive.com/us/utah/salt-lake-city/salt-lake-city-deseret-evening-news/1915/11-16/page-2

Report of Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth Annual Convention
of the American Federation of Labor
Held at San Francisco, California
November 8 to 22, Inclusive, 1915
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=ij42AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_atb&pg=GBS.PR1
AFLC 1915, 7th Day, Nov 16, 1915
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=ij42AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_atb&pg=GBS.PA283
Report of Committee on Ways and Means
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=ij42AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&source=gbs_atb&pg=GBS.PA286

Joe Hill
-by Gibbs M. Smith
Gibbs Smith, Sep 1, 2009
https://books.google.com/books?id=wFwsHQVuHVUC

The Man Who Never Died:
The Life, Times, and Legacy of Joe Hill, American Labor Icon
-by William M. Adler
Bloomsbury Publishing USA, Aug 30, 2011
https://books.google.com/books?id=nCwHDiXYMRMC

IMAGES
Joe Hill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Joe_hill002.jpg
Joe Hill
http://www.freedomarchives.org/La_Lucha_Continua/Joe_Hill.html
John P White
http://www.umwa.org/index.php?q=content/umwa-hall-presidents
American Federation of Labor Button
http://www.laborsolidarity.info/index-2.html
Joe Hill, Don’t Take My Papa Away, 1915
http://www.folkarchive.de/donttake.html

See also:

“Joe Hill’s Attorney Challenges Members of Utah’s Pardon Board to Debate” by JayRaye
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/25/1438969/-Hellraisers-Journal-Joe-Hill-s-Attorney-Challenges-Members-of-Utah-s-Pardon-Board-to-Debate

Joe Hill Releases Statement: “A Few Reasons Why I Demand A New Trial.” by JayRaye
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/11/1430466/-Hellraisers-Journal-Joe-Hill-Releases-Statement-A-Few-Reasons-Why-I-Demand-A-New-Trial
Joe Hill’s Statement, Part 2
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/12/1430716/-Hellraisers-Journal-Joe-Hill-I-have-never-in-my-life-double-crossed-a-man-woman-or-child
Joe Hill’s Statement, Part 3
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/13/1430976/-Hellraisers-Journal-Attorney-Hilton-and-Swedish-Minister-Discuss-Plan-to-Save-Life-of-Joe-Hill

Information from Archie Green via Gibbs Smith:

The Ninth Edition of the Little Red Songbook was published in Cleveland in March of 1916 and was dedicated as the “Joe Hill Memorial Edition.” Four new songs, Joe Hill’s Last Will, and Joe Hill’s Farewell Message were featured therein, including “Don’t Take My Papa Away From Me” on page 28.

Don’t Take My Papa Away From Me
-Words and Music by Joe Hill

A little girl with her father stayed, in a cabin across the sea,
Her mother dear in the cold grave lay; with her father she’d always be
But then one day the great war broke out and the father was told to go;
The little girl pleaded, her father she needed.
She begged, cried and pleaded so:

CHORUS:
Don’t take my papa away from me, don’t leave me there all alone.
He has cared for me so tenderly, ever since mother was gone.
Nobody ever like him can be, no one can so with me play.
Don’t take my papa away from me; please don’t take papa away.

Her tender pleadings were all in vain, and her father went to the war.
He’ll never kiss her good night again, for he fell ‘mid the cannon’s roar.
Greater a soldier was never born, but his brave heart was pierced one day;
And as he was dying, he heard some one crying,
A girl’s voice from far away:

Source for lyrics:
http://www.folkarchive.de/donttake.html

Sadly, I could find no performance of this song online,
but an audio file of the tune can be downloaded Here:
http://politicalfolkmusic.org/wordpress/joe-hill-dont-take-my-papa-away-from-me/

Link to sheet music: pdf!
http://politicalfolkmusic.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Joe-Hill-Dont-Take-My-Papa-Away-from-Me-Sheet-Music.pdf

Ballad of Joe Hill by Phil Ochs