Tag: Coeur d’ Alene Miner’s Struggle of 1899

Hellraisers Journal: 1000 Miners & Allies Herded into Bullpen at Wardner, Idaho; Includes Sheriff & Commissioner

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Powers of Privilege, Ab Chp III———-

Hellraisers Journal – Monday May 8, 1899
Wardner, Idaho – Bullpen Now Holds 1000 Men of Couer d’Alenes

From the San Francisco Examiner of May 7, 1899:

SHOSHONE’S SHERIFF IS HERDED IN
—–
Young Is Washing Dishes for
His Fellow-Prisoners.
—–
With Him in the Pen Is County
Commissioner Boyle.
—–

OFFICIALS TO BE IMPEACHED
—–
Nearly a Thousand Prisoners Gathered In
by the Troops at Wardner.
—–

WFM, Wardner Bull Pen of May 1899, Hutton photo 1, 1900
—–

WARDNER, May 6.-Bartlett Sinclair, the Governor’s representative, to-day called upon Sheriff Young and County Commissioner Boyles to tender their resignations, and when they refused, were placed under arrest and turned into the bull-pen with the hundreds of other prisoners. They protested vigorously against this proceeding, but to show them that they were no better than the rioters, both were assigned to the culinary department of the prisoner’s pen and made to wash dishes.

Impeachment proceedings will be brought against Young and Boyles on Monday before Judge Mayhew of the First Judicial District, to remove them from office.

Prosecuting Attorney Samuels will also be taken into custody should he show up at Wardner. He is not considered of sufficient importance by General Merriam to be sent after.

The inquest is proceeding slowly behind closed doors, and is more in the nature of a Grand Jury investigation than an inquest. From a reliable source it is learned that evidence of a most satisfactory nature is being obtained. Judge Lindley is conducting the prosecution, assisted by Attorney Beale.

[The Bullpen at Wardner.]

Considerable sickness has broken out among the prisoners. This is due to the fact that many were arrested at the mines, as they came out from under ground in their wet clothes, which they had no opportunity to change. Besides, the accommodations of the bull-pen requires herding the prisoners closely. More sanitary quarters will be provided as soon as possible.

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Hellraisers Journal: Statement of Ed Boyce, President of Western Federation of Miners, on Coeur d’Alene Trouble

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Powers of Privilege, Ab Chp III———-

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday May 3, 1899
From Butte, Montana: W. F. of M. President Boyce on Idaho Trouble

From The Butte Miner of May 1, 1899:

THE MINERS SIDE OF IT
—–
President Boyce of the Federation
Makes a Statement.
—-

ORIGIN OF COEUR D’ALENE TROUBLE
—–
It Dates Back to 1887 When an Attempt Was Made
to Reduce Wages in That District-
Present Demand on Bunker Hill Did
Not Come From Miners Union Men.
—–

WFM Coeur dAlene Affair, Editorial, Btt Mnr p4, Apr 30, 1899
The Butte Miner
April 30, 1899
—–

Butte, Mont., April 30, 1899.

To the Miner: Dear Sir-Having read your editorial in today’s Miner-“The Coeur d’Alene Affair,” the spirit of fairness contained in the article prompts me to inform you on the true status of the situation in the Coeur d’Alenes, as you have been misinformed through the Associated Press dispatches or some other unreliable source:

Previous to October, 1887, all mines operating in the Coeur d’Alene district paid underground men $3.50 per day; at this time the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Minning company reduced miners to $3 per day and other laborers in the mines to $2.50 per day. This reduction caused the employes to go on strike and organize a miners’ union, since then known as Wardner Miners’ union. During those pioneer days in the Coeur d’Alenes laboring men were not plentiful and in order to operate the mines the company was forced to restore miners’ wages to $3.50 per day, and other laborers in the mines to $3.00 per day. This wages schedule continued to 1890, when a demand was made upon this company to pay the same wages to underground men as was being paid by all other companies in the district-namely, $3.50 per day. To this the Bunker Hill and Sullivan company objected and another strike ensued. After two weeks’ suspension the company agreed to pay the prevailing wages of the district.

Peace and tranquility reigned in the district until 1892, when the Mine Owners’ Industrial Protective association reduced wages in all the district from $3.50 per day to $3 and $2.50 per day. This is the reduction which caused the great strike with which the world is familiar.

Gradually the mining companies consented to pay the former wages-$3.50 per day-till every mine in the entire district was paying it.

