—————
Hellraisers Journal – Monday May 20, 1912
Mother Jones News Round-Up for April 1912, Part II
Found Traveling Through Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota
From The Butte Miner of April 1, 1912:
“Mother” Jones, a national figure in labor circles, a woman who has done a life’s work in the furtherment of the cause of humanity, regardless of position or circumstance, last night, with a vigor at her 89 years that would put to shame the lassitude of her sisters with less milestones to account for, made a stirring address before the Silver Bow Trades and Labor council that, in lasting an hour or more, was considered too short.
She spoke first as an accredited representative of the federated employes of the Harriman system of railroads, now on strike. But she went further and covered details of the labor situation generally that appealed with telling force to her audience. Her talk was frequently interrupted by applause and was given with a spirit of conviction that carried weight…..
—————
From The Fargo Forum of April 9, 1912:
MOTHER JONES SCORED TEDDY
———-NOTED INDUSTRIAL WORKER’S LECTURER WHO APPEARED AT ASSEMBLY
HALL LAST NIGHT, SCORED ROOSEVELT AND J. P. MORGAN.
———-“Mother” Jones, 80 years of age and well known the country over as the industrial worker’s lecturer, appeared at the Assembly hall last night in a lecture on Social Conditions, which was heard by a large number of laboring men and others. “Mother” Jones is the official organizer of the United Mine Workers of America, and has traveled the world over in her efforts in this movement. Last night she was introduced “from God Knows where.”
“Mother” Jones took a fling at Col. Theodore Roosevelt in her address last night. She accused him of selling out the coal miners in the strike of 1912 [1902] soon after he came into the White House.
Then she also rapped the Men and Religion Forward movement, which she said was but another scheme of J. Pierpont Morgan to get money from the laboring men and classes he could not otherwise reach. Her speech was a firey one and she electrified her audience with her denunciations of different nation-wide movements.
She was accompanied here to Fargo by Rev. C. H. Doolittle of Chicago, called the workingman’s friend, who opened the meeting last night with prayer which he followed with a short address on the present situation of the strike on the Harriman lines.
Another speaker at the meeting was C. M. Fielder, organizer of the journeymen barbers, who has been here for several weeks, who also talked about the Harriman strikers.
—————
From Minnesota’s Brainerd Daily Dispatch of April 10, 1912:
“HE’S NOTHING BUT A MONKEY CHASER”
———-
Says Mother Jones in Referring to Theodore Roosevelt
at Last Night’s Meeting
———-SHE MAKES A RADICAL SPEECH
———-
Collection Taken Up for the Benefit of the Strikers
on Harriman and I. C. LinesAppearing under the auspices of the Trades & Labor assembly, ‘‘Mother Jones” gave an address at the opera house Tuesday evening for the benefit of the Harriman and Illinois Central railway strikers. A collection was taken up shortly after she finished her tirade against capital.
Although approaching her 80th mile stone, Mother Jones is still vigorous and in nothing more so than her picturesque language, growing eloquent at times as she outlined what she considered abuses arising under our present economic condition. Of a kindly, motherly disposition; her slightly gray hair is fast approaching white; her spectacles perched on her nose or worn at her forehead like all grandmothers do; her neat, black dress ornamented with a bit of lace; her whole appearance betokens that of a generous, mild, soothing grandmother.
But when she talks about present day conditions in child labor institutions, of labor troubles in the Cossack ridden slopes of Pennsylvania; of trouble at the mines in Virginia then kindly Mother Jones gives way to her pent-up feelings and in terse, vigorous, sounding periods tells her version of things. She has a style of expression which permits of no doubt as to her meaning.
No labor unions which amounted to anything, said Mother Jones, but carried its capitalistic detective. She believed in putting away the secret side of labor unions. Let down the bars. Let the public in. Then these detectives would have no more show than anybody else and it would throw them out of a job.
In speaking of prison reforms she said: “If half the money spent to keep men in prison was properly spent to keep them out, there would be fewer prisons in this country.”
“We go after the effects of things and do not try to reach the cause.”
“The trouble is that we belong to too many clubs. We get only at the surface of things instead of striking directly at the disease.”
“A woman is the cause of every scab in the labor union.”
Pennsylvania’s bill authorizing the Cossacks came from Ireland where they were afraid to resurrect it and use it. “But they applied this system of a police organization in the United States. And Teddy, the monkey chaser, he put the Dick bill through.”
Six people sat in the gallery and one-third of the main floor was filled with men and women who listened to Mother Jones. Mrs. Peake, of the machinists’ union auxiliary, was not present. Mrs. Jones was introduced by Alderman Henning.
—————
From the Yellowstone Monitor of April 11, 1912:
Mother Jones Last Thursday
———-Mother Jones spoke to an appreciative audience at the Congregational church [of Glendive, Montana] last Thursday evening [May 4th]. Her main purpose was to solicit support for the strikers on the Harriman roads, but she also gave an interesting account of the labor movement in the United States, showing a comprehensive knowledge of the economic conditions of our day. She deplored the existing industrial strife of our country and believed that the remedy lay in education and a demand for justice rather than charity. Though nearly eighty years of age she showed the vitality of a woman in her prime, and held her audience for nearly two hours.
———-
From North Dakota’s Jamestown Weekly Alert of April 11, 1912:
“Mother Jones” a famous character in Socialists and railway circles, spoke at the court house Saturday evening in the interests of the strikers on the Harriman railway lines.
