Hellraisers Journal, Friday December 21, 1917
Mother Jones News for November, Part I: Attends District Miners Convention
Mother Jones began the month of November in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where she was found addressing a meeting of the employes of the Locomobile Company who were seeking organization with the machinists union.
We next found her in New York City at the headquarters of the Democratic Party where she shook hands with Mayor-elect Hylan.
At near mid-month we found her in Kansas City attending the convention of the miners of the Southwestern districts, whose delegates were there assembled to debate the “automatic penalty clause,” a bone of contention within the United Mine Workers of America. Regardless of her stand on that issue, Mother remains much beloved by the miners. She was welcomed into the convention on the arm of the President of District 14 (Kansas):
Howat entered the hall with Mother Jones on his arm. He introduced her as the “angel of the miners,” after she had been heartily cheered.
From Bridgeport Evening Farmer of November 3, 1917:
LOCOMOBILE CO. EMPLOYES MEET
—–“Mother Jones” is expected to address the organization meeting of the employes of the Locomobile Co. at the Lyric theatre this afternoon and according to the officials of the machinists union a large portion of the working force of the company will be present.
Several meetings have already been held and at each meeting according to Samuel Levit, business agent of the machinists union many applications for membership in the union have been received. As soon as the working force of the Locomobile company is sufficiently organized according to Levit an effort will be made by the employes to secure a readjustment of the wage scale.
———-
From the New York Sun of November 7, 1917:
HYLAN FAR AHEAD OF TICKET IN BROOKLYN
—–[….]
Brooklyn nigh buried the Republican candidate [for Mayor], William M. Bennett, yesterday and gave the Tammany nominees an overwhelming plurality. Judge Hylan has carried the borough by about 60,000 over his associates on the city ticket. Morris Hillquit, the Socialist aspirant for the Mayoralty, ran third, close behind Mayor Mitchel. The Socialists have apparently gained two Assemblyman and two Aldermen…
Among the callers at Democratic head quarters last night was Mother Jones, the labor agitator. She shook hands with the Mayor-elect, and said: “It served John D. right.”
———-
From The Kansas City Star of November 12, 1917:
FIRST POINT TO HOWAT
—–KANSAS WAS ELECTED TODAY TO
PRESIDE AT MEETING HERE.
—–
The Action of Delegates to Convention
Believed to Indicate Support of
His Stand on “Automatic Penalty” Clause.
—–Election of Alexander Howat as temporary chairman of the delegate convention of coal miners of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas here today is believed to presage action by the convention sustaining Howat’s stand in refusing to accept the “automatic penalty” clause in the wage contract demanded by Fuel Administrator Garfield.
About three hundred and fifty delegates from the Southwestern district, all uninstructed, met at the Labor Temple at 10 o,clock and after naming the Kansas miners’ head as president chose George Hepple of Moberly as temporary secretary……
HOWAT FIRM ON “PENALTY”
Howat repeated he would oppose the insertion of the “automatic penalty” clause in the wage contract to the end.
[He said:]
Further, the wage increases granted the miners in the new contract-which are based upon increases granted in the Eastern and Central coal fields-should not be conditional upon an advance in prices to the consumer. A forty-five cents a ton advance in coal prices is out of all proportion to the 10-cent to 16.23 cent a ton increase in the wage for digging coal granted in the new contact.
Howat entered the hall with Mother Jones on his arm. He introduced her as the “angel of the miners,” after she had been heartily cheered. Mother Jones had been attending a meeting of the structural steel workers at Leavenworth.
[She stated as her reason for coming to Kansas City:]
I heard the enemy was after my boys.
———-
From The Leavenworth Times of November 13, 1917:
MINERS BEAR NO ILL WILL TOWARD
HARRY GARFIELD
—–SO ASSERTS D. A. FRAMPTON, PRESIDENT
OF MISSOURI MINERS.
—–[…..]
Kansas City, Nov. 12.-That the miners of the Southwestern district, whose delegates are assembled here in convention to discuss the “automatic penalty clause” their officials had eliminated from contracts with the coal operators, bear no ill will toward Dr. Harry Garfield, federal fuel administrator who insists the clause must remain in the contracts, was asserted by D. A. Frampton, president of the Missouri miners on the convention floor late this afternoon.
