———————-
Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday November 13, 1901
Mother Jones News Round-Up for October 1901, Part II
Found in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia
From the New York Evening World of October 28, 1901:
“MOTHER” JONES TO SPEAK TO THRONGS
———————-GREAT TURNOUT EXPECTED IN PATERSON TO-NIGHT.
——-
Unionists of All Trades Are Invited to Hear
the Famous Labor Agitator.
——-
A great gathering of silk weavers and other factory workers is expected to-night at Apollo Hall in Paterson, where “Mother” Jones, the famous Pennsylvania labor agitator, will deliver an address on the advantages of unionism.
Although she comes here at the special invitation of the silk workers, the members of all other trades are invited to attend the meeting, and a great turnout of factory hands is looked for.
Daniel Teevan, the labor leader, has returned to Paterson, after having accompanied “Mother” Jones in her tour through the upper part of New Jersey.
He reports she was well received every where, and at Phillipsburg, Summit and Sterling she addressed large and enthusiastic meetings.
After leaving Paterson “Mother” Jones will go to Hazleton, where she will speak on Tuesday.
[Photograph added.]
From the Passaic Daily News of Oct 29, 1901
CROWDS HEAR MOTHER JONES
———————-
She Criticises the Democrats in Paterson Speech.“Mother” Jones spoke at Paterson last night, in Apollo hall, to an audience of about eighteen hundred persons. Her talk was socialistic and was well received.
Paterson, “Mother” Jones said, was a city of wage slavery. It was comprised mainly of producers, who did not get what was their due from what they produced. The solution of this problem was an equal division of all things. Andrew Carnegie was criticised by the speaker, as was the Democratic party.
Of the assassination of President McKinley she spoke at some length, saying that it was an act to be deplored, for the man who struck at the head of the nation struck at all the people, and meant to do the people harm. Violence was not to be thought of.
From Pennsylvania’s Freeland Tribune of October 30, 1901:
MUST HAVE AN EIGHT-HOUR DAY
———————-
It Is the Paramount Issue, Says Mr. Mitchell.
—-—-Miners Honor Their President by Parading in
All Sections of the Anthracite Coal Region.Throughout the anthracite region yesterday the United Mine Workers celebrated Mitchell Day, the first anniversary of the end of the anthracite strike. Every colliery was shut down and the union men paraded, held mass meetings and in the evening gathered at balls.
Wilkesbarre was the central point of the celebration, owing to the fact that President John Mitchell was the guest of honor. There were about 15,000 men in the line of march and full 20,000 at the meeting in West Side park which followed, and where Mitchell made an address. Each man wore his union card, checked up to show that he was in good standing, and unless a man had a card so marked he was not allowed in the line of parade…..
Hazleton.-Organized labor demonstrated its numerical strength in the Lehigh region by turning out almost to a man and participating in the Mitchell Day celebration, which in this city consisted of a parade of 15,000 miners, and speeches by “Mother” Jones, District President Duffy, and several local organizers. It was the largest demonstration ever witnessed in this region.
Trolley and steam lines entering the city were taxed and hundreds who came to witness the parade were compelled to walk, while as many more remained away, being unable to get here.
In the line of parade were hundreds of breaker boys, who cheered continually, and grayhaired men, who walked in the first labor parade here on May 10, 1869, showed loyalty to the union cause by plodding in line from start to finish.
Other trades displayed their feeling for the miners by joining in the celebration.
District President Duffy was grand marshal. Drum corps and bands of music composed of miners furnished the music.
Fully 20,000 persons assembled on the old base-ball grounds in the southern part of the city to listen to the speakers. “Mother” Jones was applauded by deafening roars from thousands of throats as she paid repeated compliments to President Mitchell.
From The Indianapolis Journal of October 30, 1901:
A COAL MINERS’ MEETING
———————-DELEGATES WILL ASSEMBLE AT HUNTINGTON, W. V., TO-MORROW.
——-
The Purpose Is to Bring Miners and OperatorsTogether to Adjust Wage Scales.
——-In response to a call sent out from the headquarters of the United Mine Workers of America, in the Stevenson building, delegates from the coal mines of Virginia and West Virginia will meet in convention at Huntington, W. Va., to-morrow, to adopt a plan. If possible, that will be the means of bringing the miners and operators of these two States into a joint convention to adjust wage scales and other differences. The official call sets out no other purpose of the convention and the national officers say the meeting will only bring about conciliatory measures. The invitation is extended to both union and nonunion miners and asks them to send delegates. The degree of pressure to be brought upon the operators to meet the miners in joint convention depends upon the reports of the delegates to the convention…..
THE ORGANIZERS
The work of organizing in the Kanawha and New River vicinities has been done by I. N. Coleman and W. H. Crawford, of Illinois, and John Taylor, a local miner, George W. Purcell, of Terre Haute, one of the national organizers and member of the executive board, has also spent considerable time assisting these men, and has addressed miners in other parts of the State. Other assistants who worked in various parts of the State are John Haddow, of Iowa; W. H. Webber, of Illinois, and “Mother” Jones, who is now an authorized organizer for the United Mine Workers. Since the first of October Vice President Lewis, of the national organization, has made a canvass of the State and several mass meetings have been held recently in the interest of the organization. One of these held at Clarksburg, Oct. 4, was addressed by Eugene Debs and Secretary Wilson, and another at Parkersburg by Vice President Lewis, Secretary Wilson and several organizers. These meetings were to ascertain the attitude of the miners as well as increase the membership of the organization.
