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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday June 12, 1910
Mother Jones News Round-Up for May 1910, Part II:
-Found Continuing Fight for Milwaukee Brewery Girls and Mexican Comrades
From Missouri’s Scott County Kicker of May 14, 1910:
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN.
Perhaps the noblest woman in America today is “Mother Jones.” From a school teacher she consecrated her life to the cause of oppressed humanity, and where-ever the fight is thickest, there is Mother Jones-some 70 years old. Jails have no terror for her. She champions the freedom of all the race-men and women alike. In a recent speech at Milwaukee she said to the women:
Put away your parlor airs and get out into the street and fight, fight, fight! It may not be ladylike, but it is womanly. God made woman; rotten society made the lady.
[Photograph added.]
From the Appeal to Reason of May 14, 1910:
Mexican Refugees Left to Their Fate
Mother Jones and others made strenuous efforts to secure an investigation of the cases of Magon, Villareal and other Mexicans imprisoned in American bastiles at the instance of the tyrant of Mexico and the interest of American investment in that land. Resolutions were introduced into congress asking for such investigation. Now the resolutions have been recommended unfavorably by the judiciary committee before which they went, and that with a pointed insult to American labor and patriotism.
The adverse report of this committee makes the following remarkable statement:
At the request of the committee the introducer of the resolution attended before them and stated that he had no personal knowledge of these parties defendant; that they had made no request, so far as he knew, for any such investigation; THAT HE HAD MADE NO INQUIRY HIMSELF AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE; THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN REFUSED ANY SUCH INFORMATION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE; AND THAT HE DECLINED TO GO TO THE DEPARTMENT IN ORDER TO MAKE SUCH INQUIRY.
One can see from this how insincere was the offering of the resolution. The author made absolutely no inquiry relative the case, even declined to take the trouble of going to the department of justice to find out. There can be but one conclusion: That the resolution was intended to be killed in the first place…..
From Hellraisers Journal of May 15, 1910:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Brewers Stung by True Talks of Mother Jones
From the Duluth Labor World of May 14, 1910:
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CHICAGO, Ill., May 13.—”Mother Jones” told too much truth about the conditions under which the girls employed in the Milwaukee breweries work and the brewery interests think she has gone far enough. So they are calling to their aid detectives in an effort to suppress the printed matter which is being prepared in pamphlet form.
There was such a demand for the articles exposing the conditions in Milwaukee that it was decided to publish the material in pamphlet form.
Acting through a detective agency by the name of Mooney & Boland, the Northwestern Printing Company, which had the contract to print the article, were intimidated into turning over all the pamphlets.
William Vorsatz, who had charge of the distribution of the pamphlets, immediately complained to the postmaster, Daniel Campbell. Apparently the postal officials were more interested in the power of the brewery combine than the weakness of the girl slaves, and charged that “Mother Jones'” article was “obscene.” They especially referred to a paragraph telling about the treatment of the girls by the brutal foremen.
Twenty thousand copies of the pamphlet were printed and the question of sending them out regardless of the postal ruling is being considered.
In substantiation of “Mother Jones'” story of the breweries a delegation from the Women’s Trade Union League of Chicago visited Milwaukee and verified the statements made.
In this report the committee after repeating practically the charges “Mother Jones” made against the breweries, had this to say with reference to organization among the girls:
The want of organization is the great cause for the excessively low wage earned by these girls. An attempt has been made to organize the girls, but it was blocked somewhat by the opposition of the brewery authorities to the unionists shown by discharging those girls who showed most activity in this work and by efforts made by certain forewomen to influence the girls against the movement.
There is no direction in which the beneficial influence of the organization is more strongly felt than in protecting the girls’ moral standards and in enabling them to maintain their self-respect. It is perfectly evident that an individual girl is helpless to resent the insults or resist the advances of an abusive or unprincipled foreman, whereas with an organization behind her, her self-respect and womanly modesty are guarded at every point.
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[Photograph added.]
From the Appeal to Reason of May 7, 1910:
Some weeks ago the labor press printed an article from Mother Jones setting forth the terrible conditions among the women brewery workers of Milwaukee. There has been an aftermath to these publications. The Chicago Daily Socialist says:
Not content with making every attempt to block the efforts of Mother Jones to organize the girl slaves in the breweries of Milwaukee, the beer interests have stretched their tentacles to Chicago and used the local postal officials to stop the publicity given the conditions in the Milwaukee slave pen.
After Mother Jones’ article on the Milwaukee breweries had appeared in the Daily Socialist and numerous other Socialist and other labor papers in every part of the land, it was decided to give further publicity by publishing it in pamphlet form and distributing it throughout the nation.
This work had progressed, the pamphlets being printed and 8,000 letters addressed and stamped, one to every saloon in Chicago. At this point the Brewer’s association of Milwaukee, a strong combination of all brewery plutocrats, made its power felt.
Acting through Mooney and Boland, 108 LaSalle street, a detective agency, the printers, the Northwestern Printing company, 3217 North Ashland avenue, were intimidated into turning over all of the pamphlet, while the work of the Rapid Addressing Machine company, 173 Adams street, was also held up.
William Vorsatz, who was interested in having the pamphlets distributed, immediately complained to Postmaster Daniel Campbell. The servile postal officials, more interested in the power of the brewery combine than the weakness of the girl slaves, charged that Mother Jones’ article was obscene, especially referring to a paragraph telling of the treatment of the girls by the brutal foremen.
Mr. Vorsatz said he was surprised to hear that the postal officials had taken no action against the Socialist and labor papers that had publisher the article. The federal official claimed that these articles had not been brought to their attention, but said they would be forced to act if the pamphlet was sent out.
Twenty thousand copies of the pamphlet were printed. The advisability of sending them out in spite of the “influenced” ruling of the postal officials is now under consideration.
