Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: A Word from The Masses Defense Committee Regarding Recent Trial

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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People who demand neutrality
in any situation
are usually not neutral
but in favor of the status quo.
-Max Eastman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday June 4, 1918
New York, New York – Retrial of Masses Editors Expect

From The Liberator of June 1918:

re Masses Trial, Liberator p5, June 1918

The Masses Case

Art Young, 1st Masses Trial, Liberator p11, June 1918

THE prosecution of the editors of The Masses for “conspiracy to obstruct recruiting and enlistment” is an attack on the lawful freedom of the press.

It is not an attempt to defend the country against conspirators, spies, or any other classes of criminals contemplated by those who framed the espionage law.

It is an attempt to put four American citizens in jail for expressing their lawful opinions. And it is the culmination of a series of acts which the New York Evening Post has described as “governmental persecution.”

Not one word of evidence to prove that these men ever wrote to each other, or ever discussed the subject of the draft or enlistment with each other, after the passage of the espionage law, was adduced by the government.

Not a word of direct evidence that they intended to, or wanted to, or ever even imagined or discussed the possibility that they might obstruct recruiting or enlistment.

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Hellraisers Journal: Magnificent Monument Dedicated at Ludlow; Mr. and Mrs. Rockefeller Appear, Uninvited

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Frank Hayes, Here on Ludlow Field, UMWJ June 6, 1918~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday June 2, 1918
Ludlow, Colorado -United Mine Workers Remembers the Martyrs

From The Fur Workers of June 1, 1918:

MONUMENT AT LUDLOW

Ludlow, Col.,-A magnificent monument was dedicated here May 30, by the United Mine Workers in honor of the 33 men, women and children who were killed by a detachment of the Colorado state militia on April 20, 1914. The militia were gunmen imported into the state by the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, a Rockefeller subsidiary.

The miners and their families had been evicted from their homes by the coal company and were living in tents when they were fired upon by the thugs, who afterwards burned the tents. The United Mine Workers later purchased the site of the tent colony and erected the monument.

At the base of the monument is the figure of a worker, upstanding and resolute, while beside him is the figure of a woman clutching a babe. On the monument is this inscription:

In memory of the men, women and children who lost their lives in freedom’s cause at Ludlow, Colorado, April 20, 1914. Erected by the United Mine workers of America.

———-

Ludlow Monument, UMWJ -p6, May 16, 1918

———-

Ludlow Monument, Inscription, Sharp

[Emphasis and photographs added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: “Farewell to you, thou rebel true..those last brave words..shall live forever in our hearts.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Proudly went out Joe unto his death
With smiling lips and fearless eyes
this message gave with his last breath
“Don’t mourn for me, but ORGANIZE.”
-Richard Brazier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday June 1, 1918
“Farewell, Joe” by Richard Brazier

From I. W. W. Songs, “General Defense Edition” of April 1918:

Joe Hill, IWW Songs, LRSB, April 1918

—–

Farewell Joe by Brazier, IWW Songs, LRSB, Apr 1918

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Hellraisers Journal: Speech by May Wood Simons at Socialist Party Convention Brings Delegates to Tears

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Women of the World, Unite.
You have double chains to lose
and you have the world to gain.
-May Wood Simons
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday May 31, 1908
Chicago, Illinois: City of the Impoverished Men, Women and Children

From the Montana News of May 21, 1908:

Montana News, Women's Clubs, MTNs p3, May 21, 1908

Socialist Party of America Button

Extracts from the speech of May Wood Simons at the opening of the Chicago convention:

When his auditors had come back from he heights to which Wanhope had lifted them, it remained for May Wood Simons to take them down into the Valley of the Shadow. It is safe to say that such a stirring appeal to the heart of an American audience was never made before. Before Mrs. Simons had spoken for five minutes there was hardly a dry eye in the house.

The sobs of women resounded through the vast auditorium. In one of the front seats William D. Haywood, who came through his great persecution and trial at Boise without batting an eyelash-the man who did not even pale before danger and death when they menaced him and his-was crying openly.

