Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for August 1907, Part I, Found in Arizona, Denver, & Minnesota’s Mesabi Range

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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, Thursday September 12, 1907
Mother Jones News for August, Part I: Arrives on Mesabi Range

Mother Jones by Bertha Howell (Mrs Mailly), ab 1902

During the month of August 1907, we found Mother Jones in Arizona continuing her work on behalf of the Western Federation of Miners. After a brief visit to Denver to congratulate William D. Haywood on his recent acquittal, Mother turned up briefly in Chicago and from there she traveled to Minnesota’s Mesabi Range to support the W. F. of M. and the ongoing strike of the iron-ore miners of that region.

Today we present Part I of our Mother Jones News round-up for the month of August 1907. We will continue tomorrow with Part II.

From The Clifton Copper Era of August 1, 1907:

Mother Jones in Clifton.

The well known labor champion. Mother Jones, arrived in Clifton last Sunday evening and commenced on Monday with a series of open air meetings, which will be continued throughout the week. She is a white-haired lady of seventy years and has spent the most of her life in the interest of the laboring classes. She is the best feminine speaker that has ever appeared in Clifton and outside of a few strong remarks about companies her talks so far have been very mild, and not what was expected of her.

In some of her talks she drifted back into ancient history among the laboring classes and brought it out to the present time. The main object of her visit here is to give advice to the Mexican laborers, some of whom have taken part in the recent strike at the A. C. smelter. She is a rugged old lady and her voice is exceedingly well suited for the position which she occupies. She has had vast experiences with the laboring classes, having taken active part in almost every strike that has occurred in the United States.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Comes to Duluth to Support Striking Mesabi Iron Miners

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Plea for Justice, Not Charity, Quote Mother Jones

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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday August 27, 1907
From The Labor World: “Labor’s Little Angel” Speaks in Duluth

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

Mother Jones spoke at the Duluth Armory on Sunday August 18th. With her on the platform where William E. McEwen, editor and publisher of The Labor World, and C. E. Mahoney who served as acting president of the Western Federation of Miners until the recent release of Charles Moyer from jail in Boise.

The striking iron miners of the Mesabi Range were supported by the speakers, and the steel trust and their gunthugs were condemned.

During her speech Mother Jones declared:

When they bring in the guns and the military, they think they have conquered; they rejoice at the thought they have conquered labor. You can conquer the steel trust, you can conquer the paper trust—every other trust in the world, but put it down for the editor in the morning that you can’t conquer the labor trust. If you wipe out the working class, what are the rich people going to do; they can’t even cook a meal of victuals for themselves.

From The Labor World of August 24, 1907:

ARMORY MASS MEETING WAS
MOST SUCCESSFUL
—–
Mother Jones Tells Working People of
Duluth Something About
Labor Conditions.
—–
Large Crowd Turned Out in Spite
of Inclement Weather—
Interest Was Great.
—–

The mass meeting at the armory last Sunday evening [August 18th] brought out 300 of the faithful. The weather was most unfavorable. The worst storm of the season was at its height, and even those on the program as speakers didn’t expect to see more than the committee on hand. However, the attendance was good, and spirit was high.

The meeting was called lo order by W. E. McEwen. On the platform with him were Alderman Jos. Shartell, Mother Jones, C. E. Mahoney, acting president of the Western Federation of Miners, and M. Kaplin. The Finnish band opened the meeting with the playing of the Marseilles.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for July 1907, Part I: Found in Speaking in Arizona

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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, Thursday August 15, 1907
Mother Jones News for July, Part I: Found in Arizona

Mother Jones, Tacoma Times, Sept 19, 1904

During the month of July, Mother Jones was found continuing her work in Arizona on behalf of the Western Federation of Miners. She toured the mining districts and spoke to the miners, their families, and supporters. One such speech was described by The Tucson Citizen of July 16th:

Mother Jones, known as the miners’ Joan of Arc, arrived in Tucson yesterday afternoon and last night addressed an open air meeting at the corner of Church and Congress streets. Tremendous magnetism and a certain amount of crude eloquence are the attributes with which Mother Jones has endeared herself to tens of thousands of working people all over the United States. Last night she gave a characteristic address….

