Tag: August 1919

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for July 1919, Part I: Found Describing “Most Wonderful Progress”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Charity Justice, Stt Str p1, Dec 27, 1918———-

Hellraisers Journal – Friday August 15, 1919
Mother Jones News for July 1919, Part I
-“We have got to march on with the great army of the world…”

From the Coffeyville (Kansas) Union Advocate of July 17, 1919:

Mother Jones Crpd Women in Industry, Eve Ns Hburg PA p2, Jan 6, 1919

A LETTER FROM MOTHER JONES
—–

CHANGES TAKING PLACE
—–
OF INTEREST TO ALL
—–
Different Sentiment Prevails in Many
Communities Than Did Few Years Ago.
—–

(From the International Oil Worker)

The following letter from Mother Jones to Brother Paul A. Numan, secretary of Taft Local No. 6, was read before the local June 17, and as it contains so much of interest to all organized workers, a request was made that it appear in this issue of the International Oil Worker. We are more than glad to give it space. The letter follows:

Charleston, W. Va.,
June 11, 1919

Mr. Paul Numan,
P.O. Box 97
Taft, California

My Dear Brother Numan:

I have not heard from you for a long time. I thought I would drop you a few lines today to let you know how we were moving in this country. The thirteenth of last month [May 30, 1919] I attended a great demonstration in Fairmont, W. Va. There were some 12,000 miners in a parade with their band-a number of them were soldiers returning from the front. They marched through the city of Fairmount, returned to Watson, and held their picnic with their families. It was the first time in history that such a thing took place. One year ago if you wanted to go into those mining camps a gunman would held you up and ask you what your business was. Today the gunmen are gone, the men are thoroughly organized and they live in a most wonderful progress. It must be now a method of education if we put through in order to let them know their power and how to use it.

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Hellraisers Journal: From The Messenger: Cartoon by W. B. Williams: “When they get together they’ll dump us off!!”

Janet RayeA. Philip Randolph
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Quote re Employers No Race Line to Exploit, Messenger p11, Aug 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday August 13, 1919
Workers Unite, Black and White, and Dump the Bosses Off Your Backs

From The Messenger of August 1919:
-Cartoon by W. B. Williams

CRTN When Workers Get Together, Msgr p4, Aug 1919

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Hellraisers Journal: From Labor World: Leaders of National Committee Jailed for Organizing Iron and Steel Workers

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Kaisers here at home, Peoria IL Apr 6, 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday August 12, 1919
North Clairton, Pennsylvania – Iron and Steel Organizers Arrested

From the Duluth Labor World of August 9, 1919:

GSS HDLN Steel Organizers to Jail, LW p1, Aug 9, 1919

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 7.-When President Samuel Gompers and other officers and organizers at the Atlantic City convention all arose and pledged themselves to go to jail if necessary to unionize the iron and steel workers of the country they evidently were fully aware of the extremes to which the steel barons would go to prevent their men from organizing.

Last Sunday [Aug. 3rd], the first arrests were made at North Clairton, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Secretary Foster [Secretary of the National Committee for Organizing Iron and Steel Workers] and several other organizes were thrown into jail and a union meeting held on a private lot, the owner of which presided at the meeting, was broken up.

Steel Men Swarm Into Unions.

The struggle to secure the rights of free speech and free assembly in this section of Pennsylvania has been unending and discouraging. Yet the committee appointed by President Gompers to organize the iron and steel workers has made some progress, for in spite of the many arrests that have been made and the other harassing tactics that have been resorted to good progress is being made. For the first time in years union meetings are permitted in McKeesport, Rankin, Braddock and Homestead. In all of these places meetings have been held and men are swarming into the unions by the thousands.

But, surrounding Pittsburgh are boroughs and boroughs. Nearly all are important steel centers and all are bad. Some are worse than others. The worst one so far discovered is North Clairton.

