Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 29, 1907
Duluth, Minnesota – News Tribune Reports on Mother Jones
On August 27th Hellraisers republished articles from the August 24 edition of the Duluth Labor World concerning the recent visit of Mother Jones. One of the headlines read:
LABOR’S “LITTLE ANGEL” IS WRONGED BY PAPERS
Today we republish articles concerning the visit of Mother Jones from the mine owners’ most virulent mouthpiece, The Duluth News Tribune.
From The Duluth News Tribune of August 19, 1907:
Above are some of the sentiments of Mary Jones of Chicago, known to all the nation as “Mother” Jones.
While she was talking in the Duluth Armory last night the rain was pattering upon the roof and the gray haired veteran seemed enthused by the applause from above and beneath.
In her characteristic style “Mother” Jones went after the trusts of all kinds and she related experiences she had in the mines east and west. She told the gathering that until labor united and voted in a solid body for someone who would give the masses justice there was no use of protestation.
Get Together, She Says.
“Get together, boys, and work for your own interests,” advised the little gray haired woman on the rostrum. “It is up to you and you must show your hand. If you continue to be poor, degraded and oppressed, it is your own fault. You have the power; why don’t you exercise it?”
“Mother” Jones said many other things. Some of her sentiments seemed to border upon anarchy, but she declared she was not an anarchist. “But I have seen enough in the mine range to make me something-call it anarchist if you will,” said the speaker.
Fair Crowd Present.
The hall was fairly well filled and very appreciative. Alderman McEwen presided and made a somewhat extended address in which he reviewed the labor conditions of the country and the recent trial of Haywood in Boise, Idaho. Then he introduced Acting President Mahoney of the Western Federation of Miners.
Mr. Mahoney devoted a considerable portion of his time to attacking the press of the northwest for what he termed unfair treatment. He also told of the arrest and trials of a number of strikers in the range district and declared the justices of the peace in the territory were simply hirelings of the Steel corporation.
Tells His Experience.
The acting president in extenso related his experiences with the courts of the range country and declared positively that he did not believe that there was much real justice in the northwest. He told about being met with crossed bayonets, held, he said, by hired thugs and Pinkerton men employed to intimidate the miners who were disposed to remain in the district and work. A long recital of the conditions of life, as the acting president saw it, followed and the address closed with a hope that the present agitation would wind up the trouble and put the workers on a better basis than they ever were before.
Several others spoke, some of them in Finnish, and a band played a number of enthusing airs.
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From The Duluth News Tribune of August 21, 1907:
“Mother” Jones addressed a large and enthusiastic audience last evening in the village hall, Proctor, on “Socialism.” Her entire speech was full of fire and was received with great applause.
C. J. Kinzel acted as chairman of the meeting, and in introducing “Mother” Jones made a short speech, in which he made a bitter attack upon Congressman J. Adam Bede, who spoke in that hall but a few months before.
“Mother” Jones took up the attack upon Bede when she arose. She addressed the audience as “Fellow Workers and Slaves,” and continued by saying that some railroad men considered themselves better than slaves, but she wanted to assure them that they were not. She stated that all the product of their toil went not to them, but to their employers.
She said that the question of temperance did not enter into the labor question; that it was all bosh, it was good for a man to get drunk once in a while, said “Mother” Jones, and she would get drunk herself if it did not make her sick.
She stated that there are 18,000 men starving on the range, and for this condition she blamed the United States Steel corporation. The business men of the range, she said, blamed only the strikers, but not the corporation.
The only way to settle strikes and grievances between the working class and capital, she said, was to have all the men “stick together.”
The time will come, declared “Mother” Jones, when all men will have to work only six hours. The night shifts she calls a grave yard and would have it abolished.
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From The Duluth News Tribune of August 11, 1907:
Mother arrived on in Duluth on August 10th and left for the Mesabi Iron Range that evening.
MOTHER JONES GOES TO RANGE
—–
Chicago’s Noted “Friend of Labor” Will
Size Up Strike Situation on Mesaba.
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“Mother” Jones, the sweet-faced little gray-haired woman who for years has enthused laborites in Brand’s hall, North Clark and Erie streets, Chicago, came to Duluth yesterday to go up on the range among the strikers.
