Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part I

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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, Wednesday August 30, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota – “A Fierce and Important Struggle”

From The Outlook: Report of Mary Heaton Vorse, Part I:

THE MINING STRIKE IN MINNESOTA
-FROM THE MINERS’ POINT OF VIEW

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE OUTLOOK

March, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916

ONE of the most sinister aspects of life in this country is the failure of the serious and thinking people to obtain prompt information about the various industrial struggles and to get at the causes which are at the root of our industrial unrest.

Since June 3 a strike has been waged on the Mesaba Range, Minnesota, whose largest single owner is the Oliver Iron Mining Company, an arm of the Steel Trust. This strike has affected the life, not only of the twelve thousand miners employed on the Range, but of ten towns and villages from Aurora to Hibbing, a distance of sixty miles. The strike has been characterized by the prompt deputizing of a large force of gunmen, numbering, according to Sheriff J. R. Meining, of Duluth, over a thousand; more, according to residents of the Range towns.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part I”

Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part II

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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, Monday August 28, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota-Strike Investigators on the Scene

From The Survey of August 26, 1916:

MN Iron Miners Strike, Recruiting, Cothren, Survey, Aug 26, 1916

When Strike-Breakers Strike
The Demands of the Miners on the Mesaba Range
By Marion B. Cothren
[Part II]

The crux of the trouble, is the demand of the underground miners, for a minimum of $3 for dry work and $3.50 for wet. The underground men are paid either by the foot or by the carload, the rate depending upon the quality of the ore mined and conditions of work—hard and wet mining for instance bringing more than soft ore and dry mining. Thus, although the captain (boss) of the mine agrees beforehand upon the rate to be given a miner, this contract price may be changed from time to time as the character of the ore changes.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part II”

Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part I

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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, Sunday August 27, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota-“To Hell With Such Wages!”

From The Survey of August 26, 1916:

When Strike-Breakers Strike
The Demands of the Miners on the Mesaba Range
By Marion B. Cothren
[Part I]

MN Iron Miners Strike, Location, Cothren, Survey Aug 26, 1916

THE strike-breakers of 1907 have become the strikers of 1916 in the iron mines of Minnesota. Coming over in boatloads from south eastern Europe nine years ago and hired by the United States Steel Corporation to break the iron strike called at that time by the Western Federation of Miners, these polyglot nationalities speaking thirty-six different tongues have become Americanized in the melting pot of the Mesaba mines. Today Finns, Slavs, Croats, Bulgars, Italians, Rumanians, have laid down picks and shovels and are demanding an 8-hour day, a minimum wage of $3 for dry work and $3.50 for wet work in underground mines and $2.73 in open pit mines, abolition of the contract labor system, pay-day twice a month.

The last of May, so the story goes, Joe Greeni, an Italian employed underground in the Alpena mine at Virginia, Minn., opened his pay envelope to find a sum much less than he had under stood his contract called for. “To hell with such wages”, cried he, throwing his pick in the corner, whereupon he vowed never to mine another foot of ore. Second thought, however, convinced Greeni, that action was deadlier than inaction. For three days he stayed at his post, going from stope to stope, saying, “We’ve been robbed long enough, it’s time to strike!” Then he left for Aurora to begin agitation at the extreme eastern end of the range in the little St. James’ mine with its force of 40 miners.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part I”

Hellraisers Journal: War on the Mesabi, Forts and Searchlights Part of Plan Against Striking Iron Miners

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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 August 18, 1916
Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota-I. W. W. Leaders Under Arrest

From Indiana’s Evansville Press of August 17, 1916:

LEADERS OF MESABI MINE STRIKE KIDNAPPED?
FORTS AND SEARCHLIGHTS PART OF WAR PLAN!

