Hellraisers Journal: From the United Mine Workers Journal: Corrupt Powers in San Francisco Demand Labor Victims

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday September 25, 1917
San Francisco, California – Powerful Coterie Determined to Crush Labor

From the United Mine Workers Journal of September 20, 1917:

Victims Demanded

Mooney Tom Rena, Billings Weinberg Nolan, 1916, EN 1917

—–

A community shocked and enraged because of the perpetration of a heinous crime; a powerful coterie determined to crush organized labor; a venal district attorney, and newspapers owned and their news columns and editorial policy controlled by those interested in destroying organized labor as an economic and political power; that is the present situation in San Francisco and the other cities on the Pacific coast.

The terrible crime committed by some deranged alien enemy served as an opportunity. Tom Mooney, Rena Mooney, Billings, Weinberg and Nolan were selected as the readiest victims at hand. The order is, “Condemn those people, and through them the organized labor movement.”

In the case of Tom Mooney the main witness, upon the strength of whose evidence the verdict of guilty is based, it is generally conceded is a perjurer for price; also that the prosecuting attorney instructed this witness and attempted to suborn another and instruct him as to what evidence would best serve to convict.

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Hellraisers Journal: From the International Socialist Review: Rena Mooney Acquitted Yet Remains in Prison

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Monday September 24, 1917
San Francisco, California – Fickert Continues Plot to Hang Rena Mooney

Despite her acquittal last month, Rena Mooney remains in prison with District Attorney Charles Fickert yet determined to hang her.

From the International Socialist Review of September 1917:

Rena Mooney Acquitted

Fickert Says He Will Hang Her Anyway!

Tom and Rena Mooney, crpd, ISR, Dec 1916
Rena and Tom Mooney

Before you read this interesting story of a plot to hang or imprison for life, four militant union men and one woman, we want to remind you that:

The State is the Executive Committee of the Owning Class” and that the statutes are merely the rules they have made for the successful expropriation of the productive workers. Government, laws and all social institutions have all been organized in the interest of the idle owning class. And yet, this class, which has bound the working class with its own institutions, its own laws and customs, this class which is always howling for “law and order” on the part of the working class, admits publicly in a court of law that it will hang an acquitted woman and innocent men even, as Attorney Cunha declared, “if I knew that every one of my witnesses had committed perjury.

So much for the Law. It is made for you, Fellow Workers; not for the owning class which robs you of your products. The law says that when a man or a woman is once acquitted of a crime he may never again be tried on the same charge. But what’s a little thing like Law among the capitalists and their henchmen in San Francisco?

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Hellraisers Journal: “To The Memory of Frank Little-Hanged at Midnight,” A Poem by Arturo Giovannitti

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Arise with a mighty roar!
Arise and declare your war:
For the wind of the dawn is blowing,
For the eyes of the East are glowing,
For the lark is up and the cock is crowing,
And the day of judgement is here!
-Arturo Goivannitti

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 23, 1917
“When the Cock Crows” by Arturo Giovannitti, a Poem for Frank Little

From Solidarity of September 22, 1917:

Cock Crows for Frank Little, Giovannitti, 1-4, Sol Sept 22, 1917

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Hellraisers Journal: Delegate at IWW Convention: Miss Flynn, “Young High School Girl-Fiery Socialist Orator”

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
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I studied carefully the New York East Side,
the slums, the dives, and the sweatshops
and the terrible conditions of the people there
drove me into socialism.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 22, 1907
Chicago, Illinois – Miss Flynn Delegate to I. W. W. Convention

From Montana’s Great Falls Daily Tribune of September 21, 1907:

EGF, Fiery Girl Socialist, Grt Fls Tb p1, Sept 21, 1907

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for August 1917, Part II: Found in Illinois & Indiana

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday September 21, 1917
Mother Jones News for August, Part II: Plans for Labor Day

From the Evansville Press of August 29, 1917:

An advertisement indicates that Mother Jones will be the principle speaker at the Henderson, Kentucky, Labor Day Celebration on Monday September 3rd. The event is being sponsored by the Central Labor Unions of both Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson.

MJ Labor Day Evansville IN, Henderson KY, Evl Prs, Aug 29, 1917

From the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette of August 27, 1917:

The death of Senator John Worth Kern is an opportunity to recall the role played by the good Senator in freeing Mother Jones from the grip of West Virginia’s Military Bastille during the Cabin Creek-Paint Creek Strike of 1912 & 1913.

JOHN WORTH KERN; AN APPRECIATION

Claude G. Bowers

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for August 1917, Part I: Found in Illinois & Indiana

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There can be no democracy in this world
so long as industrial workers have to beg to live.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday September 20, 1917
Mother Jones News for August, Part I: “Fire Eater” Speaks

From the The St. Louis Star of August 23, 1917:

Mother Jones Fire Eater, Lg, St L Str, Aug 23, 1917

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Appeal to Reason: 2,225 Coal Miners Killed on the Job in 1916, 988 in Pennsylvania

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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“Dagos are cheaper than props.”
-Mother Jone quoting a Mine Manager

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday September 19, 1917
Pennsylvania Leads Nation for Coal Mine Fatalities in 1916

From the Appeal to Reason of September 15, 1917:

Coal Mine Fatalities, 1916

Cherry (IL) Mine Disaster of 1909, McClures Mag Mar 1910
Waiting for word.

