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Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday April 10, 1900
Mother Jones News Round-Up for March 1900
Found Receiving Tributes from J. A. Wayland and Arnot Miners
From Appeal to Reason from March 17, 1900:
[by J. A. Wayland]
WHEN the history of these times, shall be written by people living under a state of industrial harmony and peace, in the years to come, the name of “Mother” Mary Jones will occupy a prominent place. For many years she has devoted her life to the downtrodden, and is known to every railroad man and miner who is intelligent enough to be called a man. She was my guest during the winter and early spring of 1898-9, and I learned to love her great heart and gray hairs. For many months she has been working among the striking miners of Pennsylvania, encouraging the men and advising them not only absent the tactics necessary to win the industrial battle, but teaching them the lessons of brotherhood and the rights of the working people to have the full results of their labor. Writing to “Grit,” a correspondent recites the tribute paid Mother Jones at the ending of the long struggle as follows:
Blossburg, Feb. 23.–A most appropriate finale to the long struggle between operaters and miners in this section, and a just tribute of love, honor, and respect to one of the most active participants in the whole affair, was the immense parade of men, women, and children, which marched from Arnot to Blossburg, a distance of five miles, on Saturday night, Feb. 17, one of the roughest and coldest nights of this winter, to pay their last heartfelt tribute to one, who, while her labors in this county are ended, and she may never return to this locality again, bears away with her the most sincere gratitude of the mining portion of Tioga county-Mrs. Mary Jones. As they had marched to Blossburg at critical times during the strike to hear words of encouragement from her, and to feel strengthened by her presence, so they marched on that last night of her stay, through a gale of wind and snow, to proclaim their fealty to her, and their true appreciation of her labor.
On Saturday night Mrs. Jones made her last speech and the “striking” portion of Arnot, together with the citizens of Blossburg, turned out in full farce to do honor to the old lady who is generally credited with having won the strike.
Both Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Jones addressed the people, but interest was mainly centered on “Mother” that night, and her bright beaming face told how happy she was at the miner’s success. She spoke at length on the strike and its results, and cited it as a repetition of the Civil war on a small scale. She addressed the women feelingly, and ended by advising the men to be always peaceful, and to bury the hatchet, to forget all little animosities, to be careful in the future at the polls, and to be sure and pay those men who had stood by them, if only a dollar a month. The speaking ended about 11 o’clock and the procession quickly formed and started homeward. The settlement includes the restoration to their houses of the evicted miners, but as Mr. Lincoln is away none have been able to move back as yet. The men of Arnot and Landrus are to be provided with work first, and the mine foremen are offering to put on three shifts of eight hours each in order to more speedily open the north drift headings and to employ as many men as possible.
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From the Altoona Morning Tribune of March 17, 1900:
The operators and miners of the Central Pennsylvania bituminous coal field failed to come together yesterday morning in joint conference because of the joint committee on the wage scale not having completed its work, and therefore not ready to make a report. When an adjournment was taken it had arrived at no conclusion, the miners being determined to stand by the scale formulated by them. There seems to be contention on the entire scale and the miners are loth to accept the terms of the operators.
[…..]
The delegates of district No. 2, United Mine Workers of America, went into session in the Knights of Pythias hall, Schenk block, at 9:55 o’clock yesterday morning. President W. B. Wilson called the meeting to order and in a short address introduced National President John Mitchell, of Indianapolis He spoke at some length on organization
[…..]
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.
The committee on resolutions made its report and was discharged.
[…..]
ADDRESSED BY A WOMAN.
Mrs. Mary Jones, of Chicago, was the next speaker. She told the miners to stand firm and should make an effort to get all they could. She said the 8-hour day was too long, and referred to Carl D. Wright‘s report which shows that all the production of the country was produced on an average of two and one-quarter hours of labor per day for each productive male. She looked forward to the day when there would be no masters and that society would produce for the benefit of all. She pointed to the postoffice as a proof of the advantage of collective ownership. Mrs. Jones then appealed to the young men to carry out the work begun by their fathers and asked them to fight for themselves and the young women and children of the country. She concluded her address by speaking of organization and hope to see 1,000 delegates in the convention next year. The convention adjourned to await the action of the joint conference with the operators.
[…..]
Note: Emphasis added throughout.
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SOURCES & IMAGES
Appeal to Reason
(Girard, Kansas)
-Mar 17, 1900
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/appeal-to-reason/000317-appealtoreason-w224.pdf
https://www.newspapers.com/image/66954256
Morning Tribune
(Altoona, Pennsylvania)
-Mar 17, 1900
https://www.newspapers.com/image/57039382/
See also:
J. A. Wayland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Wayland
Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for 1899
Part I: Found in Girard, Kansas, Visiting with J. A. Wayland of the Appeal to Reason
Grit Newspaper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit_(newspaper)
Tag: Arnot Miners Strike of 1899
https://weneverforget.org/tag/arnot-miners-strike-of-1899/
Tag: Great Anthracite Strike of 1900
https://weneverforget.org/tag/great-anthracite-strike-of-1900/
“The Anthracite Miners’ Strike of 1900”
Author(s): George O. Virtue
Source: Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Dec., 1900), pp. 1-23
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/250711
Altoona Tribune of Mar 17, 1900
re Operators and Miners Joint Conference
Sat, Mar 17, 1900 – Page 1 · Altoona Tribune (Altoona, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com
Note: Carl D. Wright was a U. S. Commissioner of Labor,
See:
Salt Lake Herald of Oct 12, 1902
-by 1902 had been chief of labor bureau for 18 years.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/80866482/
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The Spirit of Mother Jones – Andy Irvine