Mother Jones went throughly into the Colorado and Idaho situation and lambasted the crowd that is prosecuting Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone. Getting nearer home she paid her stinging compliments to the Copper Queen Mining Company and gave her own version of the strike situation there. She has been at Bisbee since May 15 of this year lending encouragement to the strikers in the interest of the Western Federation of Miners. Her voice rose almost to a shriek as she told the Federation side of the troubles in the Warren district. Frequently during the address the old woman was cheered and exclamation of “God bless you” and “Good for you, Mother,” were heard from among her auditors. Before she finished the speaker was surrounded by a crowd in thorough sympathy with her, and the wonderful power she exerts over large bodies of men was made manifest in the way she swayed her Tucson audience….

———-

Part I: Mother Jones News for July 1907

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Hellraisers Journal: Western Federation of Miners Hands “Lemon” to Industrial Workers of the World

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Wealth to Producer, WFM Motto, Miners Mag Jan 1, 1914

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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday June 23, 1907
Denver, Colorado – Report from W. F. of M. Convention

From the Duluth Labor World of June 22, 1907:

WESTERN MINERS HAND LEMON
TO I. W. OF W.
—–
Revolutionary Organization of
Industrial Workers Are Repudiated.
—–
Annual Convention of Western Federation
Takes Decisive Action.
—–

WFM button

DENVER, Col., June 20.—”To hell with Moyer and Haywood—they are merely individuals.”

“To hell with Eugene V. Debs—we are revolutionists.” These inflammatory utterances made on the floor during the second annual convention of the Industrial Workers of the World in secret session in Chicago last September, were probably largely responsible for the split that has since occurred in the ranks of that organization.

This was brought out in the afternoon session of the federation convention yesterday afternoon. The disclosures were made in a communication read from Charles O. Sherman, former president of the Industrial Workers of the World. There were some quickly hushed hisses and some applause following the conclusion of the reading of the lengthy document.

The Western Federation of Miners, is known as the “mining department” of the Industrial Workers of the World. The latter association is divided into two factions—the “revolutionists” and the advocates of an economic industrial organization. The federation members are mostly from the latter class and practically left the Industrial Workers last December when they refused to pay a per capita to that body.

Since then there has been much dissension between the two organizations and many attempts on the part of the Workers to have the federation return to the fold. The question is to be settled at the convention now in session in Denver.

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Montana News: Orchard Weeps Under Cross-Examination by Edmund Richardson

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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, Friday June 21, 1907
Boise, Idaho – Orchard Breaks Down Under Cross-Examination

Ida Crouch-Hazlett, editor of the Socialist Montana News, is on the scene in Boise covering the Haywood murder trial, and gives the following account of the cross-examination of the prosecution’s star witness, Harry Orchard, by Edmund Richardson, Attorney for the Defense:

Orchard Weeps
—–

Breaks Down on Witness Stand-
McParland’s Methods Exposed
Under Richardson’s Fire

HMP, Richardson Crosses Orchard, Richmond IN, June 18, 1907

Boise, June 15.

The attitude of the Boise press towards this trial is a disgrace to the name of human freedom. The way the defense has riddled Orchard and shown his utter incompetency and reliability as a witness is potent to all observers. Even the judge looks disgusted at the revelations of this abandoned wretch, as he reluctantly makes admission after admission on the cross-examination to crimes be had not mentioned before. It is common comment that no jury could convict a man on such contaminated evidence. Yet the local papers, notably the “Statesman” [Idaho Daily Statesman of Boise] comes out with flaring articles about Richardson’s “blundering” ways, and his utter failure with the witness, how the friends of the defense are disgusted, and how the socialist reporters throw down their pencils in despair over his stupid efforts. It is needless to say that this is all fiction, pure and simple. Richardson’s work has been magnificent. He has held the strong, aggressive from the very beginning. Orchard has had to put forth a terrible defensive against him in order to bear up at all, and the tactics of the famous attorney have laid bare the very soul of the cringing and cowering murderer.

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Hellraisers Journal: Report to the Convention of the W. F. of M. by Acting President John C. Williams

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

Monday June 18, 1906
Denver, Colorado – Response to Arrest of W. F. of M. Officers

WFM Executive Board, elected at 1905 Convention
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Hellraisers Journal: Western Federation of Miners Re-Elects Imprisoned Officers Moyer and Haywood

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

Thursday June 14, 1906
Denver, Colorado – W. F. of M. Stands By Imprisoned Officers

Moyer, Haywood, Darrow Collection
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