We are free, truly free, when we don’t need to rent
our arms to anybody in order to be able to lift
a piece of bread to our mouths.
―Ricardo Flores Magón
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Hellraisers Journal, Saturday July 25, 1908
From Los Angeles County Jail: “Open Letter” by Mexican Revolutionaries
From the Montana News of July 23, 1908:
MEXICAN REVOLUTIONISTS
APPEAL TO ROOSEVELT.
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—–
The “open letter”, of which this is a copy, was mailed to President Roosevelt, upon May 28, by Messrs. Magon, Villarreal, and River, the three Mexican political prisoners who are still in Los Angeles county jail. They have now been in prison over nine months without trial. If their case goes to the supreme court, they m ay be without trial for another year to come. So far, release under bond has been denied them, though it is at times granted even to persons accused of murder.
These men have violated no law. Their crime is that of working for the oppressed of their own country, agitating in behalf of education, improvement in the conditions of labor (throughout Mexico, men, women and children alike, work from 16 to 18 hours per day for wages of from 15 cents to 75 cents), and a more liberal government such as would permit freedom of speech and of the press, as well as election of public officials by the people. Such measures as these are contrary to the policy of the Mexican government. Therefore Magon, Villarreal, Rivera, and their associates are “wanted in Mexico.”
Newspapers and individuals are requested to help these men by giving all possible publicity to this letter.
The letter to President Roosevelt follows:
Los Angeles, May 28, 1908.
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Washington, D. C.:
Dear Sir:—On the 23d of August last we were arrested in Los Angeles charged with having resisted an officer. This case was dismissed and we were then charged with libel and sought to be extradited to Missouri, and this case was dismissed. We were then charged with murder and larceny in Mexico, and this charge was dismissed. There was absolutely nothing in any of the charges, and the prosecution knew there was nothing in them. The aim of the prosecution was to get us to Mexico, where we would be killed because we were opposed to the tyranny of President Diaz and his associates. We were then charged with having conspired to violate the neutrality law in the United States.
If we have done anything in violation of the laws of this country we are willing to be punished for our actions; we are willing to stand trial before a jury in this country and are confident that any jury will find that we are not guilty. What we fear, however, is that if we are taken to Arizona to be tried we will not be tried there, but spirited over the line into Mexico, where we will be shot.
Our reasons for this anticipation have very good grounds. Among them is the fact that many men who are in sympathy with us and who lived in this country for many years prior to the first day of September, 1906—the time alleged in the complaint against us, in which we are charged with violating the neutrality law—were spirited over the line and are now in Mexico, and some of them, we are informed, have been killed and others imprisoned and are still in prison. They have done nothing in Mexico; some of them had not been there for years, being residents of this country; but they were taken there without any charges of any nature or character having been brought against them.
Manuel Sarabia, one of the men who have been imprisoned here for months, was kidnaped from Arizona by the Mexican officials, who were aided in their conspiracy by officials in Arizona.
Another reason is that Captain Furlong of the Furlong detective agency of St. Louis swore on the stand that he arrested us without a warrant and that he was employed by the Mexican government to do it.
W. F. Zwickley of Los Angeles makes an affidavit that Furlong told him that he was not so much interested in our case and the charges for which we were being tried as he was in getting us over into Arizona; that all he and the Mexican government wanted is to get the defendants down into Arizona, and then they will see that they get them across the line.
Now, Mr. President, we lay these facts before you concisely, in the hope and belief that, having been called to your attention, they will be sufficient to insure us a trial by jury in Arizona. We are willing to go to Arizona for trial if you will only say openly and in the public press that you will see to it that we have a trial in Arizona upon this charge. Will you make this statement to us by letter over your signature?
Thanking you in advance, we are yours very truly,
R. F. MAGON,
LIBRADO RIVERA,
ANTONIO I. VILLARREAL.———-
[Photographs added.]
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SOURCE
Montana News
“Owned and Published by the
Socialist Party of Montana”
-July 23, 1908
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024811/1908-07-23/ed-1/seq-1/
IMAGES
MX Revs, Magon, Rivera, Villareal, El Paso Hld, Aug 30, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/41363895/
Manuel Sarabia, LA Herald, Jan 1, 1908
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042462/1908-01-01/ed-1/seq-5/
See also:
Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday February 19, 1908
Our Mexican Comrades Await Their Fate in Los Angeles Jail
Face Deportation and Death, Fight Is On to Save Them
ARCHIVO ELECTRÓNICO RICARDO FLORES MAGÓN
(google will translate, if needed)
http://archivomagon.net/inicio/
The International, Volumes 3-4
-Dec 1910 to Nov 1911
Moods Publishing Company, 1910
https://books.google.com/books?id=E4xAAQAAMAAJ
List of Contributors to The International
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=E4xAAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PR4
Vol III, No. 6 – May 1911
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=E4xAAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA81
Pages 88-90: “The Mexican Revolution” by W. J. Ghent
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=E4xAAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA90
Vol IV, No. 1 – June 1911
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=E4xAAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA101
Page 3: “Mexico”
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=E4xAAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA105
AD, The International, Herts n Gallienne, Papyrus Mag p33, Nov 1911
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=XspJAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA33
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The Ballad of Ricardo Flores Magon
The story of Mexican Anarchist Ricardo Flores Magon, along with guest artists and an excerpt from his play, “Tierra Y Libertad.” Ruben Martinez, Raquel Gutierrez, Richard Montoya, Chicano Son, Martinez Del Rio Band.
“Tierra y Libertad” by Ricardo Flores Magon
Phil Lamar performs the part of Marcos in a stage play written by Ricardo Flores Magon long ago.
Corrido a Flores Magón – Nacho Cárdenas