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Hellraisers Journal – Saturday September 8, 1900
Mother Jones News Round-Up for July 1900
Found Speaking in Baltimore for Striking Miners of Georges Creek Coal District
From the Baltimore Sun of July 26, 1900:
MOTHER JONES FOR MINERS
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She Denounces The Courts And
The Federation Gives $25.
The courts of Cumberland are God Almighty in the State of Maryland, and there is no justice for the laborer in them. They are dirty, contemptible courts, and a lot of “my boys” have been brought up before them for standing up for their rights. You know how much justice they will get. The poor man has no rights any more, and all we workers will get will be what we stand shoulder to shoulder and fight for, miners and all other workingmen included. The man or woman who will not fight for his or her rights is unworthy to be a father or mother.
With these words “Mother” Jones, the female labor agitator, opened a speech at the regular weekly meeting of the Federation of Labor last night. She had two young men, striking miners, with her, whom she called her “boys,” and said she had brought them along with her to appeal to the labor unions of Baltimore for financial aid for the strikers of the George’s Creek region. Every union in the city will be visited and asked to contribute. The Federation of Labor, at the suggestion of President Sullivan, headed a subscription for the striking mine workers with $25.
In describing the alleged deplorable condition of some of the mine workers in [West?] Virginia, where she had been endeavoring to organize unions, “Mother” Jones said:
If you could be there and see little children coming up out of the mines, you would not want to be missionaries to China, but would become missionaries to the coal fields. If those fellows over there in China had stayed at home and minded their own business they would be better off, and so would we. I don’t blame the Boxers a bit.
We had a visit from a sort of a missionary not long ago. He was looking after himself, though. This Roosevelt, the Rough Rider, comes down from New York, and, say, what happened? Why, every mine workman was made to turn out and cheer for him. Roosevelt wants a job.
The speaker made a stirring appeal for money to help the men now on strike, and alleged that the fight against the “money power” was just the same, whether conducted in Baltimore or in Cumberland.
Charles Dold, of Chicago, general organizer of the Piano Workers’ Union, stated that on Saturday he had organized a local union of 60 members. Union-made pianos are hereafter to have union labels upon them.
The nominations for officers, to be balloted for at a later meeting, were as follows:
For president, J. M. Sullivan; for first vice-president, William Biggins and George D. Simpson; for second vice-president, William H. O. Thompson and J. Pearson; recording secretary, H. L. Elchleberger; financial secretary, George Greisman; treasurer, John W. Ringrose.
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[Photograph added.]
From the Baltimore Sun of July 28, 1900:
STIR AMONG MINERS
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Conferences And Mass-Meetings
And General Uneasiness.(Special Dispatch to the Baltimore Sun.)
Cumberland, Md., July 27.-J. J. Alexander, of Baltimore, president of the George’s Creek Coal and Iron Company, with General Superintendent Robert L. Somerville, conferred today with a committee of employes of the company composed of W. J. Ford, John Douglas, Dennis Cullen and Thomas Keating. The men were told that the 55-cent rate would be strictly adhered to. The conference was of very short duration.
Mother Jones made a vain effort to inaugurate a strike among the miners of the Davis Coal and Coke Company at Thomas, West Virginia.
Notices calling for a general mass-meeting of all the miners in the George’s creek region at Knapp’s Meadow at 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon have been posted in Lonaconing and other places in the region. All the delegates who attended the various conferences with operators signed the notices.
The delegates held a meeting at Frostburg this afternoon, at which the call for the general meeting was decided upon. Notices are also out calling for meetings at the various mines in the morning to hear the reports of delegates regarding the conference and to discuss the situation. The idea prevails that the various mine meetings will adjourn to the general meeting.
Strikers and anti-strikers are reported to be making a vigorous canvass to get their forces at the meetings to see who is in control of the situation. The general opinion Is that it will be decided that the men ask for their tools to resume work.
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Note: Emphasis added throughout.
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SOURCES
Quote Mother Jones, Shoulder to Shoulder, Blt Sun p10, July 26, 1900
https://www.newspapers.com/image/365314988/
The Sun
(Baltimore, Maryland)
-July 26, 1900
https://www.newspapers.com/image/365314988/
-July 28, 1900
https://www.newspapers.com/image/365315714/
IMAGE
Mother Jones, Kenosha Ns WI p7, June 26, 1900
https://www.newspapers.com/image/595263678/
See also:
Tag: Georges Creek MD Coal Strike of 1900
https://weneverforget.org/tag/georges-creek-md-coal-strike-of-1900/
re July 4th Celebrations, see:
WDC Times for July 1, 1900
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85054468/1900-07-01/ed-1/seq-6/#date1=07%2F01%2F1900&index=0&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Jones+Mother&proxdistance=5&date2=07%2F02%2F1900&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Mother+Jones&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=1
STRIKERS TO CELEBRATE.
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Maryland Miners to Hold a Meeting on July 4.CUMBERLAND, Md., June 30.-Organizers Warner and Haggerty will address a mass meeting in the Broad Top region tomorrow in behalf of Maryland strikers…..
The miners are arranging for a big Fourth of July celebration at Lonaconing, under the auspices of local union No. 148, to be held at Knapp’s Meadow. “Mother” Jones and Organizer Warner will deliver addresses.
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[Emphasis added.]
Note: Despite much searching, was unable to find any report of Mother actually speaking at July 4th Celebration. More research needed. Suggest newspapers of Lonaconing MD for July 1900, not available online at this time.
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Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday July 10, 1900
Mother Jones News Round-Up for June 1900, Part I
Found Marching with Striking Miners of Georges Creek Coal District
https://weneverforget.org/hellraisers-journal-whereabouts-doings-of-mother-jones-for-june-1900-part-i-found-marching-with-striking-miners-of-georges-creek-coal-district/
Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday July 11, 1900
Mother Jones News Round-Up for June 1900, Part II
Fondly Remembered in Birmingham as “Labor’s Joan of Arc”
https://weneverforget.org/hellraisers-journal-whereabouts-doings-of-mother-jones-for-june-1900-part-ii-labors-joan-of-arc-leads-strikers-comforts-wife-and-child/
Hellraisers Journal – Thursday July 12, 1900
Mother Jones News Round-Up for June 1900, Part III
Found Returning to Georges Creek Coal District to Assist Striking Miners
https://weneverforget.org/hellraisers-journal-whereabouts-doings-of-mother-jones-for-june-1900-part-iii-mother-jones-returns-to-georges-creek-district-to-assist-striking-miners/
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I Am a Union Woman – Deborah Holland
Lyrics by Aunt Molly Jackson
https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/unionwomanmollyjackson.html