Hellraisers Journal: Wilson, Democrat and Hughes, Republican: “They Kept Us Out of War”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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But when the sky darkens
And the prospect is war
Who’s given a gun
And then pushed to the fore
And expected to die
For the land of our birth
When we’ve never owned
One handful of earth?
-Ed Pickford

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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday October 26, 1916
The Northwest Worker on “Political Saviors”

POLITICAL SAVIORS WHO WILL
“KEEP US OUT OF WAR”
—–

Benson Kirkpatrick, American Socialist July 8, 1916

Wilson kept us out of war. Therefore, if re-elected, he will continue to keep us out of war. How, we ask, can any intelligent person assume that there is the slightest basis for such reasoning? We can imagine a person attributing supernatural powers to Wilson accepting it, but he certainly would not be an intelligent person, or let us say, he accepted it as a matter of faith, and not of reason.

If Wilson should be re-elected, and the country does not go to war, that faith would naturally be strengthened among his supporters. But, if, under the same circumstances, the country did go to war, there would be nothing easier than for his supporters to claim that it was forced on him; that he was not able to keep the country out of war, despite their belief that he could. That belief would be conveniently forgotten, and they would hate to be reproached with ever entertaining it.

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Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs May Become First Socialist Congressman from Indiana

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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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, Wednesday October 25, 1916
Terre Haute, Indiana – Mr. Debs from Fifth Congressional District

From the Logansport Pharos-Reporter of October 24th:

DEBS, SOCIALIST LEADER, NOW RUNS FOR CONGRESS
—–

Eugene Debs, Wilshire's Magazine, Nov 1905

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., Oct. 25.-Eugene Debs, twice Socialist party candidate for president, may become the first Socialist congressman from Indiana. He is a candidate from the Fifth Indiana district against Ralph Moss, Democrat and one of the authors of the rural credits bill, and Everett Sanders, Republican attorney of this city.

Debs is making a rapid-fire campaign. Contributions have come from Socialists in many parts of the United States and other countries. Many miners in the district are Socialists and Debs’ followers count heavily on his personality, which once carried him into the office of county clerk with more votes than all his opponents combined.

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Hellraisers Journal: Socialism at the Legislative Doors by Ryan Walker for the American Socialist

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 October 24, 1916
From the American Socialist: Socialist on 1916 Ballots

Socialism Legislative Doors, Ryan Walker, AmSc, Oct 21, 1916

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Hellraisers Journal: Bloody Strike in Bayonne Broken; American-Born Workers Abandon Foreign-Born Brothers

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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MJ Quote Solidarity

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

Hellraisers Journal, Monday October 23, 1916
Bayonne, New Jersey – Strikers Return to Work Defeated

BAYONNE STANDARD OIL STRIKE BROKEN

The arrival in Bayonne, on October 18th, of the Federal Mediators, John A. Moffitt and John A. Smythe from the Department of Labor, proved to be of no benefit to the strikers’ cause. The strike was broken by the defection of the American workers who abandoned their foreign-born fellow workers and returned to work on October 19th. The foreign-born workers, mostly Polish speaking, were forced to give up the fight for a living wage on Friday October 20th.

From the New York Call of October 21, 1916:

Ryan Walker on Bayonne, NY Call, Oct 21, 1916

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Hellraisers Journal: Italy To Aid Tresca’s Defense in Minnesota, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Tours Mesabi Range

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
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By the Gods, it shall not be!
The bloated, beastly Steel Trust pirates
shall not murder our innocent
comrades and fellow-workers!
-Eugene Victor Debs

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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday October 22, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Italy Takes Up Case of Carlo Tresca

From the Appeal to Reason of October 21, 1916:

Italy Takes Hand to Save Tresca
From Steel Trust

EGF, Tresca, MN Iron Miners Strike, Ev IN, Aug 17, 1916

The SteelTrust wants to get rid of several striking workers (including Carlo Tresca and other leaders), because of their activities in the recent strike of the iron workers on the Mesabe Range in Minnesota. Of course, the Steel Trust has plenty of money and employs a sufficient number of thugs to have the work of “disposition” done in an efficient and effective manner. But since the Colorado incident [Ludlow Massacre], it is exceedingly unwise to do too much rough stuff at first hand, so the dirty work is left to the state. In other words, the Steel Trust is using the commonwealth of Minnesota to railroad Carlo Tresca, four strikers, one woman and two union leaders, to the gallows.

The Steel Trust decided to have these defendants charged with first-degree murder, so the legal machinery was set in motion, and the victims were thrown into cells. They will be tried in a section that is highly charged with bitterness against anyone who strives to improve the conditions of the toilers. They are the victims of a great injustice and the institutions of so-called free America are being used to aid in the conspiracy, rather than to protect the liberties of the people.

One would imagine that if this were a free country, Congress would do something to shelter these workers in chains, but, so far as is known, Republican and Democratic Congressmen hardly knew that there was a great strike in Minnesota. It remained for Italy to take a hand-Italy, with its king and its court, interfering with America, the land of the free hot air!

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Reports to the Appeal to Reason from Oklahoma Territory

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I have been on the firing line
of the industrial battle for years,
and when democratic bullets shot workingmen,
their blood watered the highways just the same
as when republican bullets shot them.
-Mother Jones

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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday October 21, 1906
Oklahoma Territory – Mother Jones Travels and Speaks

From the Appeal to Reason of October 20, 1906:

MESSAGE FROM MOTHER JONES
—–

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

Dear Appeal:-I want to report conditions as I find them in the new states. I entered the territory at Wilburton. There the democratic nominee for United States Senator was holding a meeting. The committee called on me and asked that the meetings be held jointly, as mine was also billed. I wanted to hear how he presented the struggle of the toiling millions from a democratic standpoint. He showed the wrongs of the republican party, and the beauties of his own. I followed, and showed up that they were both wings of the vulture class and if that class did not have both those wings they could not exist twenty-four hours. I explained to the audience that I had been on the firing line of the industrial battle for years, and that democratic bullets shot workingmen, and their blood had watered the highways just the same as when republican bullets shot them. The result was that a Socialist local of seventy of eighty members was organized soon after.

