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Hellraisers Journal – Friday January 16, 1920
-Mother Jones News for December 1919
Found Lambasting Judge Gary and Standing with Striking Steel Workers
From The Blacksmiths Journal of December 1919:
-Report of International Representative W. A. McArthur
-Gets Well Acquainted with Kaiserism at
the Buffalo Plant of Williams & Co.
-Meets Mother Jones at Lackawanna
Where a Monster Crowd Heard one of
Her Characteristic Talks.
Takes a Fling at Judge Gary.Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 20, 1919.
Editor Journal:
In company with Brother Carey we have tried our best to make the J. H. Williams Company, Buffalo, see their error in discriminating against our men and as this matter has been reported by Brother Carey and I have previously dwelt upon it will not make any further report. I sincerely hope that the Kaiser of the plant will be made to abdicate.
From Buffalo I went to Lackawanna and addressed the steel workers in that place and while there had the pleasure of meeting Mother Jones. This grand old lady of 86 years’ experience, was also there and delivered one of her famous characteristic talks. She thrilled the crowd repeatedly and at one time caused a tremendous outburst of applause, when she said,
Judge Gary will never make slaves out of Americans, or any foreigners who come to America to make this their home, if I can help it. I hope that when I die, that I will not go where Judge Gary will be.
[…..]
[Photograph added.]
From the Duluth Labor World of December 6, 1919:
MOTHER JONES IS GAY YOUNG WOMAN OF NINETY
—–“Mother” Jones the idol of the organized coal miners and steel workers who gets into jail almost as regularly as she engages in a strike campaign, went to the national capital to show some affidavits to Attorney General Palmer. The affidavits are signed by steel strikers, and they recite the details of various beatings, false arrests, intimidations and other exhibitions of the power by the “Cossacks,” or state constabulary, in western Pennsylvania. One story she tells is that of a striker who was tied up and tortured by having small tacks driven into his fingertips, until poisoned so seriously that he nearly lost his hands.
[Said Mother Jones:]
They arrested me for speaking to some of the boys up there.
The police judge, he asked me, “Where do you live?” says he.
“Wherever there is a fight for liberty,” says I.
“How old are you?” says he.
“I’ll be 90 next March,” says I.
“Did you have permission to speak?” says he.
“Lord bless you, yes,” says I; “of course I had”
“You had?” says the judge, looking down at me, “Who from?”
“From the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence that some of you young fellows ought to study a bit more,” says I.
“And then he found me not guilty.”
———-
From The Chicago Daily Tribune of December 22, 1919:
LABOR ASKED TO O.K. PROJECT FOR CHAIN OF STORES
—–The Chicago Federation of Labor was yesterday urged by its committee on resolutions to indorse a plan for a chain of stores to be managed and run by members of the federation, goods to be sold at wholesale prices. It was declared the committee has fourteen stores under consideration, and that several are already in operation, while $34,000 has been pledged to the organization.
“Mother” Jones attended the federation meeting and created some stir when she stated that Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Abe Lincoln were “Reds.” She added:
The other day in a movie show I saw the king and queen of Belgium flashed on the screen. The people all clapped and yelled. What the hell is the matter with you fellows?
From The Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader-Journal of December 24, 1919:
JOLIET BARS MOTHER JONES FROM SPEAKING
—–Joliet. Dec. 24.-“Mary (Mother) Jones,” aged woman labor leader who participated in practically every big strike in the country, was denied the right to address striking steel workers here yesterday afternoon.
In an interview, given newspaper men, she bitterly denounced the deportation of Emma Goldman and other leaders in what she termed “the workers’ cause.”
———-
From The Bloomington (Illinois) Daily Pantagraph of December 24, 1919:
“MOTHER” JONES NOT PERMITTED TO SPEAK
Joliet, Ill., Dec. 23.-Permission for “Mother” Jones to address the steel strikers was refused today by Sheriff James Newkirk and Mayor William C. Barber. “Mother” Jones said:
The misguided officials have done the labor cause more good than ten of my speeches. They were not to blame, as they are the hired tools of the steel corporation.
