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Hellraisers Journal – Saturday March 26, 1904
Telluride, Colorado – Union Men Dragged from Homes and Deported
From the American Labor Union Journal of March 24, 1904:
Tag: Clarence Smith
Hellraisers Journal: Denver Conventions Close; Western Federation of Miners and American Labor Union Favor Socialism
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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday June 11, 1902
Denver, Colorado – W. F. of M. and A. L. U. Conventions Favor Socialism
From the Lead City Daily Tribune of June 10, 1902:
Moyer Elected President.
———-Denver, June 9.-The annual convention of the Western Federation of Miners adjourned last night. Edward Boyce refused to serve as president and Charles Moyer of Lead, S. D., was elected in his stead. The other officers elected follow: Vice president, E. D. Hughes, Butte, Mont.; secretary and treasurer, W. D. Haywood, Silver, City, Ida.
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[Emphasis and photograph added.]
From the Butte Labor World of June 9, 1902
-Convention Number:
FEDERATION OF MINERS FAVORS SOCIALISM
———-
Charles Moyer, of Lead, S. D., Is Elected President
-Ed Hughes, of Butte, Vice President
-Edward Boyce Retires from Office
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[Highlights from article.]
President Boyce, after a number of years of successful service as president, has retired. His successor, Charles Moyer of Lead, S. D., is regarded as a strong man, and one who will judiciously administrate the affairs of the organization…..
Paul Corcoran of Idaho, whose pardon as one of the Coeur d’Alene miners was effected through the miners, sent a warm and appreciative letter to the federation thanking it for assisting in rescuing him from prison…..
For favoring the pardon of Paul Corcoran a vote of thanks was extended to Governor Hunt and Secretary of State Basset of Idaho……
While the delegates upstairs at the Western Labor Union convention were discussing socialism and adopting it, those downstairs were debating the question with great vigor. The matter came up on the report of the committee on President Boyce’s report. John M. O’Neill of Cripple Creek was chairman, and recommended that President Boyce’s socialistic program be carried out in its entirety…
[T]he resolution and its political plans was adopted Wednesday morning….
One of the most significant actions of the Western Federation of Miners’ convention was the turning down by a unanimous vote the proposition of the American Federation of Labor for a reaffiliation of the two big bodies…..
A Gentle Refusal.
Secretary-Treasurer W. D. Haywood was instructed to notify the American Federation of Labor that in view of the action of the convention’s new departure in espousing socialism the invitation is respectfully declined…..
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WESTERN LABOR UNION CHANGES ITS NAME
———-
Will Carry an Aggressive Fight into the Camp of
the American Federation of Labor
-President Dan McDonald is Re-elected
———-[Highlights from article.]
The American Labor union has closed its annual convention at Denver…..
The name of the organization has been changed from the Western Labor union to the American Labor union.
The gauntlet has been thrown down to the American Federation, and war will be waged all along the line.
The territory of the Western organization will be enlarged to take in great industrial bodies of the East…..
The union has been irrevocably pledged to socialism and independent political action [see resolution below, the platform of Socialist Party of America was adopted in its entirety]…..
Hellraisers Journal: From the Kansas City Labor Record: Western Labor Union Expects to Organize in Eastern States
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Hellraisers Journal – Friday May 30, 1902
Denver, Colorado – W. F. of M. and W. L. U. Hold Conventions
From the Kansas City (Kansas) Labor Record of May 29, 1902:
NEW LABOR UNION.
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Western Labor Union in Session in Denver
Expects to Take In Eastern States.
Denver.-The annual convention of the Western Federation of Miners and the Western Labor union assembled here on Monday. There are 300 delegates, representing more than 100,000 workers in the Western states and in British Columbia. The two organizations work in harmony, but the conventions meet apart, both in secret session.
Secretary Clarence Smith, in his report, said that the membership of the Western Labor union had doubled in the last year. The report recites that a large number of applications for charters have been received from independent labor organizations in the East. The annual address of President Edward Boyce of the Western Federation of Miners, which he read at the session of the annual convention of that body Wednesday afternoon, was devoted largely to the subject of trusts, which he declared dominate the mining industry. Mr. Boyce recommends the formation of state miners’ unions. He advocates socialism and ownership by workmen of mines and smelters.
President Boyce expressed the hope that the members of the Western Federation of Miners and the members of all other labor organizations would meet in convention for the purpose of taking political action.
Thomas I. Kidd, third vice-president, and Frank Morrison, secretary of the American Federation of Labor, are in the city for the purpose of securing a hearing before the two conventions and endeavoring to adjust the conflicts that have occurred between the Western organizations and the American Federation.
From the officers’ reports presented at the annual convention of the Western Labor union, it appeared that this new general labor organization has begun to invade Eastern territory and will extend its jurisdiction across the continent if the convention approves the plans that have been formed. President Daniel McDonald declared that the present industrial system ”allows the toiler to be robbed,” and urged each union to impress upon the laboring men that “labor owns itself.”
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[Emphasis added. Newsclip added from Parsons, Kansas, Daily Eclipse of May 29th.)