Special Correspondence.
EGF, Tresca, MN Iron Miners Strike, Ev IN, Aug 17, 1916

HIBBING, Minn., Aug, 17.-“Forts” are being erected by gunmen of the steel trust interest in the hills of Mesabi iron range; searchlights play by night over the mining villages, up and down the main streets of Hibbing, Virginia and Eveleth; kidnaping, the “bullpen” and wholesale intimidation are said to be an attempt to crush the growing strike of workers.

Put in Jail

On the smaller Cuyuna range, south of this district, the strike already has resulted in a miners’ victory, and this fact is spurring the Mesabi strikers on to greater effort and sacrifices in their own strike.

The county jail at Duluth, 75 to 100 miles from the scene of the strike, is filled with miners’ leaders arrested on technical charges of “murder,” the only excuse for which seems to be in the fact that in a free-for-all fight at Biwabik, responsibility for which has not been yet fixed, two men were killed!

All the miners arrested on “murder” or “riot” charges are railroaded down to Duluth, where there is a large colony in jail, including Joe Schmidt, Carlo Tresca, Frank Little, Sam Scarlett and Jos. Gilday all prominent strike leaders.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: War on the Mesabi, Forts and Searchlights Part of Plan Against Striking Iron Miners”

Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part II

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

Wednesday August 2, 1916
The Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Iron Miners Speak Out

From this month’s edition of the International Socialist Review:

Red Girls, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part II”

Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part I

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

Tuesday August 1, 1916
The Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Miners Ruled by Deputized Gunthugs

From this month’s edition of the International Socialist Review:

Parade, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part I”

Hellraisers Journal: Rowan, Flynn, Ettor, and Gruni Speak in Virginia to Striking Mesabi Iron Miners

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

Monday July 31, 1916
Virginia, Minnesota – 1500 Striking Miners Hear I. W. W. Speakers

Joe Ettor (1885-1948)


From The Duluth News Tribune of July 29, 1916:


I. W. W. SPEAKER PROMISES PEACE
—–
Assures Large Audience There Will Be
No Dynamite or Guns Used.
—–

VIRGINIA, July 28.-“No dynamite will be used, no guns are to be fired, there is nothing to be afraid of in this strike,” declared E. Rowan, speaking to hundreds of strikers and citizens of Virginia from the balcony of the Socialist opera house tonight, in his initial address as an I. W. W. leader.

The 500 strikers who marched from Virginia to Eveleth returned 800 strong tonight, increased by the forces from Aurora, Biwabik, Gilbert, Elba and Eveleth.

The meeting tonight was attended by probably 1,500 people, necessitating the working of two speakers at a time.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Joseph Ettor, Joseph Grunl [Gruni] and [Ed] Rowan were the principal speakers. Musical selections were rendered between the talks.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Rowan, Flynn, Ettor, and Gruni Speak in Virginia to Striking Mesabi Iron Miners”

Hellraisers Journal: Mesabi Range Strike: Deputy Sheriff and Soft Drink Vendor Killed in Battle at Striker’s Home

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

Friday July 7, 1916
Biwabik, Minnesota – Strikers and Striker’s Wife Arrested

From the July 1st edition of The Duluth News Tribune:

MN Miners Strike-give 'em the boot cartoon, DNT, July 1, 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mesabi Range Strike: Deputy Sheriff and Soft Drink Vendor Killed in Battle at Striker’s Home”

Hellraisers Journal: Strikers Battle Company Gunthugs in Hibbing; Sam Scarlett Arrested in Virginia

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

Friday June 30, 1916
Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota – More Arrests in Miners’ Strike

Funeral of John Alar, IWW Leaders, Virginia MN, by GR Dawson, June 26, 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Strikers Battle Company Gunthugs in Hibbing; Sam Scarlett Arrested in Virginia”

Hellraisers Journal: Carlo Tresca, I. W. W. Strike Leader, Arrested on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range

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

Thursday June 29, 1916
Virginia, Minnesota – Carlo Tresca Arrested for “Criminal Libel”

John Alar Funeral, w Carlo Tresca & Banner, June 26, 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Carlo Tresca, I. W. W. Strike Leader, Arrested on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range”