Hellraisers Journal: From the Appeal to Reason: Socialists of New Castle Freed; Other Socialist Editors Remain in Jail

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Quote BBH, Win Workers to Revolution, ISR p1096, June 1910—————

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday October 10, 1911
Socialist Editors of New Castle, Pennsylvania, Freed

From the Appeal to Reason of October 7, 1911:

New Castle Socialists Freed
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New Castle PA, Free Press Fight by Warren, ISR Cv, July 1910

Charles McKeever, Frank M. Hartman and C. H. McCarty, editors of the Free Press, of New Castle, Pa., have been acquitted in the court of the charge seditious libel. This is the ease that has attracted so much attention all over the country. They are arraigned under an obsolete English law that was supposed to have been off the statute books of every civilized state. Had there been no publicity given to the matter no doubt the comrades would have been convicted, but when the people began to realize that a law belonging to the middle ages was sought now as a means of upholding the capitalist system there was such an awakening that conviction became an impossibility.

Although the seditious libel case was decided in favor of the defense, the unheard of action was taken of assessing them half the costs of the prosecution. All the costs of defense and half the cost of prosecution, when they were found not guilty, is a hard burden for them to bear and is an outrage against so-called civilization in America.

But in addition to this, they are under sentence of a fine for contempt of court. This case has cost them a great deal and the flight against the life of the Free Press has lasted for eighteen months. As a result it has been a severe blow to the comrades. Those who wish to help in this fight now that it is won should send fifty cents for an annual subscription to the Free Press

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Hellraisers Journal: Fred D. Warren on “Seditious Libel” and the Free Press Fight at New Castle, Pennsylvania, Part I

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Quote BBH, Win Workers to Revolution, ISR p1096, June 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday July 6, 1910
New Castle, Pennsylvania – Free Press on Trial for “Seditious Libel”

From the International Socialist Review of July 1910:

The Free Press Fight at New Castle, Pa.

By FRED D. WARREN
———-

[Part I of I.]

New Castle PA, Jailed for Free Press, ISR Cv, July 1910

Letter T, ISR p894, Apr 1910HE case against the comrades comprising the committee engaged in the publication of the New Castle Free Press, charged with “seditious libel,” was tried under what was known as the old English common law. This law against “seditious libel” was framed at a time when kings ruled by divine right, and in order to establish the guilt of the “pestiferous” McKeever, Hartman, McCarty and White, the prosecutor of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, cited a case that occurred during the reign of Charles II. A score of Irish peasants raised a rebellion, so the prosecutor read, against the English land lords. These Irish peasants were arrested, charged with “seditious libel” and sentenced to prison. That was nearly four hundred years ago, yet we find a fossilized county prosecutor referring to it today in an effort to convict these four comrades of ours. It would be laughable were it not for the serious consequences that are likely to follow this New Castle trial for “seditious libel.”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Fred D. Warren on “Seditious Libel” and the Free Press Fight at New Castle, Pennsylvania, Part I”

Hellraisers Journal: Staff of Solidarity Behind Bars in New Castle, Pennsylvania, for Displeasing Steel Trust, Part II

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Quote BBH, Win Workers to Revolution, ISR p1096, June 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday June 5, 1910
New Castle, Pennsylvania – Big Bill Haywood Visits Solidarity Staff in Jail

From the International Socialist Review of June 1910:

“Leading exponent of Revolutionary Unionism east of the Rockies.”

Solidarity Ns, AD, Eds Stirton n Goff, ISR p1134, June 1910—–

“Solidarity in Prison” by William D. Haywood

Solidarity Ns in Prison by BBH, ISR p1065, June 1910—–

[Part II of II.]

The [New Castle] Free Press and Solidarity were issued every week. The employers were furious. Members of the Business Men’s Exchange grew hydrophobic. Detectives were hired and set on the trail of the papers and finally the editorial staffs of both The Free Press and Solidarity were arrested, charged with an alleged violation of the Pennsylvania publishing law (enacted in 1907 and never called into use except on one occasion, as a matter of spite).

This law is being violated daily and weekly by many publications in Pennsylvania at the present time.

The editors of Solidarity and the Free Press were hailed into court and with them the editor of the New Castle Herald, a capitalist sheet. All three were convicted, but the leniency of the court, resulted in the capitalist editor being released on payment of costs while the others were fined $100 and costs.

The Free Press appealed their case while the members of Solidarity refused to pay the fines and were sentenced to jail, declining to accept Judge Porter’s profferred offer of ten days in which to look for money to pay them. Knowing that the workers alone would be the ones to contribute, they preferred to go to jail.

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Hellraisers Journal: Staff of Solidarity Behind Bars in New Castle, Pennsylvania, for Displeasing Steel Trust, Part I

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Quote BBH, Win Workers to Revolution, ISR p1096, June 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday June 4, 1910
New Castle, Pennsylvania – Big Bill Haywood on the Jailing of Solidarity

From the International Socialist Review of June 1910:

“Leading exponent of Revolutionary Unionism east of the Rockies.”

Solidarity Ns, AD, Eds Stirton n Goff, ISR p1134, June 1910—–

“Solidarity in Prison” by William D. Haywood

Solidarity Ns in Prison by BBH, ISR p1065, June 1910

[Part I of II.]

Solidarity Ns in Prison, Letter A, ISR p1065, June 1910CTIVITY in the socialist movement presents some complex situations, some unusual rewards.

There are socialists in jail in New Castle. There are socialists in office at Milwaukee.

If the opportunity of the individuals concerned could be reversed, it is certain that Comrade Emil Seidel, mayor of Milwaukee, and his colleagues, would bear with fortitude the gloomy ignominy of the cells in Lawrence County Jail. It is likewise true that comrades McCarty, Stirton, Williams, Jacobs, Fix and Moore, the manager and editorial staff of Solidarity, could administer the affairs of a municipality with honor to the party, and credit to themselves. But those who know the boys in jail, know that neither would voluntarily change places. All are filling their present positions, in upholstered, revolving office chairs or hard rough benches for the same great cause.

The imprisonment of our fellow-workers in New Castle is an incident in the strike against the American Sheet and Tin Plate Co., which has been on since last July.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Staff of Solidarity Behind Bars in New Castle, Pennsylvania, for Displeasing Steel Trust, Part I”