Hellraisers Journal – Sunday August 28, 1910 Fresno, California – Fellow Workers Arrested for Speaking on Street
W. H. Little, secretary of Local 66, his wife, Emma Little, brother, Frank Little, and one other Fellow Worker, were arrested Wednesday evening, August 24th, for street-speaking. A call for assistance has been issued.
From the Industrial Worker of August 27, 1910:
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NATIONALITIES IN FRESNO.
Editor Industrial Worker.
Fresno, Cal., August 15, 1910.
Fellow Worker: Just a few lines to let the fellow workers know what is doing in this part of the country. We are moving slowly, but I guess as fast as a movement such as the I. W. W. could expect. We have every nationality on earth here, and of course the prejudice is something fierce. I had great faith in the German Russians, but they seem to be under the control of the church and the church has notified them that is is “God’s will” that they be slaves and that they must not join the I. W. W. The free born Americans want better conditions, but they want some one to hand it to them on a silver platter.
The Japanese are organized by themselves and have raised the wages for the Jap. That is why the Japs are not popular and reason the scissorbill wants to see him out of this land of the free (sic).
The chief of the slugging committee, Shaw by name, has stopped the I. W. W. from speaking on the streets, so we can not get to the workers. The weather is so hot that we can not get them into a hall. Still in spite of this we are taking in new members right along. This is an important place and we must prepare to whip this city. We don’t want any shyster lawyers., Yours for Action,
F.H. LITTLE,
Local 66, I. W. W.
Room 3, 2022 Mariposa Street, Fresno, Cal.
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Fellow Worker: “Mac,” who had a write-up in the Industrial Worker August 13, on Local Union of California.
He says that the members are dead, or words to the effect; that local 66 has 50 members only. Guess again, Mac. But that is not my kick. What I want to know is, Why didn’t Mac stop with us at Fresno and help us to organize the slaves? Most every issue of the Worker has had requests for I. W. W. members to come in and help us. This local is new and has a hard time to keep on top, but a few of the boys have kept digging in and are surely going to win in the end. Yours for Action, Porter House Steak and no more Hand-outs.
F. H. LITTLE,
Local 66, I. W. W.
Fresno, Cal., Aug. 16, 1910
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From The Los Angeles Times of August 26, 1910:
The Los Angeles Times August 26, 1910
From The Fresno Morning Republican of August 27, 1910:
I. W. W. PLANS TO WAGE WAR ON POLICE —– National Secretary Promises to Send Reinforcements to Fresno —–
As a result of the arrest of four members of the local order of the Industrial Workers of the World by the police a few nights ago on charges of disturbing the peace, W. F. Little, the local secretary, yesterday sent the following telegram to Vincent St. John, national secretary of the I. W. W.:
Vincent St. John, Chicago:
F. H. [Frank] Little and two other members arrested for standing on the street and not “moving on” 9 p. m. Myself for asking “Why?” Police are bound to force fight.
W. F. LITTLE.
A few hours after sending the telegram, Little received the following reply from national headquarters:
W. F. Little, Fresno:
General organization endorses Fresno’s local fight for free speech and the right of assemblage. All locals ordered to take part. Carry fight to an end if it takes all summer. Reinforcements on the way.
ST. JOHN.
From the tone of these telegrams it is supposed that the members of the I. W. W. will clash with the Fresno police force before many weeks pass into history. Secretary Little stated yesterday that he judged from St. John’s telegram that a score or more of I. W. W. would be sent here from Chicago and other cities.
The arrest of the other night is thought to have been invited, as this is an I. W. W. method of publicity.
It is believed that these men will purposely hurl themselves in the path of the police in order to be placed under arrest and lodged in jail. By this method, the I. W. W. agitators hope to arouse public sympathy in their favor and to wage their battle against the police for months to come. It is not stated where the members will secure funds to fight the cases but it is intimated that every member will try to get arrested in order to plead not guilty and force the city authorities to fight in the courts.
Little claims further that if the word is given two thousand I. W. W. workers can be dumped into Fresno. The four members arrested the other night entered pleas of not guilty to disturbing the peace charges before Police Judge Briggs.
Note: FL also wrote to Solidarity, see: Frank Little and the IWW The Blood That Stained an American Family
-by Jane Little Botkin
University of Oklahoma Press, May 25, 2017
(search: “fresno arrest on august 24 1910”) https://books.google.com/books?id=gBskDwAAQBAJ
Note: “E. P. Little” should probably read “E. B. Little”
-for Emma Barbara Harper Little, see JLB, above.
(search: “emma barbara”)
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