Hellraisers Journal: “Educate and Agitate!” Mother Jones Speaks at Labor Day Picnic in Evansville, Indiana

The miners need no angel.
They are living in hell
and they want to raise hell.
-Mother Jones

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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday September 6, 1916
Evansville, Indiana – Labor Day Speech of Mother Jones

From the Evansville Courier of September 5, 1916:

WILSON AND KERN LABOR’S FRIENDS
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Mother Jones Tells 10,000, Gathered for Labor Day,
Their Duty to Re-elect Them
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HAVE PROVED THEIR WORTH
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“Educate and Agitate” Is Her Remedy to Bring About
Further Social Reforms
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Tells of Her Work in West Virginia and Colorado
in Behalf of Miners
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It is the duty of workers of every kind and not only the miners to vote for the re-election of President Wilson and Senator Kern. They have proved themselves the friends of labor and of humanity. That was the central thought of the address of “Mother” Jones to 10,000 people assembled at Oak Summit and Mesker parks yesterday to celebrate Labor Day.

“Mother” Jones held the attention of the city yesterday and was the principal feature of the entire Labor Day celebration. The day was celebrated in a manner that greatly surpassed all previous efforts of the unions and men from all walks of life laid aside their work and joined in the observance.

Education and agitation are the remedies that are doing away with industrial injustice and bringing the laboring man and his family closer to the goal of their ambitions according to Mother Jones.

A monster crowd gathered at Oak Summit and Mesker parks immediately after the parade and at 2:30 in the afternoon President Tieman of the Central Labor union called the meeting to order and in a few brief words introduced the speaker. In his introduction he termed her as the most noble woman and one of the grandest characters that has ever visited the city.

“Miners Living In Hell”

Mother Jones at the opening of her speech took exception to his naming her the “angel of the miners,” telling her audience that the miners needed no angel. “They are living in hell and they want to raise hell,” she said.

Briefly she recounted a few of her many experiences of which the public has some knowledge but lost very little time in getting down to her subject, that of telling how the unions may more quickly accomplish the industrial freedom which they are seeking.

Asks Return of Wilson and Kern

She was strong in her praise of Senator John Worth Kern and President Wilson for the work they have done for the laboring men, and asked the men of her audience to return these men to office and gave her reasons for it.

This grand old woman, now more than 86, stood for nearly two hours telling not only the men but the women how to go about their duty.

Once during her speech, which she was bearing heavily on the value of educating the children, she said:

Women must realize that each child is the gift of nature and you must devote your time to moulding the mind of that man into a highly developed citizen of your nation. One day you will render an accounting to a Judge that will take no excuses. There is a reason for every criminal that is cast upon the state and while the men are fighting for a better living for you, you should devote all your time and energy to your children.

This is the difference between a lady and a woman. A lady is a bloodsucking parasite that takes the blood of childhood that has been ruined and destroyed and melts it into jewels for her ears, neck and fingers. It is impossible for me to understand how these ladies can go through universities and attain the finest classical education and not learn to see things as they are. A woman is a God-blessed creature, the finest work of the Creator.

Must Educate and Agitate.

We have learned that we must educate and agitate in order to accomplish our purpose. It was in 1865 that a group of men gathered together down in Kentucky for the working classes in the government. They said they must have a member in the cabinet and it took fifty years of eternal pounding for them to succeed. During that time we suffered murder, imprisonment, hunger and persecution but we got there. Now we have twenty-eight members in congress and in the coming elections it is up to us to double that.

After the world’s greatest agitator left the earth there arose a leader down in Carthage who started a great movement for industrial freedom. The Romans, recognizing it, went down into that country and brought him a prisoner before their judges and asked him “Why do you carry on this agitation, disturbing the order of things?” He told them that he belonged to a class that had been robbed and crucified and that he believed it his duty to enlighten them.

Not a Suffraget.

This is my duty. It has been ever since I began and we are still in a fight. I am not telling you what you should eat and drink that is your business. I don’t belong to the suffragetes, neither do I belong to the charity brigade. I don’t believe in charity. When I was down in West Virginia, I was brought up before a federal judge and asked why I did not go into Charity. I told him that there is not a charity organization in the world that I would not tear down if I could and over its ruins build a temple of justice.

Would you have been afraid to say that? Afraid of a man that is robbing you? You would be a fine man, some girl ought to marry you.

We are making progress because we appeal to reason and are avoiding violence and brute force. That belongs to the capitalist “pirates.” When it was announced that the railroad strike was pending and orders had gone over the country for it to take place, I knew it would never take place. I said I don’t believe the men will strike and I knew that the railroads would not let them strike. They knew that a strike would tie up everything; all industry would stop; the shops would close and and men would clamor. The government would then take them over and throw the pirates overboard.

Twenty-two years ago the railroads would not arbitrate but since that time the men have carried on a campaign of education and agitation and today the men told the railroads that they would not arbitrate, and they accomplished their purpose.

