Hellraisers Journal: From the International Socialist Review: “Street Car Workers Win”-Bloomington, Illinois

19th August 201719th August 2017 Janet RayeHellraisers Journal

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

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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 19, 1917
Bloomington, Illinois – Victory for Street Car Strikers

From the International Socialist Review of August 1917:

STREET CAR WORKERS WIN

IN SPITE of the fact that more than one thousand Illinois soldiers were rushed to Bloomington, Ill., in record time, the street car workers won their strike.

The solidarity of labor was 100 per cent strong. More than two thousand employees of the Alton shops downed tools at three o’clock on the afternoon of July 6th and marched to the office of the street car company, where they demanded that the car strike be brought to a satisfactory settlement at once. Every union in Bloomington lined up behind the strikers.

The big power house was closed. Newspapers were unable to misrepresent the strike as there was no power to run the presses, and many of the big industrial plants had to close down for the same reason.

This is a striking example of how solidarity means success. If the workers will stand together as they did in Bloomington they can always win.

From The Chicago Daily Tribune of July 7, 1917:

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for July 1917, Part II: Found in West Virginia & Washington, DC

18th August 2017 Janet RayeHellraisers Journal

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday August 18, 1917
Mother Jones News for July, Part II: Organizing West Virginia

From the United Mine Workers Journal of July 12, 1917:

The following was published as an advertisement in the The Beckley (West Virginia) Messenger of July 10, 1917, but without the final paragraph.

“Mother” Jones’ Refreshing Experience

“Mother” Jones had a most refreshing experience at a great meeting of the miners at Quinnimont, West Virginia, on the 14th day of June. The Layland mines, where the meeting was held, is owned by the Berwin-White Coal Company, and a large number of men are employed at this place. It is in the very heart of the mountainous New River coal fields. In the years gone by this section has been a veritable Gibraltar of the foes of unionism, and armed guards have patrolled the works of the companies looking for those who were trying to carry the message of unionism to the miners of this section. Happily, this condition has passed away in many parts of this field, and the private gunman is being driven farther and farther back into the remote mountain fastnesses.

The refreshing part of the Layland meeting was the manner and spirit in which Mr. O. A. Kneer, the superintendent of the Berwin-White Coal Company received the visit of “Mother” Jones. Instead of following the tactics of some of the less enlightened companies and forbidding “Mother” holding a meeting at the mines, he told the miners to go to the meeting, and was present himself. After the meeting was over he said it was one of the best addresses he had ever heard. Having an open mind and the spirit of fair play, he was ready to meet the miners half way and deal with them as men with rights.

If all the coal companies were enlightened enough to show the same spirit, the coal fields of the country would not so often be the scene of bitter industrial struggles. Mr. O. A. Kneer, by his fairness and good will, has done much to bring peace between the miners and operators in that section. His attitude is commended to the companies who think to crush the miners by private armies of gunmen. There is nothing that appeals to the average miner so much as fair play.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for July 1917, Part I: Found in Illinois

17th August 2017 Janet RayeHellraisers Journal

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday August 17, 1917
Mother Jones News for July, Part I: Blamed for Riot

During the evening of Thursday, July 5th, Mother Jones spoke on behalf of striking street carmen in Bloomington, Illinois. She was blamed for the riot which broke out following her speech.

From The Daily (Bloomington) Pantagraph of July 6, 1917:

Bloomington this morning is practically under martial law following one of the wildest nights of rioting in its history. Troop G, First Illinois cavalry from Peoria reached the city at 7:30 a. m. over the Big Four under the command of Captain Thomas J. Simpson. There were 58 men and three officers. They proceeded immediately to the B. & N. power house at the intersection of Roosevelt avenue and the Big Four tracks, where they pitched camp.

Several more companies of troops are on their way to Bloomington from Chicago and will reach here about noon……

The “Mother Jones” Meeting.

“Mother” Jones, it is said, closed her address by telling the men “to do something.” With this incentive hundreds of men and women gathered in front of the Eagles hall apparently waiting for a leader….

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