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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday August 17, 1919
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Mother Jones Speaks to Steel Workers
From The Pittsburgh Post of August 15, 1919:
3,000 CHEER “MOTHER” JONES ON SOUTHSIDE
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Steel Workers Crowd Hall at Organization Meeting.
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More than 3,000 Southside iron and steel workers crowded the Falcon hall on South eighteenth street, last night, in a meeting held for the purpose of organizing the employee of the South side steel mills. There was no disorder and four patrolmen detailed from the South Thirteenth street police station had no trouble handling the crowd.
“Mother” Jones, the principal speaker of the evening was applauded lustily when she made her appearance at the hall, accompanied by J. G. Brown, general organizer of the American Federation of Labor, and John Weirencki, local organizer, who were the other speakers.
In her address “Mother” Jones derided the “spotters” who she said, were in attendance at the meeting. She told of her experiences at the miners’ strike in Fairmont, W. Va., a year ago and of being jailed for her utterances.
Following her speech, J. G. Brown, who acted as chairman of the meeting said that if a blacklist was made by any of the companies, of the names of the employes who attended last night’s meeting, and it resulted in the discharging of any of the men, the American Federation of Labor would see to it that they were reinstated with pay for the time they lost.
Weirencki addressed the meeting, which was attended largely by foreigners, in their native tongue, urging the men to join the American Federation of Labor. It was announced that permanent headquarters will be opened by the organization committee [National Committee for Organizing Iron and Steel Workers] of the American Federation of Labor at 86 South Eighteenth street.
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[Photograph and emphasis added.]
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SOURCES
Quote Mother Jones, Kaisers here at home, Peoria IL Apr 6, 1919
The Speeches and Writings of Mother Jones
-ed by Edward M. Steel
University of Pittsburgh Press, 1988
https://books.google.com/books?id=vI-xAAAAIAAJ
Speech by Mother Jones at Peoria, Illinois, on April 6, 1919
https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735035254105/viewer#page/216/mode/2up
The Pittsburgh Post
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
-Aug 15, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/87648213/
IMAGES
Mother Jones Women in Industry, Eve Ns Hburg PA p2, Jan 6, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/57884211
See also:
For more on “National Committee for Organizing Iron and Steel Workers,” see:
Racial Competition and Class Solidarity
-Boswell, Brown, Brueggemann, Peters
SUNY Press, 2006
(search:”national committee for organizing iron and steel workers”)
https://books.google.com/books?id=wAAmU74dSrwC
The Great Steel Strike and Its Lessons
-by William Z. Foster
B. W. Huebsch, Incorporated, 1920
(search: “national committee”)
https://books.google.com/books?id=Hbt-AAAAMAAJ
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Which Side Are You On – Tom Morello/The Nightwatchman
Across this great old nation
Tell me what you gonna do
When there’s one law for the rulers,
And one law for the ruled.