—————
Hellraisers Journal – Sunday February 16, 1902
Mother Jones News Round-Up for January 1902, Part I
Found Describing Organizing Efforts in Old Virginia
From the New York Worker of January 5, 1902:
CAPITALIST TOOLS IN OLD VIRGINIA.
Mother Jones is at present in old Virginia, organizing for the United Mine Workers. As usual she finds labor conditions in that state as deplorable as else where, more so perhaps, because modern industrial methods are comparatively new there and the capitalist exploiter has unrestricted sway. That Mother Jones has anything but a “soft snap” is shown in a private letter, recently received. She says:
This is an American Siberia if one exists anywhere on the continent. Let me tell you what happened to me yesterday. I had a meeting scheduled several miles from here. The federal judge located here got on the train and went down ahead of me. I had the meeting billed for the colored church, but before I arrived the company served notice on the trustees that if they allowed me to speak they would annul their deed. The poor negroes got scared and begged me not to talk. When I arrived the federal judge was waiting to arrest me if I spoke.
I fooled both him and the company, however, for I called the meeting in a secret place, and had a fine crowd of the boys. The company officials are trying to find out where the meeting was held, but none of the boys will give it away, and so they cannot arrest me.
Nevertheless, they tied to bluff me and sent a company policeman up to serve notice on me not to speak or they would put me in jail. I sent back word, “Jail be hanged. I am going to hold that meeting.”
The company policemen have no bondsmen, are responsible to no one but the company, and they can put you in jail without a cause, and there is no redress. This fellow who spoke to me was a dandy.
He said the company hired him for $35 a month, twelve hours a day, and night work besides. He boasted of working seven years for one man for $3.50 a week, took care of a wife, paid house rent, bought fuel and clothes and fed themselves, and when he quit he had $37.67 saved up. He thought I should not come in there and “bother the company.” In our conversation it developed that he did not know who Thomas Jefferson was. He asked me if Jefferson was a minter. When I spoke of George Washington he asked me if I meant the company doctor. And this fellow is an officer of the law in the state of Virginia!
[Photograph added.]
—————
From the Appeal to Reason of January 11, 1902:
“Mother Jones” sent a handsome silver soap box, suitably engraved, to Mr. and Mrs. F. P. O’Hare, [Frank and Kate Richards O’Hare] the I. S. S. E. [International School of Social Economy] graduates, as a wedding present. Notwithstanding the popular belief to the contrary. Socialists are great users of soap
From the Reynoldsville (Penn.) Star of January 15, 1902:
“Mother Jones.”
Centennial hall was packed to its fullest capacity last Friday evening by persons who wanted to hear “Mother Jones,” of Chicago, deliver an address in the interest of union labor in general and the Textile workers of this place in particular. The editor of THE STAR was knocked out with a severe cold Friday night and was not able to go to Centennial hall to hear Mrs. Jones speak and, consequently, cannot comment intelligently on her address and will not attempt to do so. She talked for two hours and made it interesting for her audience during the entire time. “Mother Jones” travels over the country delivering addresses in the interests of the United Mine Workers of America. This was her second visit to Reynoldsville.
From The Pittsburgh Gazette of January 18, 1902:
RIOT BREAKS OUT IN LABOR’S MASS MEETING
———-[…]
At a labor mass meeting in Old City hall last night there was an outbreak of socialism that for a time threatened to wind up the gathering in a riot. There was yelling and a crush, blows struck and a fierce mob fight was only averted by the putting out of lights until quiet was restored and before contesting elements had taken sides. Meantime the hall was cleared and the trouble was over. M. M. Garland, former head of the Amalgamated association, was struck in the crush…..
Riot Breaks Out.
Ben Tillett, the British labor leader, made his address. Mrs. Mary Jones, “Mother Jones,” was listened to with consideration while she espoused the cause of socialism. There was a lull in the proceedings, when an auditor at the back of the hall, who called himself Murphy, and flourished a working card as “credentials” of the hod-carriers union, started a wild and impassioned address, urging socialism as the only salvation of labor. He had gone so far as to declare that Dolan [President of Pittsburgh District of United Mine Workers], Garland and Gompers were labor “fakers.”
