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Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday August 10, 1909
Mother Jones News Round-Up for July 1909, Part III:
-Addresses Convention of Western Federation of Miners
From El Paso Herald of July 17, 1909:
“MOTHER JONES” ADDRESSES MINERS’ CONVENTION
Denver, Col., July 17.-The dispute between the Butte brewery workers and the Western Federation of Miners over the control of the brewery engineers, occupied the attention of the miners this morning and the question is still unsettled. “Mother Jones” addressed the convention this afternoon.
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[Photograph added.]
From the Appeal to Reason of July 17, 1909:
[…..]
Mineral Wells Encampment.
As encampments on a large scale is the order of the day, the locals and comrades of Parker and Palo Pinto counties instead of trying to hold ordinary encampments separately, have united their resources and efforts in the production of one huge encampment.
Mineral Wells is an ideal spot for and encampment [scheduled for Aug. 9-14]. A full corps of speakers will be on hand for the full six days. Hickey, Brewer, Andrews, Lena Morrow Lewis, Noble, Buchanan, Mother Jones and able local speakers. Every kind of amusement and attraction that goes with an encampment will serve to amuse those in attendance while the speakers educate. Bring your families in your wagons or come by rail at special rates and camp with us for the week.
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[Note: Mineral Wells is about 50 miles west of Fort Worth.]
From Nevada’s Tonopah Bonanza of July 17, 1909:
FEDERATION MAY ORDER A STRIKE
—–DENVER, July 16.-Unless the original scale is recognized a strike of all the members of the Western Federation of Miners employed in the properties owned and controlled by the American Smelting and Refining company was recommended today on the floor of the convention. This recommendation was made by Fred Clough, a member of the executive board and was part of his annual report of conditions in the first district. The closing minutes of the session were enlivened by a brief address by “Mother” Jones in which she criticized the legislation of the executive branches of the federal government.
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From El Paso Morning Times of July 18, 1909:
FEDERATION IS STILL WRANGLING
—–
“Mother” Jones Advises Miners to Quit
Fuss and “Lick Other Fellow.”
—–BREWERY DISPUTE UP
—–Denver, July 17.-After wrangling all day over the controversy growing out of the strike of the brewery engineers of Butte, Montana, the Western Federation of Miners in convention here is no nearer a settlement tonight than at any time since the trouble arose, Moyer’s supporters charge the adherents of P. W. Flynn of Butte, Mont., with stirring up this strife. The Flynn supporters are dissatisfied with the arrangement effected by President Moyer of the Western Federation and Secretary Proebstle of the Brewery of Workers, and though clearly in the minority in the convention were able today to prevent the endorsement of the settlement. The controversy will be taken up again when the convention meets Monday.
This afternoon “Mother” Jones again addressed the convention. She denounced the action of the Flynn supporters as an endeavor to disrupt the federation for personal preferment and in her characteristic language pleaded with the members to cease their strife and devote their energies to “whipping the other fellow.”
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From the Socialist Montana News of July 22, 1909:
Ben Hanford: “Mother Jones Deported”
The News is in possession of a large number of the Ben Hanford books, “Fight for Your Life.” Locals desiring some can order from the office. The volumes are 25 cents each and the contents are so arranged as to make interesting reading for a beginner in Socialism. The book is dedicated “To the Jimmie Higgenses, and Those choice Spirits of this Earth Who Did or Do or Shall Call One Another ‘Comrade.'” The opening article is a biographical sketch of Ben Hanford by Justin [Joshua] Wanhope, illustrating Hanford’s personal motto, “Socialism is Life,” and Hanford in his preface says “Until I found that movement I had never lived.” There are twenty-five sections in the volume; among them “The Jimmie Higgenses,” “Mother Jones Deported,” “The Wild Irishman,” “The James Boys,” “Debs.” This book will teach your neighbor something. Buy it for him.
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SOURCES
El Paso Herald
(El Paso, Texas)
-July 17, 1909
https://www.newspapers.com/image/43399988
Appeal to Reason
(Girard, Kansas)
-July 17, 1909
https://www.newspapers.com/image/66982007
Tonopah Bonanza
(Tonopah, Nevada)
-July 17, 1909
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86076135/1909-07-17/ed-1/seq-1/
El Paso Morning Times
(El Paso, Texas)
-July 18, 1909
https://www.newspapers.com/image/432794520/
Montana News
(Helena, Montana)
-July 22, 1909
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024811/1909-07-22/ed-1/seq-4/
IMAGE
Mother Jones from:
The Elkhart Daily Review
(Elkhart, Indiana)
-July 19, 1909, page 2
https://www.genealogybank.com/
See also:
WFM Convention of 1909
www.weneverforget.org/tag/wfm-convention-of-1909/
Tag: Socialist Encampments
https://weneverforget.org/tag/socialist-encampments/
Tag: P. W. Flynn
https://weneverforget.org/tag/p-w-flynn/
Note: for Joseph Proebstle as Secretary of IUUBWA, see AFLC 1908, page 73:
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=rktGAQAAIAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA73
Re Jimmy Higgins, see:
Gentle Rebel: Letters of Eugene V. Debs
ed by J. Robert Constantine
University of Illinois Press, 1995
(search: “ben hanford” “jimmy higgins”)
https://books.google.com/books?id=P3Sse5ftltoC
Fight for Your Life!
Recording Some Activities of a Labor Agitator
-by Benjamin Hanford
-With intro by Joshua Wanhope
Wilshire Book Company, 1909
https://books.google.com/books?id=CREOAAAAYAAJ
“I. Mother Jones Deported” (re 1904, Colorado)
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=CREOAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA37
Ad from Montana News of Aug 12, 1909:
https://www.newspapers.com/image/72191927
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Battle Hymn of Toil, Covington Hall, IUB p1, June 27, 1908
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/industrialworker/iub/v2n18-jun-27-1908-iub.pdf
It appears that no one has yet come up with a tune for this song. “Solidarity Forever” can be made to fit-sort of.