While characterizing the penalty clause which permits the fining of operators or miners for unnecessarily closing down mines as “the most unjust and unreasonable clause ever written in any contract,” Mr. Frampton was cheered when he continued:
CAN’T BLAME GARFIELD.
But we must not blame Dr. Garfield. I have the utmost confidence in him and will do all I can to support him. He is a man who has assumed a tremendous responsibility and it is his sole object to assure a continuous and adequate coal output for the needs of the government and countries at war…
“Mother” Jones, known throughout the coal mine districts of America is the only woman attending the convention. In a brief speech today she urged the miners to stand by the government in all war measures.
———-
From Grand Forks Herald of November 13, 1917:
“MOTHER” JONES IS URGING MINERS
TO STAND BY COUNTRY
—–Kansas City, Nov. 13.—Delegates to the convention here of coal miners from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas considering whether to accept the “automatic penalty clause,” insisted on by Federa Fuel Administrator H. A. Garfield, as a part of their working agreement, today had before them the statement by one of their leaders that the clause is
The most unjust and unreasonable ever written in any contract…but it is another question whether we can oppose the government official charged with maintaining the fuel output for the nation at war.
That was the declaration yesterday of D. A. Frampton, president of the Missouri branch of the United Mine Workers of America.
“Mother” Jones, widely known in labor activities, is attending the sessions of the convention. She is urging the miners
To stand by, the government in all its war measures.
———–
From The Kansas City Star of November 13, 1917:
DOWN ON PENALTY CLAUSE
[…..]
Unanimous opposition to the “automatic penalty clause” the delegates were called to consider was evidenced at the session of the Southwestern Coal Miners’ convention at the Labor Temple today.
Whether the convention will accede to the peremptory demand of Fuel Administrator Garfield for the insertion of the clause in the new wage contract was not indicated, but a resolution commending the mine union officials of the Southwest for their stand against the clause and condemning the operators and the international officials of the mine workers’ organization for their support of it, failed to elicit a word in its favor…
HOWAT DEAD AGAINST IT.
All the district officials and delegates who spoke today stigmatized the automatic clause, which permits operators to withhold fines from workers’ pay for alleged contract violations, as “infamous’ and unjust,” but Alexander Howat, president of the Kansas miners, may stand alone among the district officials in unyielding opposition to it under the pressure of the National Fuel Administration.
The test may come when Howat addresses the convention…
“MOTHER” JONES PRAISES HOWAT.
“Mother” Jones, who addressed the convention again today, brought the delegates to their feet cheering when she paid a tribute to Howat.
I have stood beside the Kansas president in many a long, hard fight and I tell you the workers of America never had a cleaner, squarer, more fearless leader. If I should lose every other friend I ever had and go to my grave deserted and hungry I would go knowing ‘Alex’ Howat was a friend to every decent working man, and I’ll back him up with my last breath. See who the men are who are attacking him!
-she concluded, as the miners cheered.
Two different headlines from same speech by Mother Jones:
The Daily Missoulian and The Bismarck Tribune, both of November 14th, offered two very different headlines to the same article, we begin with the headline from the Missoulian-
CALL STRIKE PENALTY CLAUSE “INFAMOUS”
—–
“Mother” Jones Urges Miners Learn to Use Guns.
The headline and the article from The Bismarck Tribune-
MOTHER JONES TEACHES
HER BOYS LOYALTY
—–
Venerable “Mother” of Miners Is Heard
at Kansas City Convention.
—–GARFIELD’S ORDER IS DECLARED “INFAMOUS”
—–Kansas City. Mo., Nov. 14 [13].-Three hundred delegates, representing the coal miners of three southwestern districts of the United Mine Workers of America, in a convention here considering whether to accept the “automatic penalty clause” insisted on by H. A. Garfield, federal fuel administrator, late today adopted resolutions characterizing the clause as “unwarranted” and “infamous.”
