Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for November 1909, Part II: Found Speaking in New York City on Behalf of Carlo de Fornaro

Share

Quote Mother Jones re Mex Rev Fornaro, NYT p15, Nov 29, 1909———-

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday December 22, 1909
Mother Jones News Round-Up for November 1909, Part II:
-Found Speaking in New York City on Behalf of Carlo de Fornaro

From the New York Sun of November 29, 1909:

DEMAND DE FORNARO’S PARDON
—–
Protest Against the Cartoonist’s Imprisonment
Voiced at the Berkeley Theatre.

Mother Jones, Elkhart IN Dly Rv p2, Crpd, July 19, 1909

A meeting to protest against the imprisonment of Carlo de Fornaro, a cartoonist, for libeling a Mexican editor was held at the Berkeley Theatre last night. This resolution was adopted:

We the citizens of New York city in mass meeting assembled, herewith resolve that we regard the conviction of Carlo de Fornaro of libel and his sentence of one year’s imprisonment at hard labor as an unprecedented and unconstitutional attack upon free speech and the freedom of the press. We demand that our Legislature repeal that part of the libel laws which gave an excuse for the action of the court and we call upon the governor of New York for the immediate and unconditional pardon of Carlo de Fornaro.

First of all reporters were introduced to Heriberto Barrow, who says he’s the Democratic candidate for President of Mexico, running against President Dias. He was a member of the House of Representatives, he said, and about a year ago introduced to Mexico to the New Idea party of young men, or Democratic party. In September he fled, fearing persecution. He says posters announcing his candidacy in big red letters are being torn down by the police in Mexico and any one that dares to indorse him openly is being thrown into prison by Diaz.

[Then followed, as speakers, Gaylord Wilshire, chairman of the meeting, and George Edwin Joseph, attorney for De Fornaro.]

Mother Jones, the Socialist propagandist, then took the centre of the stage and scanning the audience shouted that she had no fear of any Pinkerton dogs who were present and worked for Diaz. She was as ready to die to-night as any time in her fight for liberty.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for November 1909, Part II: Found Speaking in New York City on Behalf of Carlo de Fornaro”

Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Speaks in New York City on Behalf of Carlo de Fornaro, Artist Convicted of Libel

Share

Quote Mother Jones re Mex Rev Fornaro, NYT p15, Nov 29, 1909———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday November 30, 1909
New York, New York – Mother Jones Speaks for Convicted Mexican Revolutionary

From The New York Times of November 29, 1909:

‘MOTHER’ JONES HITS OUT AT THE COURTS
—–
They’d Pronounce the Ten Commandments
Unconstitutional, She Says.
—–

THIS AT A FORNARO MEETING
—–
Woman Agitator and Gaylord Wilshire Ask
Berkeley Theatre Audience to Help Free
Artist Convicted of Libel.
—–

Mother Jones, Elkhart IN Dly Rv p2, Crpd, July 19, 1909

Mother Jones, who goes about fighting the battles of the downtrodden, turned up again in New York last night as a speaker. She joined with Gaylord Wilshire, Joshua Wanhope and others at a meeting held in the Berkeley Theatre to protest against the conviction of Carlo de Fornaro, the caricaturist, who has been sentenced to one year’s hard labor on Blackwell’s Island on the charge of libeling Rafael Reyes Espindola, an editor and politician of Mexico, in his book on Mexico published last year.

Resolutions were adopted protesting against the conviction, calling for the repeal of the law under which the conviction was obtained, and asking that Gov. Hughes immediately pardon Mr. de Fornaro. Moreover, a collection was taken up to help fight the case in the courts, if that is found necessary.

Mother Jones, though she said last night that she was 74 years old, is still marvelously vigorous, at least in speech. She said she had been spending a lot of her time of late down in the Southwest, where she had learned some horrible things about Mexican rule. She is going back there immediately, she declared. Assuming that the Berkeley Theatre was almost filled with spies of the Mexican and United States Governments, she hurled defiance at them, and spoke a good deal more cruelly about Mexico and big Mexicans than Fornaro did in his book.

[She said:]

In 1861 they used to say, “all is quiet along the Potomac.” Now the black press is saying that all is quiet along the Rio Grande. But in 1861, while all that talk was going on, there was the glint of bayonets on both sides of the Potomac and to-day United States officers are arresting all along the Rio Grande hundreds of Mexicans for no other crime than that they have denounced the tyrannical Government in their own country.

In Kansas to-day three young men are lying in prison for doing just exactly what Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry did for their country. Our judges and officers are doing scavenger work for the Mexican pirate. Let the Mexican bloodhounds here to-night take that to Taft if they want to.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Speaks in New York City on Behalf of Carlo de Fornaro, Artist Convicted of Libel”

Hellraisers Journal: Eugene V. Debs Pleads with Organized Workers of America to Stand Up and Save Life of Tom Mooney

Share

Comrades, the red blood in you
must now prove itself.
I pledge myself to you
in this fight to its finish.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday April 13, 1917
From the International Socialist Review: Debs Fights for Life of Tom Mooney

Eugene Victor Debs, ISR, Oct 1916

TOM MOONEY SENTENCED TO DEATH

An Appeal to the Organized Workers of America!
By EUGENE V. DEBS

Tom and Rena Mooney, ISR, Dec 1916

A TELEGRAM just received from San Francisco announces the sentence of Tom Mooney. He is to hang by the neck until he is dead. The day set for his murder is May 17th. The capitalist jury and judge have done their foul work, and it is now up to us to do ours.

Tom Mooney is an absolutely innocent man and his conviction an infamous crime. We, the workers of America, are duty bound to challenge the verdict of the capitalists’ jury and set aside the sentence of the capitalist judge. We constitute a court, a jury and a judge of our own.

We sat thru this case from the hour the vile conspiracy was concocted and we knew beyond doubt that Mooney was framed and that he is to be murdered for no other reason than that the corporation criminals, the big capitalist thieves and their official highbinders could not buy him, or silence his agitation.

More than twenty reputable witnesses not only testified to Mooney’s innocence but proved it beyond even the shadow of a doubt. His alibi was without a flaw. He was miles away from the bomb when it exploded in the preparedness parade. He had absolutely no connection with and no knowledge of the affair. Bourke Cockran, the eminent New York lawyer who defended him, is positively convinced of this and so is every other man or woman who attended the trial and is not in the pay or under the influence of the United Railroads, the Manufacturers’ Association, and other red-handed bandits who have for years been plundering San Francisco and have now set themselves up as the autocratic rulers of the Pacific coast.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Eugene V. Debs Pleads with Organized Workers of America to Stand Up and Save Life of Tom Mooney”