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Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday July 14, 1903
Mother Jones and Her Army March from Trenton to Princeton, New Jersey
From The New York Times of July 10, 1903:
“MOTHER” JONES’ MARCHING ON
———-
Army of Mill Workers Camped Near Trenton
on Its Way to New York to Air Grievance.Special to The New York Times.
TRENTON, N. J., July 9.- Mother Jones and her textile army, composed of workers from the mills of Kensington, Penn., is encamped to-night on the Delaware River in Morrisville, Penn., just across from Trenton.
“Mother” Jones to-night visited the meeting of the Plumbers’ Union and made a speech. She received a donation. Her assistants visited other union meetings, and as Trenton is one of the most solid union cities in the United States quite a sum of money was collected to aid “the army” on its march to New York, where a mass meeting in Madison Square Garden is projected. “Mother” Jones expects to reach the metropolis by the end of the week.
Mayor Katzenbach of Trenton has granted a license for mass meeting be held here in the shadow of Battle Monument to-morrow night, when the grievances of the strikers will be aired and where Mother will tell her plans against the New York millionaires’ hearts and pocket books. This meeting will be preceded by a concert by the “army band.”
This morning at Bristol sixty men and girls deserted, going back to Philadelphia. There are about 280 left, however.
In the army are ten or twelve boys who are not more than thirteen years old. These little fellows stand up under the great heat and the hard march with commendable bravery. With the marchers there is a band comprised of six fifes, four snare drums, and a bass drum.
[Photograph and emphases added.]
From the New York Tribune of July 11, 1903:
ARMY CROSSES DELAWARE
———-YOUNG GIRLS SENT HOME
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“Mother” Jones Says Her Crusade Is Against Child Labor.[On the evening of July 10th the Army crossed the Delaware River and entered Trenton. Mother Jones spoke at a meeting of the Central Labor Union of Trenton, and later spoke at an open-air meeting near Battle Monument. On the afternoon of July 10th, a reporter visited the camp at Morrisville Point and described the meal served there. The boy-strikers, all under fifteen, were described by the reporter as “veritable little old men, with stooped shoulders and a serious expression of countenance far beyond their years.” The reporter was able to interview Mother Jones who described Kensington as “one of the worst places in the world for child labor.” She described the hard life of the girls working in “that hellhole.” Mother denied that there had been any “desertions,” stating that some would turn back at various points along the march.]
Close-Ups of photos:
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat of July 12, 1903:
From The New York Times of July 12, 1903:
CLEVELAND BARNS SHELTER
“MOTHER JONES’S MARCHERS.
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Hospitality Extended to “Army” at the
ex-President’s Home in Princeton
-Drenching in Storm.Special to The New York Times.
TRENTON, N. J. July 11-Having enjoyed the hospitality of a union carpenter last night, “Mother” Jones was up bright and early this morning looking after her textile army, and by 8 o’clock they moved on Princeton, intending to go through to New Brunswick to-day.
The heat being terrific, noon saw bivouac at Stony Brook, three miles from Princeton. A meal was prepared and at 2 o’clock the army again moved, reaching Princeton by 3:30. A great storm came out of the west, and with the wind blowing twenty miles an hour and driving the rain, the army perforce sought cover.
“Mother” Jones led the marchers to the veranda of the home of ex-President Glover Cleveland. She knocked at the door, but as Mr. Cleveland and his family are at Buzzard’s Bay they got no response.
“Mother” Jones was hunted up by the proprietor of the leading hotel and told to order the best dinner in the house. She did so, and the army encamped on Mr. Cleveland’s porch was also supplied with food. The caretaker of Cleveland’s residence took the army into the spacious barns and told “Mother” Jones that the “boys and girls” would be given shelter there for the night. She was delighted, and, in thanking the caretaker, said:
Mr. Cleveland will never regret this kindness of his servant, especially if he should happen to be the next nominee for President of the United States, and I believe the nomination will go to him.
After her army had been cared for she took a train for New Brunswick to arrange for Sunday meetings there. While in Princeton she remarked:
What are your young men at Princeton but a lot of bums who think they know more than the President of the United States? They are wasting money on education which will do no good. The money ought to go to organized labor.
[Emphasis added.]
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SOURCES & IMAGES
Quote Mother Jones, Child Labor Silk Mills, WB Dly Ns p1, May 11, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/423352018/
The New York Times
(New York, New York)
-July 10, 1903
https://www.newspapers.com/image/20574372/
-July 12, 1903
https://www.newspapers.com/image/20575773/
New York Tribune
(New York, New York)
-July 11, 1903
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1903-07-11/ed-1/seq-1/
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
(St. Louis, Missouri)
-July 12, 1903
https://www.newspapers.com/image/571373640/
IMAGE
Mother Jones, March of Mill Children, NY Eve Wld p3, July 8, 1903
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1903-07-08/ed-1/seq-3/
See also:
Tag: March of the Mill Children
https://weneverforget.org/tag/march-of-the-mill-children/
7/9 – From Bristol PA to Morrisville PA, across Delaware River from Trenton
7/10 – From Morrisville PA, across The Delaware to Trenton
7/11 – From Trenton to Princeton, to President Cleveland’s barns for the night.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bristol,+PA/Morrisville,+PA/Trenton,+NJ/Princeton,+NJ/@40.3405453,-74.562313,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m26!4m25!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c14e16928f5495:0x3c17399162ebebd7!2m2!1d-74.8518311!2d40.1006661!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c157593255b2cb:0xe9481c0e42a5c7da!2m2!1d-74.7746182!2d40.2086471!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c143482d3dbbb9:0xcf16567f895cd7bc!2m2!1d-74.759717!2d40.2205824!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c3e6c172d059f1:0x3fcd49934a13d6c2!2m2!1d-74.6672226!2d40.3572976!3e0?authuser=0&entry=ttu
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A re-creation of March of the Mill Children was held on 31st July 2019 and was staged by Cork Community Art Link. It was directed by Beibhinn O’ Callaghan and Elisa Gallo Rossi.