[Said “Mother” Jones, in the office of Alderman McEwen yesterday:]
I belong to no union and, I am employed by no organization. I just want to see the mining boys get along well and that is why I am going up there among them. My heart is with the miners because I was raised among them out west. I was in the Victor and Cripple Creek, Col., mining strike some years ago, and I know all about that affair. When I reach Hibbing I shall first learn about the demands of the strikers. If I consider them right I shall advocate them in speech and any other way I may.
Will Speak Her Mind.
If “Mother” Jones believes the strikers are wrong, she will not hesitate to tell them so. I cannot say now what I shall do. I want to see the labor leaders on the field of action and consult with them.
“Mother” Jones left for the range last night.
[She said just before she left:]
I hate strife and warfare. I am gong to have a very thorough talk with those boys on the range. I want to see them all back at work soon. It is close to winter now and they need to be employed. Brute force will not win for either side in this question. Let us have reason. I firmly believe that if men will stop to reason matters out, strikes will cease.
Well, about the red flag, over which so much fuss is made, indicating that it is an emblem and insignia of anarchy: Let me tell you that the red flag was the first to float over the American forces at the battle of Bunker hill. A patriot, when the British were giving way, tore his red shirt from his body, and, putting it on his bayonet point, waved it and his fellows shouted for liberty.
Doesn’t Believe in Excess.
But I do not believe in excesses of any kind. We all have rights. I hope the boys will be sensible and use good judgment. “Mother” Jones will use her efforts for such a result.
“Mother” Jones is as pleasant and mild a little woman as ever trod the streets of Duluth. But she is firm, determined and vigorous when once she has made up her mind on a point. There is no mistaking her meaning when she talks. She was all through the Telluride district in Colorado and attended the trial of Haywood at Boise, Idaho, recently, where she was a conspicuous figure [not true, she did not attend the trial].
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[Photograph added.]
Note: Indeed there had been some outrage expressed by the News Tribune about the Red Flag, not only Red, but BLOOD RED!
From The Duluth News Tribune of July 8, 1907:
And not only Blood Red, but BLOOD RED and carried by one big AMAZON FINN!
From the Duluth News Tribune of July 22, 1907:
(Range Bureau of the News Tribune.)
SPARTA, July 21.-The red flag appeared again today in a procession of the local strikers. The Finnish Socialists gave a picnic at Ely lake, a couple of miles from town, and paraded through the streets on their way out there. During the afternoon they were addressed by five or six speakers. The speaking was entirely in the Finnish language and was along Socialistic lines.
The procession was headed by a woman carrying a red flag of large proportions, and wearing a red waist. In the crowd, which followed the leaders, were many women all wearing red waists.
There has been no violence reported here so far and none is anticipated for some time. There are many of them still working in the mines and these have been approached by the strikers.
The mayor has cautioned the saloon-keepers not to sell any liquor to any one that is in the least under the influence of it. He stated that if there was any trouble from intoxication he would close all the saloons in town, no matter who it was that made the first trouble.
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[Photograph of Red Flag added.]
SOURCE
Duluth News-Tribune
(Duluth, Minnesota)
-Aug 19, 1907 -page 1
-Aug 21, 1907 -page 7
-Aug 11, 1907 -page 7
-July 8, 1907 -page 5
-July 22, 1907 -page 1
(Also source for images of text.)
http://www.genealogybank.com/
IMAGES
Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR
https://www.newspapers.com/image/66992169/
Red Flag, wiki socialism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
See also:
Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday August 27, 1907
From The Labor World: “Labor’s Little Angel” Speaks in Duluth
Mother Jones Comes to Duluth to Support Striking Mesabi Iron Miners
Always on Strike:
Frank Little and the Western Wobblies
-by Arnold Stead
Haymarket Books, 2014
(search: “blood red flag”)
Note: there is no photo of a woman carrying a flag, wish there was.
Note: scroll up to top of page 71 for more on 1907 Mesabi Range Strike.
https://books.google.com/books?id=yhYJCAAAQBAJ