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Hellraisers Journal: From The Butte Miner: “Strikers at Wardner Attack the Bunker Hill and Sullivan”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Ed Boyce re Manly Blood per Gaboury 1967———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday May 2, 1899
Wardner, Idaho – Miner Jack Smith Killed in Violent Struggle at Coeur d’Alenes

From The Butte Miner of April 30, 1899:

RIOT AND BLOODSHED
—–
Strikers at Wardner Attack the
Bunker Hill and Sullivan.
—–

THE MILL BLOWN UP
—–
Sixty 50-Pound Boxes of Giant Powder Placed
in the Structure and the Charge Fired-
Jack Smith, One of the Leaders of the Rioters,
Killed by Mistake by One of His Own Men.
—–

WFM, Coeur dAlene Struggle, Stt PI p1, May 1, 1899
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
May 1, 1899
—–

Portland, Ore., April 29.-The agent of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation company at 3:30 o’clock this afternoon telegraphed to this city from Wardner, Ida., that the striking miners had fired the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mill and that it was burning. It is claimed that the mine is loaded with dynamite and if this proves true the entire property will be a loss. The striking miners are also reported to be in possession of the Northern Pacific and O. R. and N. trains and in control of the situation. There are about 100 masked men heavily armed at and about the mill and there have been several skirmishes with the authorities, during one of which one man is reported shot. There are fully 800 miners at Wardner. They are forming to go to the mine in a body and drive out the 270 non-union men employed there.

The company has notified the governor of Idaho of the situation and the secretary of state has been dispatched to the scene of the trouble. The governor has promised to do everything in his power to preserve order and prevent bloodshed, but it is believed that unless prompt steps are taken there will be great loss of life and destruction of property.

Since the telegram from the agent was received the strikers have cut the wires and telegraphic communication with Wardner is now cut off.

The present strike in the Coeur d’Alene mining district in northern Idaho was inaugurated about 10 days ago and is directed principally against the Bunker Hill and Sullivan at Wardner, where non-union men are employed. The demands of the miners for increased wages were granted by the owners, but the miners demanded that the union be recognized and that non-union men be discharged. This the mine owners refused to do and the Last Chance mine closed down. The Bunker Hill and Sullivan, however, decided to run with non-union men until today, when they were driven out by union men.

———-

[Newsclip and emphasis added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Chicago IWW Trial: Big Bill Haywood on the Stand, Part I-Mother Jones & Gene Debs in Courtroom

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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We think such people [Plutocrats]
ought to work for what they get.
We do not want to take away what they have,
but we want to prevent them from taking
anything more away from us.
-Big Bill Haywood
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday August 14, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – Haywood Takes the Stand, Part I

Report from Harrison George:

BBH ab 1918, fr Haywood at Chg IWW Trial, GEB

It was 12:30 p. m., [Friday] August 9, when [Defense Attorney] Vanderveer called: “Mr. Haywood.” Reporters broke for the door to release the word that at last William Dudley Haywood, termed by them “Big Bill,” and charged with being “chief conspirator,” had taken the stand in defense of himself and of the organization of which he was the General Secretary-Treasurer. In a few minutes the press table was crowded with writers and cartoonists flocking in to “cover” the story of the big man in the chair. For the major part of four hot days the big man sat there, wiping away perspiration, answering questions with that remarkable memory of his; now smiling, now placid, now and again on cross-examination overawing the petty-souled [Prosecutor] Nebeker, as his heavy voice rose in defiance against the accusers of “The One Big Union.” During those four days the spectators’ benches were full, among the crowd being faces familiar to labor. There were Scott Nearing, Anton Johanssen, “Mother” Jones, and the loved old battler, ‘Gene Debs.

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Hellraisers Journal: Summary of Moyer-Haywood Case From Current Literature: Socialist Press & “Undesirable Citizens”

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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If they hang Moyer and Haywood,
they’ve got to hang me.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday June 8, 1907
Current Literature on Moyer-Haywood Case, Part II

HMP, Gooding Steunenberg, Current Lit June 1907

—–

THE murder of ex-Governor Steunenberg, as viewed by the state authorities of Idaho and by most of the daily papers of the country, came as a sequel to a long series of labor troubles between the miners and the mine-owners of the Coeur d’Alene district in Idaho. This district, twenty-five miles in length and one to five miles wide, contains rich mines of lead. Trouble began in 1892 and continued for seven years, off and on, with all the usual violent accompaniments of a war between labor and capital in a region where the forces of government are none too strong and the leaders on either side none too scrupulous. There were pitched battles between the union men and the non-union men. Dynamite was used to wreck mills, men were assassinated, and on May 8, 1897, the feeling had become so intense that President Boyce, of the Western Federation, advised every local union to organize a rifle corps, “so that in two years we can hear the inspiring music of the martial tread of twenty-five thousand armed men in the ranks of labor.” The trouble reached a climax in April, 1899, when the $250,000 mill of the Bunker Hill Company was destroyed by the miners with dynamite.

