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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 25, 1918
Mother Jones News for July 1918, Part IV: Found in Rockford, Illinois
From The Rockford Daily Register-Gazette of July 26, 1918:
MOTHER JONES, REW, CARBINE
—–WILL BE SPEAKERS AT UNION LABOR MASS
MEETING SUNDAY AFTERNOON
—–BIG PARADE IS PLANNED
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Rockford’s union labor hosts expect many union men from other cities to be here Sunday to take part in the street parade and the mass meeting at Fair Grounds park. The local committees are confident it will be the biggest showing of the kind that union labor has made in Rockford in years.
Lieut. Col. William H. Brogunier will be marshal of the day and John E. Peters will be chairman. Mayor Robert Rew, Mother Jones and Ed Carbine will be the speakers…
The meeting is to be made the occasion of Rockford Union Men’s protest against the sentencing to death of Thomas Mooney as a result of the preparedness parade explosion in San Francisco. Mother Jones will tell about the parade. Mooney has been removed to the California state penitentiary where he awaits execution.
The program will be continued in the evening at People’s park, where it is hoped Mother Jones will find it possible to speak for a few minutes. There will be other speakers. The program for the park will be announced at the close of the Fair Grounds park meeting.
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[Photograph added.]
From The Rockford Daily Register-Gazette of July 29, 1918:
LABOR UNIONS IN BIG PARADE
—–HUNDREDS MARCH IN DEMONSTRATION IN
BEHALF OF THOMAS J. MOONEY
—–MOTHER JONES SPEAKER
—–
She Denounces Chamber of Commerce-
Mayor Rew and Ed Carbine
on ProgramFollowing a parade of labor unions in a protest against the death sentence imposed upon Thomas J. Mooney, as the alleged bomber in the San Francisco preparedness day event, J. Pluvius took an active part in the proceedings and forced a transfer of the exercises from Fair Grounds park to the Coliseum. The big building was about one-third filled. There would have been a large audience had it not been for the storm.
The Mooney feature of the demonstration was not as large as some had looked for. Mother Jones devoted part of her speech to denunciation of the Chamber of Commerce, which she lambasted without mincing words. Ed Carbine, vice-president of the Illinois Federation of Labor, denounced working conditions in the northern part of Illinois.
The unions were much pleased by their parade. It was the largest of the kind that has been seen here in years. A large number of trades were represented and the big line was impressive. It was dotted with flags and banners. It is estimated that 2,000 marchers were inline.
Mayor Rew’s Address
Mayor Rew delivered a strong, patriotic speech for laboring men He was cheered frequently. He had his audience with him from start to finish…
Mother Jones’ Address
Mother Jones’ talk was a combination of railings against the manufacturer, scorn of the Chamber of Commerce, and an exhortation to “her boys” to organize. Not to organize so much for the present, but for the reconstruction days that will follow the war. According to Mother Jones, labor is marching grandly to the close of an age-long struggle for its rights.
She recalled the days of Greece when labor first began its struggle against capital, and referred to the I. W. W. doctrine that the maker of the machine should control it and profit from its earnings instead of the manufacturer. Turning to Mayor Rew, she said:
And that, Mr. Mayor, is the remedy for the situation. When the man who makes the machine profits by his handiwork as he should, then and then only will the strife between labor and capital cease.
She spoke of her experience among the miners of West Virginia. She cited one instance where she and seven others were arrested for attempting to hold a meeting and said that she was liberated. while the other seven were fined. She said the only reason she was liberated by the court was that she refrained from addressing the court as “Your honor,” while the others did.
Why the h— should I honor him? Isn’t he a working man and drawing his salary from the taxes of the people?
Her sallies were cheered and her shots at various organizations brought loud laughs.
Speaking of the West Virginia mines, she told of incidents in which she declared the people’s taxes were used to crush labor. In conclusion Mother Jones announced that she had for sale a number of books, the money for which was for the defense of the I. W. W. members on trial in Chicago. While a number of these books were sold, the majority left the hall without them.
Mother Jones discussed the Mooney trial. Thomas Mooney, she said, is a martyr to the cause of labor. She asked why such and such an organization was not prosecuted for alleged crimes while Tom Mooney was singled out for a crime of which he was absolutely innocent.
In paying her respects to the Chamber of Commerce, Mother Jones said:
What the h— do I care for the Chamber of Commerce? What did the Chamber of Commerce ever do for you?
Note: Emphasis added to articles: Mother Jones.
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SOURCE
The Rockford Daily Register-Gazette
(Rockford, Illinois)
-July 26, 1918, page 7
-July 29, 1918, page 9
https://www.genealogybank.com/
IMAGE
Quote Mother Jones, Flag Organize, Evle IN Prs, Mar 29, 1918
https://www.newspapers.com/image/137894411/
Mother Jones, Ft Wy Jr Gz p3, Dec 17, 1917
https://www.newspapers.com/image/29086040/
See also:
Mother Jones
The Most Dangerous Woman in America
-by Elliott J. Gorn
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Jun 2, 2015
(search altogether: “mother jones” “west virginia” 1917 1918)
https://books.google.com/books?id=9gRpCAAAQBAJ
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