———-
Note: Emphasis added throughout.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOURCES
Quote Mother Jones,
Home Good Fight Going On, Ptt Prs p17, Sept 24, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/144827159
The Blacksmiths Journal Vol 21
(Chicago, Illinois)
-Jan-Dec 1919
https://books.google.com/books?id=-3k2AQAAIAAJ
The Journal of Dec 1919
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=-3k2AQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.RA3-PA83
Report of W. A. McArthur
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=-3k2AQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.RA11-PA37
The Labor World
(Duluth, Minnesota)
-Dec 6, 1919
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn78000395/1919-12-06/ed-1/seq-4/
The Chicago Daily Tribune
(Chicago, Illinois)
-Dec 22, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/349737537/
Free Trader-Journal
(Ottawa, Illinois)
-Dec 24, 1919
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn92053240/1919-12-24/ed-1/seq-2/
The Daily Pantagraph
(Bloomington, Illinois)
-Dec 24, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/69403317/
IMAGE
Mother Jones, Chg Tb p120, Oct 26, 1919
https://www.newspapers.com/image/355273232/
See also:
Hellraisers Journal – Sunday December 28, 1919
Mother Jones News for November 1919, Part I
Found in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Washington, D. C.
Hellraisers Journal – Monday December 29, 1919
Mother Jones News for November 1919, Part II
Found in Washington, D. C., Not Afraid of Judge Anderson
Re Home of Mother Jones, see:
Hellraisers Journal – Friday October 31, 1919
Mother Jones News for September 1919, Part III
Her Home? “Wherever there is a good fight for freedom going on.”
Note: Mother Jones was found in Washington D.C. in November of 1919, in connection with the Great Coal Strike, however, I could find no newspaper articles to indicate that, while there, she actually met with Attorney General Palmer regarding the Great Steel Strike.
For more on affidavits re steel strike, see:
(search each: affidavit)
Report on Steel Strike Vol’s 1-2
Interchurch World Movement of North America, 1920
https://books.google.com/books?id=vjwwAAAAYAAJ
https://books.google.com/books?id=ebktAAAAIAAJ
IWM Report on Steel Strike of 1919
https://books.google.com/books?id=zzR9AAAAMAAJ
https://archive.org/details/reportonsteelstr00inte/page/n3
Public Opinion and the Steel Strike by IWM
https://books.google.com/books?id=nj05AQAAMAAJ
For more on the deportation of Emma Goldman, see:
Living My Life by Emma Goldman
New York: Alfred A Knopf Inc., 1931.
Volume II, Chapter 51
http://pzacad.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives////////goldman/living/living2_51.html
Letter from Mother Jones to Ryan Walker:
The Correspondence of Mother Jones
-ed by Edward M. Steel
U of Pittsburgh Press, 1985
-see page 194
https://books.google.com/books?id=EZ2xAAAAIAAJ
Charleston, West Va.
December 12, 1919.Mr. Rine Walker,
c/o New York Call,
Fourth Avenue,
New York, N. Y.
My dear old friend Rhyne:I wanted to see you while I was in New York and have a long talk with you about told times. The last time I was in Kansas city I stopped off a day or so with Snyders at their hotel, most all the old warriors are gone or dead, you can’t meet scarcely any of the old force. Plamer is dead, Page is dead, Putnam is out in California. I had a letter from him a year ago, and from what I learn I don’t think he is the happiest man in the world. What faithful loyal workers those men were in their days, then Wayland is gone and the element that is in and around Kansas city today so far as the revolutionary is concerned don’t amount to a row of pins. It looked at one time that we were going to make wonderful progress, but it lookes to me as if that time has passed. When Wayland passed away another element got a hold of the pier [paper?], and it [the Appeal to Reason] hasen’t amounted to a row of pins since. I don’t read it anymore. The only papers I read now are something that I get from Australia or from England. How much I would like to have an hour or two with you and talk things over. You know Ryne, I am going all over the country, and I don’t tak up much with the vulchers, that have lead the movement for their own pockets. They can go on with a lot of star sentamental oratory, but that have never touches the core of the workers pains, it givens them a little soothing syrup but if the…..[conclusion of letter sadly lost to history.]
Tag: Ryan Walker
https://weneverforget.org/tag/ryan-walker/
J. E Snyder=former Sec of Kansas Socialist Party
https://weneverforget.org/tag/j-e-snyder/
J. A. Wayland=former editor and publisher of Appeal to Reason
https://weneverforget.org/tag/j-a-wayland/
T. E. Palmer=former Sec of Missouri Socialist Party
-per Steel, page 194, see above
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Gene Autry Sings “The Death of Mother Jones” 1931