The number of persons killed in and about coal mines during the calendar year 1916 was 2,225, as compared with 2,269 in 1915, 2,454 in 1914 and 2,785 in 1913. Pennsylvania led with 988, of which 433 were in bituminous mines. Fatalities in West Virginia numbered 372, in Illinois 128, and in Alabama 119, Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada and South Dakota had no fatalities.

Those killed underground from falls of rock, coal, etc., numbered 961; from mine cars and locomotives 390; from exploding or burning gas, 170, and from explosives, 148. Those killed on the surface numbered 150, and in shafts 49.

The number killed per 1,000 employed was 3.22 in 1914 and 3.09 in 1915. The 1916 figures were not available when this report was published.

———-

[Photograph added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: IWW Convention Begins in Chicago; Young Delegate, Miss Flynn, Talks Socialism on Street Corner

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
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I studied carefully the New York East Side,
the slums, the dives, and the sweatshops
and the terrible conditions of the people there
drove me into socialism.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday September 18, 1907
Chicago, Illinois – Girl Socialist Is I. W. W. Delegate

Miss Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, age 17, of New York City, is a delegate to the Convention of Industrial Workers of the World which opened its first session on Monday morning, September 16th.

From The Chicago Daily Tribune of September 17, 1907:

…Industrial Workers of the World Open
Annual Convention…..

IWW Universal Label, IWWC 1906 Proceedings

With a gavel valued at $100 in the chairman’s hands, the annual convention of the Industrial Workers of the World opened in the morning at Brand’s hall. The gavel was presented by the unions of Alaska. It is made of walrus tusks. It is expected a tangle over the credentials will be straightened out today, and the unionists will take up business matters…

———-

[Photograph added.]

Miss Flynn, “Platform Wonder”

MISS GLYNN IN SOAPBOX TALKS.
—–
“Platform Wonder” Tells Her Hearers
the General Strike Is to Be the
Watchword of Future.
—–

EGF Girl Socialist w Hat, NYW, Aug 24, 1906

Standing on a soapbox at Halsted and O’Brien streets last night, Miss Elizabeth Gurley Glynn [Flynn], the 17 year old union “platform wonder,” addressed a crowd of 200 workingmen and exhorted them to prepare for the “general strike” in Chicago in the near future. Other unions “revival” meetings were held at Clark and Erie streets and elsewhere about the city. The soapbox campaign will be conducted while the convention of the Industrial Workers of the World is in session this week at Brand’s hall.

[Declared Miss Flynn:]

Not until every workingman quits his labor and refuses to go back until he is given a fair share of the profits will the labor question be settled. The general strike is the watchword of the future. It is certain to come soon.

Meetings will be held tonight in the Milwaukee avenue district and at several places on the west side.

———-

[Photograph added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Grand Jury Refuses to Indict Mesabi Range Strikers, Teofilo Petriella Goes Free

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday September 17, 1907
Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike: Good News from the Front Lines

From the Duluth Labor World of September 14, 1907:

GRAND JURY REFUSES TO INDICT STRIKERS
—–
No Miscarriage of Justice in Duluth Courts.—
Won’t Practice Range Methods.
—–
Jury Practically Holds That Petriella Was
Justified in Protecting Himself.
—–

Mesabi Miners Strike, T. Petriella, Mpls Tb, July 27, 1907
Teofilo Petriella

The cases against the striking miners on the Mesaba range have fallen flat. When the Grand Jury took up the matter of the nine miners who were bound over on the charge of inciting a riot they listened to the evidence presented by the state, and then promptly, and very properly dismissed the matter by asking that the defendants be released.

Petriella too, who was bound over for carrying concealed weapons, was dismissed, and his $1,000 was returned to him.

One of the members of the grand jury in commenting on the cases said: “It was ridiculous to bring such frivilous cases before the grand jury.”

Judge Brady ought to see by this time that he is putting the county to needless expense in binding men over to the grand jury simply because hirelings for the Steel Trust bring them before him.

Petriella admitted carrying a revolver, but the jury thought he was justified, in view of the fact that newspapers on the range were threatening his life, advising tar and feathers, and demanding that he be driven from town. Petriella’s bail money was returned to him.

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Hellraisers Journal: The Struggle of the Northwest Lumber Workers from the International Socialist Review

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 16, 1917
The Great Northwestern Lumber Strike: Causes and Demands

From the International Socialist Review of September 1917:

LUMBER BARONS REFUSE GOVERNMENT REQUEST
As we go to press we learn that Secretary of War Baker sent a telegram to the West Coast Lumbermen’s Association, urging an eight-hour day for Pacific Coast lumber workers.
According to an Associated Press dispatch, Robert B. Allen, Secretary of the Association, said the lumbermen were anxious to co-operate with the government, but “they did not feel that they could concede the eight-hour day at this time.” This open defiance of the government by the gentlemen composing this Association, coming at this time, is rank treason, and fifty thousand lumber jacks are watching the outcome.

Lumber Workers WA, ISR, Sept 1917

—–

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