At the press table the hardened reporters, who have seen misery in all its many forms time and again, until their very souls were calloused, were coughing suspiciously and unbidden tears were falling on the shorthand notes of the speech. It was a masterpiece of pathos, that simple description of “The State of Things as They Are.”

Plain Little Recital.

And yet there was nothing theatrical about the little statement. It did not savor of the dramatic in the least. It was just a plain little recital of fact. That was all. And yet a big six-footer just behind the writer of this article was blubbering like a baby. And he was a magazine writer, too. Not for a small magazine, but for one of the most prominent in America.

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Hellraisers Journal: Fond Farewell from Eugene V. Debs: “Edward Bellamy Was a Friend of Mine”

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Quote Edward Bellamy, New World, AtR p1, May 28, 1898
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Monday May 30, 1898
Terre Haute, Indiana – Debs Remembers Edward Bellamy

On the evening of May 28th, from his home in Terre Haute, Comrade Debs spoke fondly of his friend, Edward Bellamy who died of tuberculosis on May 22nd at his home in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts.

From the Terre Haute Express of May 29, 1898:

Mr. Debs on Bellamy

Edward Bellamy ab 1889, Wiki, LOC

It was with the most sincere regret that I learned of the death of Edward Bellamy. He was a very warm friend of mine.

When in 1888 the first edition of Looking Backward appeared, the name of Edward Bellamy flashed around the world. Of this epoch-making book it is estimated that fully 200,000 copies have been sold, and it has been translated into German, French, Italian, Russian, and many other languages.

Rarely has a book created such a profound impression on the popular mind. For years there has been agitation of the social question in other countries, especially in Germany and France, where a mighty international socialist movement was developing at a rate to arouse apprehension among the ruling class. Looking Backward was the first popular exposition of socialism in this country. Thousands read it with keen delight without being aware that it undermined the existing social order and paved the way for the social commonwealth.

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Hellraisers Journal: Vanderveer to Butte Reporter: Did you ever try to find out who the occupants of that car were?

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday May 29, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – Vanderveer for the Defense

Today we feature the cross-examination by George Vanderveer of one of the copper-collared reporters who testified for the prosecution, on the 23rd of May, against members of the I. W. W. now on trial in the Windy City for alleged violation of the U. S. Espionage Act.

May 23, 1918 – A. W. Walliser, reporter for the Butte Evening Post,
-cross-examined by Attorney Vanderveer:

Speculator MnDs, HDLN 2, Dly Missoulian, June 10, 1917

VANDERVEER: What is the attitude of your paper on the labor issue in Butte? Did it support the strikers during the recent strike?
A. Oh no, sir, no.
Q. Who reported the fire in the Speculator Mine?
A. There were three or four of us. I was up there.
Q. Did you report in your paper that there were concrete bulkheads in that mine with no manholes and it trapped the men and were responsible for their deaths, to the number of about two hundred [168]?
A. No, sir.
Q. You did not?
A. No, I did not.
Q. You never colored anything you wrote to fit what you understood to be the policy of the paper?
A. I might have colored things. I might have toned down things, and I did repeatedly.
Q. Did you ever hear that the bodies that were taken from the mine were sold for twelve dollars and a half apiece?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you, ever publish any such story?
A. No, sir.
Q. Would you, if you had heard it and verified it?
ATTORNEY FOR GOVERNMENT: I object. That is not proper cross-examination.
JUDGE LANDIS: Objection sustained.
Q. Did you attack the bulkheads in the mine?
A. No, sir,
Q. Did your paper?
A. Not that I know of, no, sir.
Q. Did you attempt to place responsibility for the murder of those two hundred men or more-260 men?
A. It was not my business.
Q. It was not your business?
A. No, sir.

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Hellraisers Journal: Even in Death, Not Allowed to Rest in Peace: FW Frank Little at Issue in Chicago IWW Trial

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Even in death they did not let him rest in peace.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday May 28, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – Copper-Collared Reporters Testify for Prosecution

The copper collar upon the neck of Montana’s so-called “free” press was on full display this past week during the federal trial of officers and members of the Industrial Workers of the World. The following article presents the prosecution’s case, while giving short shrift to Vanderveer’s cross-examination for the defense. Tomorrow, Hellraisers will make up for that deficiency.