A rejection of the “automatic penalty clause” in favor of the recently signed “Kansas City agreement,” it is believed, would be followed by the almost immediate calling of a strike throughout the three districts which comprise the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas [states not listed].
“Mother” Jones made the principal speech of the afternoon, urging “her boys” to educate themselves, to organize their women and to be loyal to their country. At the same time she advised them to enter the national guard and learn how to fight and handle a gun that they might be prepared to defend their interests.
———-
From the Pittsburg, Pa., National Labor Tribune of November 15, 1917:
GUARDS TERRORIZE STATE.
—–Charleston, W. Va.-Baldwin-Feltz detectives are being “planted” throughout this entire state by mine operators as part of their anti-union campaign. These thugs are appointed by sheriffs under the special police deputy law, passed by the last legislature, despite protests by organized labor. Several persons have been killed by these guards, and recently 60 of them stopped unionists, headed by Mother Jones, from holding an open meeting near Beckley. Striking miners have been convicted and where they have not moved fast enough the roofs of their cabins have been torn off, leaving women and children exposed to the elements. This reign of terror is forcing miners to leave the state, while the operators cry, “labor shortage.”
———-
SOURCES
Bridgeport Evening Farmer
(Bridgeport, Connecticut)
-Nov 3,1917
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84022472/1917-11-03/ed-1/seq-11/
The Sun
(New York, New York)
-Nov 7, 1917
(See also, nearby on same page, articles discussing Hillquit vote, Socialist vote in general, and Socialist victories.)
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1917-11-07/ed-1/seq-1/
The Kansas City Star
(Kansas City, Missouri)
-Nov 12, 1917, page 2
-Nov 13, 1917, page 10
https://www.genealogybank.com/
The Leavenworth Times
(Leavenworth, Kansas)
-Nov 13, 1917
https://www.newspapers.com/image/76615119/
Grand Forks Herald
(Grand forks, North Dakota)
-Nov 13, 1917
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042414/1917-11-13/ed-1/seq-7/
The Daily Missoulian
(Missoula, Montana)
-Nov 14, 1917
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025316/1917-11-14/ed-1/seq-5/
The Bismarck Tribune
(Bismarck, North Dakota)
-Nov 14, 1917
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042243/1917-11-14/ed-1/seq-8/
National Labor Tribune
“Official Organ of the American Workmen
The Oldest and Most Conservative Labor Paper in America”
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
-Nov 15, 1917, page 5
https://www.genealogybank.com/
IMAGE
Mother Jones
Illinois State Register
(Springfield, IL)
-Sept 1, 1917, p2
https://www.genealogybank.com/
See also:
NYC Mayor Elect Hylan, NY Sun Nov 7, 1917
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1917-11-07/ed-1/seq-4/
The Sun of Nov 7, 1917, page 1
(States votes: Haylan-297,500, Mitchel-150,000, Hillquit-141,000)
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1917-11-07/ed-1/seq-1/
New York City mayoral election, 1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_mayoral_election,_1917
Tammany Hall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammany_Hall
Morris Hillquit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Hillquit
For more on Alexander Howat
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/unions/umwa/1921/0400-cannon-howatstory.pdf
Federal Fuel Administration and Harry A Garfield
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Fuel_Administration
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Augustus_Garfield
Note:
The “penalty clause,” was a bone of contention
within UMWA at this time-
Search separately: garfield; “penalty clause”:
The United Mine Workers Journal, Volume 28
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-Nov 1, 1917-May 2, 1918
https://books.google.com/books?id=OAxOAAAAYAAJ
UMWJ Nov 8, 1917, list of officers
Note: District 14, HQ Pittsburg KS, Pres Alex Howat
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=OAxOAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PT40
Re Mother Jones & Gunthugs of West Virginia in 1917, see:
WE NEVER FORGET: Thomas Baldwin, Union Coal Miner, Murdered at Raleigh, West Virginia, November 13, 1917
Hellraisers Journal, Thursday November 22, 1917
Mother Jones News for October, Part I: Up Against the West Virginia Gunthugs
Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for October 1917, Part I