When I left West Virginia in [1903?] all the miners of that district were organized and after a few years I picked up a paper in Butte, Mont., and read that the operators would not arbitrate with the miners. I went in there and lead the miners to victory in the presence of the militia and the “dogs” of the company. During the strike we were sentenced. I knew I was going to get it anyhow. I was an undesirable citizen. I got five years and I told them to go to it.

Miners Owe Debt to Senator Kern.

While in jail I saw in a newspaper that Wall street had telegraphed to Senator Kern not to introduce the bill for an investigation of that strike. I immediately wired him and my message was read on the floor of the senate and the bill went through. Then miners owe Senator Kern a debt which they can never repay. After the committee made their report on that investigation you can easily see your interest in sending men to congress who are interested in you.

She reviewed the story of how she fooled the governor of Colorado during the recent strike there. She related how, after being brought to the governor’s office she answered his threat to put her in jail by telling him that if George Washington had followed his advice we would still be under English rule.

She told the men that if she could get the economic power she did not care who was elected to congress.

Workers Should Vote For Wilson

I want every working man in the city regardless of political party to vote for Woodrow Wilson. I want Wilson back and I will tell you my reasons.

In all the history of the country we never were able to get any legislation for children until the child labor bill was passed by this congress. While the house and the senate were tampering with the bill he went down and said “I want it passed and there will be no pigeon hole for it.”

During the Colorado strike he made a proposition that settled the trouble.

She pleaded with the men to stop knifing each other and organize.

Great changes are taking place. They are coming and instead of an autocracy we will soon have a nation that the world can look up to. Education and agitation are the two things that can bring it about. We have a great nation such as the world does not know. I believe we are the most quiet, sensible and law abiding people in the world but we have got to agitate. I want to see a law passed that will make a judge serve any term which he unjustly imposes upon an innocent man.

Colorado Like American Revolution

Our whole government was founded for this very reason. You all know that the cause of the revolution was over the bill of rights. When the colonists were being exploited by the British soldiers they gathered together and sent Ben Franklin over to London to get relief. King George sneered at him and he came back. You know what followed. Bunker Hill, Yorktown and Lexington and let me tell you we came near having that in Colorado. It was a fight to avoid it. But we don’t want that. I don’t believe in wrecking homes. I believe in building them. No man that ever traveled with me carried a gun. Men that I have led have been searched and not so much as a pocket knife was found on them.

In fifty years we have produced more wealth than Rome and Babylon did in 700 and yet I read in a financial magazine that one of the most wonderful philanthropists of the country made $60,000,000 during the year ending July 31 and he is killing men at the rate of $5 a day. What if they do get $5 a day. It takes that to live and they don’t get any too good at that.

Following Mother Jones’ speech the following message was sent:

To the Governor of Arizona:

We the citizens representing southern Indiana in mass meeting assembled send to you our deepest appreciation for the stand you take in the strike of Clifton, Ariz. You saved the state from being written in blood of women and children. We pay our respects to the voters who elected you. It is to be hoped that the governors of every state will sit up and take notice.

Labor day committee.

Resolutions Adopted

Following this these resolutions were adopted:

Whereas, labor has no boundaries or state lines and whereas, the interests of all workers are benefited and conserved or injured or destroyed by the acts of public officials and servants of any and every community in the commonwealth, therefore be it.

Resolved by the Evansville mass meeting, that we heartily commend the action of the chief justice and associate justices of the state of Colorado for their fair and just decision in the removal from office of the corrupt official, Jeff Farr, thus re-establishing constitutional rights for the first time in the last twenty years in Huerfano, Colo., and be it further,

Resolved that copies of this resolution be forwarded to Chief Justice Scott of the supreme court of Colorado and Associate Justice McKenna of the supreme court of the United States.

Grocery Clerks Notable in Parade

One new organization heretofore unseen in the parade as it passed up the main streets of the city made an excellent showing yesterday. It was the grocery clerks union. Their emblem of gold mounted on a field of purple was for the first time heralded to the city.

The usual great holiday crowd that gathers along Main street and lines the thoroughfare from the building line to the marching line of the parade, watched and admired the marchers as they moved along.

Almost at the head of the parade the plumbers’ float moved along, demonstrating the value of cleanliness in assuring health. Their float depicted the comparison between ignorance and filth and the value of personal cleanliness to health.

Courier’s Automobile Float

Along toward the center of the parade “The Courier Criers” rode in the new Courier special delivery automobile, enjoying themselves as usual.

Seven automobile loads of young ladies who have made the Triangle brand of overalls famous, riding as part of the parade made a delightful contrast to the sturdy men who turn the wheels of industry. They further brought to mind the part that women has always played in the scheme of life without the recognition of popular sentiment.

Mother Jones was out early and took her place in the line of march. Accompanying her in her carriage were several of the labor leaders of the city.

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[Labor Day Events added.]