North Clairton is a typical one-man steel town. It is a place where the steel trust has always had its own sweet, unhampered, autocratic way. The casual visitor to the Pittsburgh section would not likely ever hear of North Clairton. Yet, within its tyrannical borders, some 4,000 steel workers live out their miserable existences working in 10 and 14-hour shifts with its crushing, killing 24-four shifts at the weekly changes. The national committee could not ignore the plea for organization on the part of these enslaved human beings.

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Hellraisers Journal: “Bisbee, for the Second Anniversary” by Card No. 512210: “Comes the day, ah! we’ll remember…”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Frank Little re Guts, Wobbly by RC p208, Chg July 1917———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday August 5, 1919
Bisbee Deportations of 1917: “Come the day, ah! we’ll remember…”

From The One Big Union Monthly of August 1919:

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Hellraisers Journal: The Messenger: Ben Fletcher in Leavenworth for a principle: “to the workers belongs the world.”

Janet RayeA. Philip Randolph
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Quote Frank Little re Guts, Wobbly by RC p208, Chg July 1917———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday August 3, 1919
Leavenworth Penitentiary – Ben Fletcher Imprisoned for Principle

From The Messenger of August 1919:

Ben Fletcher

IWW, Ben Fletcher, 13126 Leavenworth, Sept 7 or 8, 1918
Fellow Worker Ben Fletcher

Negro newspapers seldom publish anything about men who are useful to the race. Some parasite, ecclesiastical poltroon, sacerdotal tax gatherer, political faker or business exploiter will have his name in the papers, weekly or daily. But when it comes to one of those who fights for the great masses to lessen their hours of work, to increase their wages, to decrease their high cost of living, to make life more livable for the toiling black workers-that man is not respectable for the average Negro sheet.

Such a man is Ben Fletcher. He is one of the leading organizers of the Industrial Workers of the World, commonly known as I. W. W. He is in the Leavenworth Penitentiary, Kansas, where he was sent for trying to secure better working conditions of colored men and women in the United States. He has a vision far beyond that of almost any Negro leader whom we know. He threw in his lot with his fellow white workers, who work side by side with black men and black women to raise their standard of living. It is not uncommon to see Negro papers have headlines concerning a Negro who had committed murder, cut some woman’s throat, stolen a chicken or a loaf of bread, but those same papers never record happenings concerning the few Negro manly men who go to prison for principle. Ben Fletcher is in Leavenworth for a principle-a principle which when adopted, will put all the Negro leaders out of their parasitical jobs that principle is that to the workers belongs the world, but useful work is not done by negro leaders.

We want to advocate and urge that Negro societies, lodges, churches, N. A. A. C. P. branches and, of course, their labor organizations begin to protest against the imprisonment of Ben Fletcher and to demand his release. He has been of more service to the masses of the plain Negro people than all the wind jamming Negro leaders in the United States.

[Photograph and emphasis added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: IWW Poet Ralph Chaplin Released on Bond from Leavenworth, to Arrive Soon in Chicago

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Ralph Chaplin, Prison Reveille, Lv New Era p2, Apr 4, 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Friday August 1, 1919
Leavenworth Penitentiary – Ralph Chaplin Released on Bond

From the Madison Capital Times of July 31, 1919:

I.W.W. Leader to Gain Release From Prison

Ralph Chaplin, Leavenworth 13104, Sept 1918
Fellow Worker Ralph Chaplin, Prisoner #13104

CHICAGO – Bonds for the release of Ralph H. Chaplin, one of the ninety-three I. W. W.’s sentenced to the Leavenworth penitentiary last August were approved in federal court here on Tuesday. William Bross Lloyd, Chicago’s millionaire socialist; Harry Morris, an accountant, and Jacob Bruning, a farmer of Dekalb county, were on the sureties.

[Photograph and emphasis added.]

From The Topeka Daily Capital of July 31, 1919:

ANOTHER I. W. W. RELEASED.

Leavenworth, July 30.–Ralph Chaplin, sent to the federal prison here in 1918, upon conviction with ninety-two other I. W. W.’s of violating the espionage act, was released today on $10,000 bond, pending an appeal and has left for Chicago.

[Emphasis added.]

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