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Hellraisers Journal, Friday September 20, 1918
Mother Jones News for August 1918, Part II
-Mother Found Organizing in West Virginia
From the Fairmont West Virginian of August 19, 1918:
MOTHER JONES AND FOWLER
AT OWINGS PICNIC
—–
Talk To Miners About Their Attitude
Toward the Union.
—–AND TOWARD THE CO.
—–
Men Are Urged To Dig Coal
Because Uncle Sam
Needs It.
—–
“Mother” Jones is back in West Virginia and will remain here until after Labor Day when she is scheduled to make addresses at both Monongah and Enterprise. She returned to Fairmont Saturday afternoon in order to make a speech at the picnic held at Owings Sunday. “Mother Jones has been away since the scale convention of the miners, going to Illinois where she addressed two important Mooney meetings, out to Colorado for some addresses and back to Chicago for some important conferences with government and labor officials.
“Mother” Jones gets around the country without difficulty even though she is in her eighty-eighth year. She boarded the Baltimore and Ohio sleeper at Chicago at nine o’clock Friday night, changed to the accommodation shortly afternoon Saturday at Benwood and was in Fairmont shortly after five o’clock Saturday afternoon. “Mother” Jones does not carry any excess baggage, getting along with two bags which are smaller than the women folks generally carry.
“Mother” Jones could not help but comment on the changes which the country is undergoing. She was interested in seeing women railroaders at Benwood and women elevator runners at the Morrison and other hotels in Chicago. She doubts the wisdom of women attempting the harder kinds of work but is just as enthusiastic in praise of the patriotism of the women generally as she is harsh in criticising the suffragettes who “insulted” the President in the time of war, as “Mother Jones” tells it.
“Mother” Jones was the principal speaker at the picnic at Owings Sunday under the auspices of the United Mine Workers. The committee on arrangements consisted of John Costelac, chairman, Steve Ennis and Tom Wright. The latter was hurt last Monday and had to go to the hospital but was active in the preliminary arrangements. The music for the occasion was provided by the Helen’s Run orchestra which includes two violins, clarinets, bass viola and cymbalist. The picnic was held in the front yard of Ed. Lumbert’s boarding house and in the grounds surrounding J. L. Sutler president of the United Mine Workers, was first introduced by Mr. Costelac. He spoke briefly, introducing David Fowler, who in turn, introduced “Mother” Jones. The picnic was held with the idea of raising the nucleus of a fund to build a hall for the meetings are now held in the United Mine Workers there as school house. Mrs. Steve Ennis baked a cake which had $6.50 worth of material in it which was auctioned off for this worthy cause.
Mr. Fowler, who is a member of the legislature of Pennsylvania, spoke as though there had been some kickers in the unions of mine workers of northern West Virginia. He pointed out how foolish it was for miners to pay a dollar into an organization and expect any wonderful accomplishment in a moment….
“Mother” Jones was plainly annoyed at some children who interrupted annoyed her and took occasion to refer to the importance of proper training of the young by the mothers. This followed her first recognition of the mothers which was to urge that every woman with a child in her arms be given a seat on the porch. The importance of the mother in the education and training of the child is a favorite topic with “Mother” Jones and the bad conduct of the children suggested to references to training and education of children, the education of the fathers and mothers, and a general summing up of conditions in this coal field where she finds courtesy sadly lacking, especially on the interurban lines.
“No man today thinks as he did six months ago,” declared the veteran female orator, “the thoughts of men and thinking women are changing.” She commented upon the attitude of the people toward the successful conduct of the war, the change in the views of monied men regarding labor and many other changes in evidence in the last six months, mentioning the meeting held at Shinnston 16 or 17 years ago when she was arrested and taken to Parkersburg to jail, charged with violating an injunction. In this connection she defined an injunction as “a corporation law,-not an American law, not according to the constitution, but a monied law.”
“Mother” Jones took several opportunities to rap the coal company police, calling them “gun men” and “professional murderers.” She declared that the day of “gun men” was done in West Virginia, and could not understand how the miners had put up with them in the past, marveling that this country would stand by and see children raised under the guidance of such men.
The men who are not loyal to the union came in for a hot roasting at the hands of “Mother” Jones, who called them “sewer rats.” She suspicioned that the “gun men” might have turned to this work. She advised “throwing out” of the “disgruntled sewer rats in the locals.”
Several times “Mother” Jones made appeals for the men to dig coal, not for the operators, but for Uncle Sam. She advised that the authorities at Washington be communicated with if the car supply was not kept up.
“Mother” Jones referred to her age in this address, and said she was 88, and had lived in this country 82 years.
———-
[Photograph added.]
From the Fairmont West Virginian of August 19, 1918:
M. T. Vincent, of Shinnston, 84 years of age, and long noted as one of the most intellectual men of that section, introduced himself to “Mother” Jones Sunday afternoon and entered into a chat with her. Mr. Vincent was inclined to “kid” the old lady some about her age. She was patient for a time, and when he spoke of adopting Socialism, let fire:
You have been dead 40 years and don’t know it. You ought to have the moss scraped off your brain.
The crowd laughed heartily, and no one louder than Mr. Vincent himself, who later remarked:
She is a smart old lady.
———-
From the Fairmont West Virginian of August 21, 1918:
With the Mine Workers.
C. F. [Frank] Kenney, president of the United Mine Workers of District No. 17, which includes this coal field, Fred Mooney, the secretary, and W. M. Rogers, president of the West Virginia Federation of Labor, are at Washington for the conference of labor officials regarding the proposed increase in wages for mine workers to cover the bonus gratuitously offered by many operators.
There was a big meeting of organized coal miners of Pinnickinnick at a hall corner of Elk and Main streets in Clarksburg Tuesday night at which he principal speakers were Sam Ballentyne, of the international board, who is now located at Fairmont, and Isaac Scott, auditor for the seventeenth district, also located in northern West Virginia.
There will be several important meetings of mine workers next Sunday. “Mother” Jones will address a meeting at the opera house in Shinnston, and meetings will be held at both Downs and Idamay. There is an effort to get a meeting at Hoard also for next Sunday but it is doubtful if a speaker can be provided. There will be a meeting at Enterprise Friday night at which David Fowler will be the principal card.
From the Fairmont West Virginian of August 24, 1918:
Mine Workers’ Meetings
There will be three meetings of the United Mine workers tomorrow in Harrison, Marion and Monongah Counties. “Mother” Jones will speak at the opera house at Shinnston, David Fowler will speak at Downs and Joe Angelo will speak at Hoard, near Pt Marion….
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SOURCE
The West Virginian
(Fairmont, West Virginia)
-Aug 19, 1918
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86072054/1918-08-19/ed-1/seq-1/
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86072054/1918-08-19/ed-1/seq-8/
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86072054/1918-08-19/ed-1/seq-4/
-Aug 21, 1918
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86072054/1918-08-21/ed-1/seq-8/
-Aug 24, 1918
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86072054/1918-08-24/ed-1/seq-1/
IMAGES
MJ Quote, 2×4 kaiser & union, IL St Rg p2, Sep 1, 1917
https://www.genealogybank.com/
Mother Jones Fire Eater, St L Str, Aug 23, 1917
https://www.newspapers.com/image/204372148/
See also:
For more on Mother Jones in West Virginia
-from May 9-Dec 15, 1918, see:
The United Mine Workers Journal, Volume 29
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
Executive Board of the United Mine Workers of America
(search together: “west virginia” “mother jones”)
https://books.google.com/books?id=iwxOAAAAYAAJ
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