There are fifty local unions in West Virginia and all of these will send delegates to the convention. The men of prominence in the mine workers’ organization who will attend the convention are President John Mitchell, Secretary-treasurer W. B. Wilson, Vice President T. L. Lewis, National Organizer James Boston, of Illinois; National Organizer W. R. Fairley, of Alabama, and President W. R. Russel, of the Illinois district……
From the Pottsville Miners Journal of October 31, 1901:
PRESIDENT MITCHELL AND MOTHER JONES IN PHILA
———————-Special to The Journal.
Philadelphia, Oct. 30.-John Mitchell, President of the Coal Miners’ Union, and “Mother Jones,” who is known to every man, woman and child throughout the coal regions, were in Philadelphia this morning. They stopped off here to pay a brief visit to the trades unions near City Hall. Both were en route to Huntington W. Va., for the coal miners’ convention.
From the Wilkes-Barre Record of October 31, 1901:
UNITED MINE WORKERS
———————-
Important Conference at Huntington, W. Va.
——-LEADERS TO DEVISE PLANS FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NON-
UNION MEN IN VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA-OPERATORS IN OTHER
STATES CANNOT PAY THE SCALE IN COMPETITION WITH
THE LOWER RATE IN THE VIRGINIAS.
——-Huntington, W. Va., Oct. 30.-A number of representatives of the United Mine Workers of America and officials of the State organization are here tonight for the conference to-morrow with both the organized and unorganized miners of West Virginia and Virginia…..
Over 100 delegates from various miners’ organizations have arrived here for to-morrow’s conference. Equally as many delegates are expected to-morrow. President Mitchell, Secretary Wilson, Vice President Lewis, W. R. Fairley of the executive board of the United Mine Workers, “Mother” Jones and others were in conference to-night. The first session will be held at 10 o’clock to-morrow and the meetings may continue the remainder of the week.
The Convention will propose a uniform scale of wages on a basis equal with that of Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio and other competitive fields, West Virginia has never had even a formulated scale. Several attempts have been made to effect a scale, but always without success, and some of those present are doubtful as to the success of the present conference in that respect.
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SOURCES
Quote Mother Jones WV Miners Conditions, ISR p179 , Sept 1901
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/isr/v02n03-sep-1901-ISR-gog-Princ.pdf
The Evening World
(New York, New York)
-Oct 28, 1901
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1901-10-28/ed-1/seq-4/
Passaic Daly News
(Passaic, New Jersey)
-Oct 29, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/556084483/
Freeland Tribune
(Freeland, Pennsylvania)
-Oct 30, 1901
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87080287/1901-10-30/ed-1/seq-1/
The Indianapolis Journal
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-Oct 30, 1901
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015679/1901-10-30/ed-1/seq-8/
Miners Journal
(Pottsville, Pennsylvania)
-Oct 31, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/362499423/
Wilkes-Barre Record
(Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)
-Oct 31, 1901
https://www.newspapers.com/image/85643500/
IMAGE
Mother Jones, Drawing, SDH p4, Mar 9, 1901
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/social-democratic-herald-us/010309-socdemherald-v03n38w140.pdf
See also:
Oct 29, 1901, Paterson NJ News-Mother Jones Speaks to the People, Speech Given Oct 28th
Note: long article, difficult to read.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88853988/oct-29-1901-paterson-nj-news-mother/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88853724/oct-29-1901-paterson-nj-news-mother/
Tag: UMW West Virginia Organizing Campaign of 1900-1902
https://weneverforget.org/tag/umw-west-virginia-organizing-campaign-of-1900-1902/
Mother Jones News Round-Up for October 1901, Part I
Found in West Virginia; Travels to New Jersey and Points East
Mother Jones News Round-Up for September 1901
Part I
Part II
Part III
The Correspondence of Mother Jones
-ed by Edward M. Steel
U of Pittsburgh Press, 1985
https://books.google.com/books?id=EZ2xAAAAIAAJ
https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735057897435
-page 15 (67 of 415) for Correspondence of Oct 1901:
https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735057897435/viewer#page/66/mode/2up
Letter from Mother Jones to John Mitchell:
(Periods added for clarity, otherwise as written.)
Sewell, West Virginia
Oct the 20th/01My dear Comrade Mitchell,
Have to let you know what I did yesterday. I told you what [Mine Superintendent John] Lang did on the night of the 7th. The miners themselves arranged a meeting at Redash Mine for Sunday the 20th. John L. told I could not speak. I sent L. word I was going there to speak and he could bring Sheriff Judge and Jury. I told lang there was not enough men in West Virginia to stop me. At the apointed time I was there. So was my audiance they came from all over the mountains for ten miles. John L. did not show up. Needless to state he won’t interfere again. I had the crowd at fever heat they cheared for the U. M. W. and for myself all arouse and I read the obligation to them. They paid their dues. Sect Wilson has the money for their Charters. As many as ten camps came and asked me to come up and organize them…..
Good look to the cause of the oppressed.
fraternally yours
MotherI am just going to start to beury [Beauty WV?] for a meeting
I had to walk 6 miles up the track. After hiking long my poor feet are so sore
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Mother Jones, No More Deaths For Dollars – Ed Pickford