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Hellraisers Journal: Survivors of Minnesota First Agitate for Monument to Honor Colonel William J. Colvill

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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“Tis a task to write this letter,
Painful news have I to tell,
On the second day of battle,
Sergeant Philip Hamlin fell.”
-Mrs. S.D. Tandy

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Hellraisers Journal, Saturday October 20, 1906
Minnesota First Volunteers Seek to Honor Departed Civil War Hero

From this week’s Duluth Labor World:

HONORING A DEPARTED HERO

William J Colvill, ab 1862, Cpt later Col MN 1st

The First Minnesota of the Civil War times will live in the annals of heroism as long as history records the battle of Gettysburg.

Among the foremost to do their full duty and more than their duty to their beloved country on that memorable day was Col. Colville [Colvill], the regimental commander, who was literally shot “full of holes,” but was finally nursed back to a longer life of marked usefulness and the respect of all men.

The Colonel went to his well earned reward one year ago and his surviving regimental comrades are agitating for the erection of a suitable monument to his memory. No better or more fitting monument to the departed has ever been proposed. May success crown the loving effort of the surviving brave.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones: “The United States has become the home of a race of dollar hogs.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Recently in New York, there was held a banquet
at which $15,000,000 was represented.
Not one of the men present at that banquet
ever produced one dollar’s worth.
All that they posses was taken
away from the toilers.

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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday October 19, 1916
Moline, Illinois – Mother Jones Speaks and Encourages Illegal Street Music

From The Monmouth Daily Atlas of October 17, 1916:

Mother Jones, UMWJ, Feb 10, 1916

MOTHER JONES HAS A GOOD TIME
IN MOLINE
—–

Moline, Oct. 17. – “Mother” Jones needs music to start off her meetings.

Mayor Martin T. Carlson of Moline Saturday refused to issue a permit for a band to play Sunday afternoon on the streets but “Mother” Jones told the boys to go ahead. There was a musical program on the streets before the meeting and at a late hour this afternoon, city officials had taken no notice of the disregard to the mayor’s order.

The meeting at the Moline theater was a monster one and “Mother” Jones delivered one of her dynamic talks touching on several phases of modern life, touching political religious, civic and individual questions of the hour.

—–

[Photograph added.]

Mother Jones Interviewed by The Davenport News:

LABOR LEADER SCORES HUGHES, BOOSTS WILSON
—–
‘Mother’ Jones, National Celebrity,
in Davenport for Short Time.
Decries Past Conditions.
—–
Says U. S. Home of Nation of ‘Dollar Hogs’
Holding Down Toilers.
—–

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Hellraisers Journal: AWO Wrapping Up Season in Harvest Fields, Turns Attention to Lumber Workers

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
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The boss will be leery, the “stiffs” will be cheery
When we hit John Farmer hard
They’ll all be affrighted, when we stand united
And carry that Red, Red Card.
-Richard Brazier

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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday October 18, 1916
From the Harvest Fields to the Lumber Camps: A. W. O. #400

The October 1916 edition of the International Socialist Review reports:

Harvest Workers, Farmer John, ISR Oct 1916
The Militant Harvest Workers

HUNDREDS of swarthy faced, hard muscled harvest workers are now turning their backs upon a hard summer’s work and are bound for the lumber camps and mills in the northwest, where they will be heard from during the coming winter.

The Agricultural Workers Organization, better known among the farmers as Local 400 I. W. W., is closing its second year’s work 20,000 strong. The members are going to carry their organization with them into the lumber camps and on construction work. Thus insuring not only the continued growth of the organization, but new unions in other industries. In spite of the fact that crops were small in North and South Dakota, the boys were able to enforce job control on half of the machines, making $3.50 per day for ten hours’ work.

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Hellraisers Journal: Men like the Rockefellers and Morgans “are sowing the wind and they will reap the whirlwind.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Bayonne Strike, Reap the Whirlwind, Dante Barton, NY Call, Oct 12, 1916

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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday October 17, 1916
From the New York Call: A Warning from Dante Barton

Henry Dubb Crucify Agitator, R Walker, NY Call Oct 15, 1916

The New York Call (Socialist) of October 12th published a warning to the American people regarding the strike situation in Bayonne, New Jersey, from Dante Barton of the Committee on Industrial Relations:

As for the American people:

Is it not time that the American people should awaken to the essential brutality of millionaires and billionaires running their business on the principle that they cannot and will not pay their hardest-worked workers enough to give them a decent living? Ought we any longer to have business on terms in which it is considered respectable for that sort of treatment to be given to workers? The majority of these Polish workers receive now $2.50 a day, which, with the increased cost of living, does not give them enough for a profitable living.

And as for big business:

When these Polish workers have the ambition and the fine qualities to strike against that degraded condition in life, gunmen and special policemen, armed with guns and machine guns, are rushed against them, and the workers are abused because they have manhood and courage.

This sort of industrial injustice, if it is not cured and overthrown, must necessarily lead to the kind of revolutionary disorder that men like the Rockefellers and Morgans consider so terrible. Men like these are sowing the wind and they will reap the whirlwind.

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