A committee from the Woman’s Trade Union League of Chicago went to Milwaukee to investigate conditions in the breweries, and its report fully corroborates Mother Jones. It further reports that much of the work is unhealthy and says that girls should be removed from the wash rooms altogether.
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From The Cincinnati Enquirer of May 23, 1910:
MOTHER JONES
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Will Be Speaker at Socialist
Outing Next Sunday.Final arrangements for the Socialist outing, which takes place at Reichrath’s Park next Sunday, have been completed. A feature of the outing will be the presence of Mother Jones, better known aa the “Angel of the Miners,” who will make an address. Mother Jones acquired a national reputation a few years ago when she attempted to lead a thousand children of the miners of Pennsylvania and West Virginia to see former President Roosevelt in Washington to ask for breed. There will be music, dancing and athletic events.
Note: the “March of the Mill” of 1903, was a march of striking child textile workers from Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York. They were demanding an end to child labor. President Roosevelt refused to meet with Mother Jones and the children.
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From The Cincinnati Post of May 31, 1910:
Mother Jones, Ill, Fears for Miners
“Mother” Jones is sick. She is in bed at the Grand Hotel, and wants to go on to Pennsylvania to help the miners in their fight for more wages, but the doctors say the trip would be dangerous.
So, against her will this fighting woman of 76 stays in bed, and declares that not more than a day longer can they keep her confined.
“Mother” Jones, called the angel of the mining camps, has been working for better conditions for workers for 40 years. After making two speeches Sunday before the Socialists at Reichrath’s Park and the La Salle Club, the venerable woman suffered a physical collapse.
[Declared “Mother” Jones, Monday:]
There is so much to be done. I am restless here, and feel that I must go. I have not much longer to live and I want to make the most of it.
[Continued “Mother” Jones:]
The women of our nation are not prepared to receive the ballot. They alone are responsible for the cruelty of child labor, the brutality of capitalists, and the horror of militarism.
The mothers of our nation are not developed, or they would never allow their boys to grow up with a love of war in their hearts.
Capitalists are so brutal and with the high price of food, wages have gone down. Workmen do not want to strike. They are always forced to it. The ruling class has always been a brutal class, and they never give any concession unless forced to do so.
From The Daily Missoulian of May 15, 1910:
Note: Emphasis added throughout.
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SOURCES & IMAGE
Scott County Kicker
(Benton, Missouri)
-May 14, 1910
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn89066234/1910-05-14/ed-1/seq-1/
Appeal to Reason
(Girard, Kansas)
-May 14, 1910
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/appeal-to-reason/100514-appealtoreason-w754.pdf
-May 7, 1910
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/appeal-to-reason/100507-appealtoreason-w753.pdf
Hellraisers Journal – Sunday May 15, 1910
Milwaukee Brewers Stung by Too Much Truth from Mother Jones
The Labor World
(Duluth, Minnesota)
-May 14, 1910, Second Edition
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn78000395/1910-05-14/ed-1/seq-14/
The Cincinnati Enquirer
(Cincinnati, Ohio)
-May 23, 1910
https://www.newspapers.com/image/32256271/
The Cincinnati Post
(Cincinnati, Ohio)
-May 31, 1910, page 7
https://www.genealogybank.com/
The Daily Missoulian
(Missoula, Montana)
-May 15, 1910
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025316/1910-05-15/ed-1/seq-28/
IMAGES
Mother Jones, Cameron Co PA Prs p1, Apr 7, 1910
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83032040/1910-04-07/ed-1/seq-1/
Mother Jones, Mt. Vernon OH Democratic Banner p7, Apr 5, 1910
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88078751/1910-04-05/ed-1/seq-7/
See also:
Hellraisers Journal – Saturday June 11, 1910
Mother Jones News Round-Up for May 1910, Part I:
-Found Speaking in Sioux City, Iowa, and Fort Wayne, Indiana
Tag: Girls of Milwaukee Breweries
https://weneverforget.org/tag/girls-of-milwaukee-breweries/
Tag: Mexican Revolutionaries
https://weneverforget.org/tag/mexican-revolutionaries/
March of the Mill Children
https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/march-of-the-mill-children/
The Correspondence of Mother Jones
-ed by Edward M. Steel
U of Pittsburgh Press, 1985
https://books.google.com/books?id=EZ2xAAAAIAAJ
-see pages 75 (128 of 416) & XXVIII-IX (30-31 of 416)
https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735057897435
Statement of Mother Jones
-Peoria, Ill. May 12, 1910
It appears that this statement was made to the Socialist Party of America through Attorney Thomas J. Morgan of Chicago:
Mother Jones states that during April or May of 1905 she made a loan to SPA National Secretary Barnes which he had since failed to repay. She also charges Barnes with using the money to cover up an affair with a woman, not his wife.
In his Introduction, Steel explains Mother’s struggle with the SPA during his period:
Simultaneously with her battles for the Mexican exiles, Mother Jones became involved in an internecine struggle within the Socialist party [Socialist Party of America-SPA]…..
Her enmity focused on J. Mahlon Barnes, the national secretary. Working with Thomas J. Morgan, a party stalwart from Chicago, she compiled charges against Barnes for dereliction of duty and for dishonesty in not repaying money that she had lent him when the move of the party headquarters to Chicago had created financial difficulties for him. Her charges, along with others, eventually provoked an official investigation that resulted in Barnes’s resignation as secretary; however, a committee exonerated Barnes of the charges she had made, and she herself was expelled from the party in 1911. She did not even attend the hearings, since she was already embarked on a new phase of her career, touring the coal fields of Pennsylvania once again as an organizer for the UMWA.
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Which Side Are You On? – Rebel Diaz
Lyrics by Florence Reese