From The Minneapolis Morning Tribune of April 13, 1912:
Blame for Filled Prisons Laid
Largely to Women
———-“Mother” Jones Says Her Sex Should Study
Labor Problem to Solve Economic Ills.
———-
Government Condemned for Method of Coping
With White Slave Traffic Evil.
———-“Mother” Jones, who is in the Twin Cities for a few days trying to get money for the Harriman strikers, thinks women are much to blame for present economic conditions. “I always feel that much of the responsibility of our full jails and penitentiaries lies with the women of the country,” she said today. “If they’d devote more time to study and understanding of the labor problem every one would be better off. That is real religion, not the sentimental stuff most of them are too busy with really to think about their poorer sisters.
“The government creates white slave commissions, anti-tuberculosis commissions and half a dozen other kinds, all to get rid of the effect, but not a thing is done to remove the cause, which is all in the long hours at less than living wages that are the lot of thousands of working girls.
“I used to think that, whatever happened in other countries, our country was always somewhere near right, but I’ve changed my mind. The most brutal, despotic rulers in the world are money rulers, and they rule us. Things are somewhat improved, though, and one of the results is a decrease in the number of drunkards.”
Mrs. Jones spoke in the legislative room of the old capitol building in St. Paul last night and will speak in the First Unitarian church here tonight.
—————
From The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune of April 14, 1912:
“Mother” Jones Says Taft Is
Preferable to Colonel
———-Labor Worker Explains She Knows at Least
Where the President Stands.
———-
Speaker Contends Ballot Useless as Long as
Capitalists Ruled Courts.
———-During an appeal for funds for the Harriman strikers made at the First Unitarian church last night, “Mother” Jones had harsh things to say of Theodore Roosevelt, of the Religious Forward Movement, of Temperance unions, of the Boy Scouts, of the suffragists and of what she termed “capitalistic Christianity.” The speaker had nothing to say in favor of President Taft but she said that she preferred him any time to Roosevelt because one knew just where he stood. She said she had no respect whatever for “monkey chasing Teddy.”
Thomas Van Lear introduced the speaker, regretting that so small an audience had turned out. He paid high tribute to “Mother” Jones for being not only a talker for but a worker for the working class “If she were known better here this building would have been packed,” he said. “Every man who toils owes the deepest debt of gratitude to her. She has been one the greatest fighters for organized labor, regardless of sex.”
[Said Mother Jones:]
None of you, under the present system, are safe today. The ruling class is in business for profit and they don’t care about their workers. Why should they? We have been fools enough to dig up the wealth of the earth and turn it over to them. Do you ever hear of governors sending bayonets to protect you against the men exploiting you?
Thinks Ballot Useless.
When the women of the mines went out to win strikes they paid no attention to the ballot. They knew that it would do them no good as long as the courts were controlled by the capitalistic class. What has the ballot done for you? You have begged to have this and that law passed. You don’t get the laws you want and they don’t intend to give them to you. What difference does it make if Teddy or Taft is elected. We hear people talk about temperance. Whose business is it if we drink? When we drink we have to pay for it.
We have been seeing things too long through the stained glasses of the capitalists. What do we care about old age pensions. Most of us are as good as dead at 35. I want to lay aside for myself that which belongs to me. God didn’t intend we should be paupers and beg of the bosses for a job. We have been on our knees for ages and ages. For God’s sake let us get off our knees and grit our teeth and organize.
Today we are putting diamonds in the shoes of women while starving babies. American women are too busy with clubs and automobiles to care for babies. The result is that never in history have we manufactured criminals as we are doing today. We can’t get enough jails and rescue homes, and mission societies and temperance unions and suffragettes and God knows what not.
In concluding “Mother” Jones urged those present to line up on the Harriman strike.
[She said:]
Put up the money for my boys, and they guarantee a victory. If they don’t win you will be cleaned up all along the line.
—————
Note: Emphasis added throughout.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOURCES & IMAGES
Quote re Mother Jones, LW p3, Apr 20, 1912
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn78000395/1912-04-20/ed-1/seq-3/
The Butte Miner
(Butte, Montana)
-Apr 1, 1912
https://www.newspapers.com/image/348770645
The Fargo Forum
(Fargo, North Dakota)
-Apr 9, 1912
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042224/1912-04-09/ed-1/seq-10/
Brainerd Daily Dispatch
(Brainerd, Minnesota)
-Apr 10, 1912
https://www.newspapers.com/image/84198569
Yellowstone Monitor
(Glendive, Montana)
-Apr 11, 1912
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86075153/1912-04-11/ed-1/seq-2/
Jamestown Weekly Alert
(North Dakota)
-Apr 11, 1912
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042405/1912-04-11/ed-1/seq-6/
The Minneapolis Morning Tribune
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)
-Apr 13, 1912
https://www.newspapers.com/image/180771309
The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)
-Apr 14, 1912
https://www.newspapers.com/image/180771495
See also:
Tag: Illinois Central and Harriman Lines Strike of 1911 to 1915
https://weneverforget.org/tag/illinois-central-and-harriman-lines-strike-of-1911-to-1915/
Mother Jones News Round-Up for April 1912, Part I
Found as Author of Series on Her Work Among Nation’s Coal Miners
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Spirit Of Mother Jones – Andy Irvine