From the Phoenix Arizona Republican of May 24, 1918:

WWIR IWW Chg Trial, re Frank Little, Arz Rpb -1, May 24, 1918

DEPORTATIONS AT BISBEE ARE TRIAL FEATURE
—–
Reporter Tells of Threat Made to Arizona Governor
by I. W. W. Leader Who Afterwards Was Lynched
—–

(Republican A. P. Leased Wire)

Frank Little Martyr, Truth About Butte Tompkins, 1917

CHICAGO, May 23.-Activities of the I. W. W. in attempting to organize the miners at Butte, Mont., and the strike and violence which followed culminating in the lynching of Frank H. Little August 1, 1917, were graphically described today at the trial of 112 I. W. W. leaders before Federal Judge Landis by Charles L. Stevens, A. W. Walliser and Harold W. Creary [Crary], who were employed in Butte as reporters when the trouble occurred. Creary now is a student at the officers’ training field at Camp Johnson, Jacksonville, Fla., and appeared in uniform.

Little Seditious Talk

Walliser told of an open air mass meeting of miners in Butte July 19 at which Frank H. Little, member of the general executive board of the I. W. W. and others delivered seditious addresses. The witness said Little attacked the national and state governments, the capitalistic class and referred to soldiers as “Uncle Sam’s uniformed scabs,” “Pershing’s yellow legs,” and “Thugs.”

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Appeal to Reason: Good Will For Debs in Girard & Socialist Declaration of Principle

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Quote EVD Nature's Bounty, Girard, May 16, 1908
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday May 26, 1908
Girard, Kansas – Town Throws Surprise Party for ‘Gene Debs

From the Appeal to Reason of May 23, 1908:

EVD, Girard Good Will for Debs, HdLn AtR p1, May 23, 1908Quote EVD, this fine sweet day, re Girard, May 16, AtR p1, May 23, 1908

All of Girard and half of the county assembled in the court house park last Saturday afternoon [May 16th]. A hastily improvised platform had been erected, and, to the music of bands and lusty cheering of the citizens of this little town, irrespective of party affiliation, ‘Gene Debs was escorted forward and introduced to the enthusiastic crowd by Mayor Ryan. The mayor was preceded by E. N. Richardson, who, in a few moments’ speech, voiced the sentiment of every man and woman and child in Girard when he said:

Ladies and Gentlemen-My Friends and My Comrades:-Here is a man whom you all know-many of you may not yet agree with him in his political beliefs; many of you will not vote for hem, but you all love him-you love him because you can’t help yourself; you love him because he is the most lovable man America has ever produced…

Comrade Debs had been kept in complete ignorance of the little surprise party. For a few moments he seemed overwhelmed at the expressions of good will and the smiling faces on every hand. But he quickly recovered from the slight embarrassment, and began to talk. And such a talk! As a father talks to his children, Debs talked to those gathered under the shade of the spreading elms in the court house yard. It wasn’t a wildly enthusiastic gathering, such as one would expect to see on an occasion like this. It was rather a gathering of men and women in dead earnest who realized the deep significance of the occasion and were determined to let no single word which fell from the speaker’s lips escape them. One could almost feel the spirit of the revolution-it impressed me as a counterpart of those meetings of colonial patriots just prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “Momentous and significant.” These words sum up the Girard meeting at which the citizens of this village, without a dissenting voice expressed their congratulations to their fellow townsman, nominated for the presidency by the Socialist national convention.

At the close of the address a group of little children, bearing baskets of flowers and wreaths, and their little faces suffused with smiles, marched to the platform and literally smothered their friend with roses. Tears came to the big brother’s eyes as he gathered the little ones to him. An hour later, I passed ‘Gene sitting on the curb with a dozen bright haired lassies clinging to his arms and shoulders! Mark my words: “You can pin your faith to the man loved by children.”

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