Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part I

There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones

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Tuesday August 1, 1916
The Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Miners Ruled by Deputized Gunthugs

From this month’s edition of the International Socialist Review:

The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range
By LESLIE H. MARCY

Photographs by George Dawson
[Part I]

WHEN Jack London, the rebel, wrote his wild drama of the Iron Heel, back in 1907, few of us thought we would ever live to see his dream come true, although, at that very time, the iron miners of the North were on strike.

We were all carried away on a mighty wave of enthusiasm in those days by the splendid victories of the Western Federation of Miners. Were not Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone saved by the magnificent solidarity of the working class? So we dubbed Jack’s vision a pipe dream, discounted the future and went to sleep.

Since then the scenes have shifted; the Iron Heel of the steel trust has wiped out all labor organizations in the steel industry; the coal barons declared war on the coal miners of West Virginia, and won with an army of gunmen. They carried a curtain of fire into Colorado and made the workers dig their own graves. The copper kings of Michigan destroyed all organization among their slaves in one short winter. Have you forgotten the working class dead at Calumet and Ludlow? The IRON HEEL OF THE CAPITALIST CLASS IN FREE AMERICA HAS BECOME A COLD BLOODED FACT.

Twenty thousand iron miners in the state of Minnesota are making their last stand. They have revolted against the Steel Trust by going on strike, and the fighting power of these men is made up of SEVERAL THOUSAND CLASS CONCIOUS WORKERS. Their fight is your fight! The amount of support you give them will accurately register the militant strength of the socialist movement in this country.

The Socialists among the Finnish miners have been the only force the companies have been unable to overcome, as there has been no labor organization on the range for several years.

Our Finnish comrades do not confine themselves to any one line of action. They believe the miners should be organized at the point of production in an industrial union, therefore, when they went on strike they called upon the I. W. W. to help them organize and win their demands.

Experienced organizers were immediately sent to co-operate with the comrades. Before they could cover the range the men in mine after mine had downed tools. They started first at the St. James mine near Aurora, on account of unfair conditions. The mine owners refused to meet the men and war was immediately declared.

Declaration of War.

Fellow Workers and Friends:

War has been declared against the steel trust and the independent mining companies of Minnesota, by the Industrial Workers of the World.

The iron miners are mustering. Twenty thousand have left the mines and pits.

More than seven thousand have already been sworn in.

The steam shovels are idle. The drills are silent.

The miners are on strike in the following camps: Hibbing, 4,000; Chisholm, 2,800; Virginia, 2,500: Buhl, 1,400; Eveleth, 1,600; Gilbert, 900; Biwabik, 600; Aurora, 900; Kinney, 800, and other small camps.

The demands are $2.75 a day for top men. For miners, dry places, $3.00; for miners, wet places, $3.50; the 8-hour day; abolition of contract labor; bi-monthly pay days; to be paid at once when discharged or leaving work.

It is the iron miners who are making these demands. Men who are doing hard, hazardous work. They take their lives into their hands every time they go down into the mines or pits.

They are the men who produce the ore that is converted into iron and steel to make the machinery of the world. Without these men civilization could not exist.

These barehanded iron miners, driven to desperation, have declared industrial war against the United States steel corporation. The masters of bread are fighting with their usual weapons—gunmen, detectives, courts and the press.

We are united, but must have help. This is your fight. You must raise money for food, clothing, shelter and organization work.

WILLIAM D. HAYWOOD,
General Secretary-Treasurer.

Meanwhile moves the Iron Heel, the steel trust’s Juggernaut! How deliberate and impassive its gunmen travel in armored motor cars. Private mine guards on the pay-rolls of the mining corporations have been deputized by the AUTHORITIES of St. Louis county to keep LAW and ORDER! How well these hired assassins do their work is told by the strikers in their bulletin:

John Aller [Alar] was murdered by the Oliver Mining Company gunmen at his home near the property, Thursday, June 22, 1916, at 6 o’clock in the morning. The strikers who were on picket line on that morning say that the gunmen deliberately walked into Aller’s house and shot him three times in the back. John Aller was a married man and leaves his wife and three children, the oldest being five years old and the youngest is an infant boy. They are orphaned because their father demanded a right for all of them to live. The strikers are supporting this fatherless family.

The funeral of this murdered striker was held on Sunday, June 26. The funeral rites were held in the Finnish Socialist hall at Virginia. Fully seven thousand strikers accompanied the murdered brother to the cemetery. The Catholic priests of all nationalities on the range refused to perform the rite over the remains of John Aller. It was the wish of the unfortunate widow, that the priest should officiate. The priests, however, being loyal to the master class, refused to do so, although the organizers did everything they could to obtain them. The funeral was headed by a large banner carried by four women, upon which was inscribed: MURDERED BY OLIVER GUNMEN. The Finnish Socialist band of Virginia played the funeral music and marched at the head of the parade. At the grave of John Aller, funeral orations were delivered in all languages of the strikers.

Up to date not a single gunman has been arrested for this foul murder! But Carlo Tresca and six other strike leaders were promptly arrested, thrown into jail and charged with criminal libel because the strikers carried a red banner at the funeral of their fellow-worker, reading, Murdered by Oliver Gunmen!

Little, Tresca and Gilday were kidnaped on Saturday night and when the news reached the miners of Buhl and Hibbing, they lined up three thousand strong and started to Virginia. It is needless to add that these organizers were immediately released on bail. Such is the majesty of law and order in the State of Minnesota!

The Iron Heel and the Governor

The Labor World, official weekly paper of the Duluth labor unions, says:

Governor Burnquist can stop the deputizing of private guards if he cares to do it. Unprejudiced people on the range, who are in closer touch with the situation than are the editors of the local daily press, will tell him where the responsibility lies, namely, at the door of the authorities who invite trouble when they deputize the men who are paid by the mining companies and who know no other masters.

But the governor has not yet proven himself big enough for the job. He has the power to do this if he wants to exercise that power.

The Governor knows there are two sides to every question. However, his representative, sent to the range to investigate the trouble got his information from one side and, we are reliably in formed by Mayor Boylan of Virginia, made no attempt to get the other side, the miners’ side.

Whether the strike is won or lost depends upon the miners themselves. The I. W. W. is a part of that strike and will fight to the limit of its resources. The following telegram was sent to Governor Burnquist:

J. A. A. Burnquist:
Governor of the State of Minnesota,
Executive Mansion, St. Paul, Minn.

You instructed sheriff of St. Louis county to disarm miners, peaceful citizens.

We submit herewith gross violation of personal liberty of miners and ask you to remove all mine guards from within city limits of mining towns. Otherwise our miners will be instructed to defend themselves by constitutional rights.

Seven mine guards forcibly entered home of strikers at Gilbert Friday night, June 30, 1916, with drawn guns. They threatened strikers if they do not return to work. They snatched a baby from the arms of its mother and brutalized it.

The clear facts in our possession are ready to be submitted to your representatives.

George Andreytchine was imprisoned 24 hours in Itasca county without a charge being placed against him. Inquiry was futile. Are we in Russia?

(Signed) Sam Scarlet [Scarlett], Carlo Tresca, F. Rusel, Joe Gilday, L. Ha Lareen, V. Wesaman, S. Attaviani, M. Schustrick, J. S. Siltis…

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