At the mention of Gompers there was tremendous hissing, and the crowd rose from the seats in an uproar. There was a rush and blows exchanged.
[…..]
—————
From the Indianapolis Sunday Journal of January 19, 1902:
“Mother” Jones In Town.
“Mother” Jones, said to be the most successful organizer in the United Mine Workers organization, when it comes to bringing a new field into the union, arrived at the Occidental Hotel last night and will remain until after the [United Mine Workers] convention. “Mother” Jones has spent the greater part of the last year in Virginia and West Virginia, organizing the miners of those two States. She always takes an active part in the conventions and is one of the strongest speakers in the organization. Last year she was placed on the pay roll as a regular and official organizer.
—————
From The Indianapolis News of January 20, 1902:
ALL MINERS KNOW HER.
———-
Mother Jones, Who Has Worked
for Years in Their Behalf.“Mother” Jones, whose name is familiar to every member of the United Mine Workers, and who probably has a larger personal acquaintance among them than President Mitchell or any other official of the big organization, is in Indianapolis for the convention. Her arrival was unexpected, as word was received at the headquarters a few days ago that she was trying to smooth the troubles of silk workers in an Eastern city, and would be detained there during the convention. Her appearance among the men in whose interest she as been laboring for many years was the signal for much rejoicing. She will probably again have the honor of being the only woman delegate among the Mine Workers.
During the last few months “Mother” Jones has been trying to organize the miners of West Virginia, and she has accomplished much good there. She says, however, that the work is advancing slowly for the reason that many of the miners there are descendants of the soldiers hired by King George to subdue the revolutionists, and the spirit of the serf is so deeply imbued in them that it is difficult for them to realize that they have rights of their own. She thinks, though, that the miners are realizing that their only hope is the organization and that eventually they will become members.
“Mother” Jones will probably make an address in the course of the convention.
—————
Note: Emphasis added throughout.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOURCES
The Worker
(New York, New York)
-Jan 5, 1902, p4
https://www.genealogybank.com/
Appeal to Reason
(Girard, Kansas)
-Jan 11, 1902, p4
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/appeal-to-reason/020111-appealtoreason-w319.pdf
The Star
(Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania)
-Jan 15, 1902, p5
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87078321/1902-01-15/ed-1/seq-5/
The Pittsburgh Gazette
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
-Jan 18, 1902, p1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/86204425/
The Sunday Journal
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-Jan 19, 1902, p10
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015679/1902-01-19/ed-1/seq-10/
The Indianapolis News
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-Jan 20, 1902, p9
https://www.newspapers.com/image/37784551/
-Jan 21, 1902, p11
https://www.newspapers.com/image/37784565/
IMAGE
Mother Jones, Ipl Ns p11, Jan 21, 1902
https://www.newspapers.com/image/37784565/
See also
Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for December 1901
Part I: Found in Virginia Organizing Miners for the UMWA
Part II: Set to Take Part in Upcoming National Convention of UMWA
Tag: UMW West Virginia Organizing Campaign of 1900-1902
https://weneverforget.org/tag/umw-west-virginia-organizing-campaign-of-1900-1902/
Frank and Kate Richards O’Hare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_P._O%27Hare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Richards_O%27Hare
-re I. S. S. E., see:
“International School of Social Economy:
A Correspondence and Training School for Socialists”
Appeal to Reason of Aug. 17, 1901, p4.
http://www.marxisthistory.org/history/usa/parties/spusa/1901/0817-appeal-intschoolofsocialecon.pdf
Ben Tillett
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Tillett
Mahlon Morris Garland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahlon_Morris_Garland
Note: the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance of the Socialist Labor Party gleefully took credit for instigating the “Riot” at the Pittsburgh labor meeting on evening of Jan 17, 1902, see:
The Daily People (New York, NY)
-Jan 19, 1902, p1
-Jan 21, 1902, p1
www.genealogybank.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain -Ken Carson and the Choraliers