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Hellraisers Journal: Harper’s Magazine on the Moyer-Haywood Case: “The Murder Charge at a Labor Union’s Door”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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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, Thursday May 30, 1907
Boise, Idaho – William D. Haywood on Trial for Murder

From Harper’s Weekly of May 25, 1907:


THE MURDER CHARGE AT A
LABOR UNION’S DOOR


BY THE CONFESSION OF ONE OF ITS MEMBERS, THE WESTERN
FEDERATION OF MINERS IS CHARGED WITH HAVING INSTIGATED
TWENTY-SEVEN MURDERS, INCLUDING THE ASSASSINATION, IN 1905,
OF FORMER GOVERNOR STEUNENBERG, OF IDAHO. FOR COMPLICITY
IN THIS CRIME, W. D. HAYWOOD, OF THE FEDERATION’S
“INNER CIRCLE,” IS ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE

HMP, Pettibone Moyer Haywood, AtR, Feb 16, 1907

AN attempt to learn the truth about the most serious charge that ever has been laid at the doors of organized labor is now being made at Boise City, Idaho. William D. Haywood, secretary-treasurer of the Western Federation of Miners, is on trial in the District Court, charged with the murder of Frank Steunenberg, former Governor of Idaho. Two other officers of the Federation are jointly accused, but they will be tried separately. One remarkable fact which provokes arguments for and against the organization is that the evidence upon which Haywood and his associates have been indicted is based upon the confession of a member of the Federation who is reported since to have lost his reason.

The three men charged with conspiracy and murder are Haywood, Charles H. Moyer, President of the Western Federation of Miners, and G. A. Pettibone, formerly a member of the supreme governing body of the organization. These three are men of unusual intelligence and high executive ability.

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Hellraisers Journal: Ida Crouch-Hazlett, Editor of Montana News, Discovers a Socialist Local in Caldwell, Idaho

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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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, Saturday March 16, 1907
Caldwell, Idaho – Editor Crouch-Hazlett on the Scene

The editor of the Montana News is now reporting from the scene of the attempted frame-up of the officials of the Western Federation of Miners, and, to her surprise, she has found an active and effective Local of the Socialist Party in that small western town.

From the Caldwell Socialist of August 18, 1906:

HMP, Waiting by Ryan Walker, Caldwell Socialist of Aug 18, 1906

From the Montana News of March 14, 1907:

Socialist Activity in the Idaho Conspiracy.

[By Ida Crouch-Hazlett]

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Montana News: Ida Crouch-Hazlett in Caldwell, Idaho, Interviews Mrs. Steunenberg

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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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 March 15, 1907
From the Montana News: Ida Crouch-Hazlett Reports From Caldwell

GOV. STEUNENBERG’S WIDOW
—–
Interview by Ida Crouch-Hazlett

Ida Crouch-Hazlett, Socialist, Montana News, Aug 3, 1904

Since the kidnapping case has been put off till the close of Steve Adams’ trial, which is simply the preliminary skirmish of the same conflict, I took the time on March 5 to walk out to the Steunenberg residence, and have a talk with the widow of the bull-pen governor. The house stands at the extreme edge of the little country town of Caldwell, it is modest modern cottage with no signs of great wealth about it, but an air of comfort and indications of sufficient means to cover ample middle class wants. Mrs. Steunenberg is a pleasant-faced, portly woman, short in stature of those general characteristics that are ordinarily called “motherly.” She was not averse to giving any information asked for and indeed seemed to think it her duty to satisfy the public curiosity. She is an ardent adherent of the Adventist faith, and seems to reconcile everything with the idea that it is “God’s will.” She says she knows nothing of papers and politics.

A neighbor who sometimes did little chores about the house was at first arrested for the terrible crime. She always strenuously opposed any suspicion being laid upon this man. She showed me the fragments of clothing that were gathered up about the fatal spot. The largest one was not over six inches long. She said she had formed no opinion as to the perpetrators of the deed, that there were those whose business such matters were and she left everything to them.

The depth of the class struggle between the economic forces of society is nowhere more evident than in this calm, placid woman, who has no idea that her husband’s actions in the brutal Idaho war were anything but necessary and fully justified by the circumstances. The father is looked upon as a martyr to public service, and the young children of which there are four, have each full sets of his pictures. The entire forms of bourgeois thought must be shaken from their adamantine strongholds before even a suspicion of justice can find lodgment in the social consciousness.

The very fact that such a heinous, insensate, cowardly crime should have been laid at the doors of men banded together to better and uplift the conditions of the workers, who have nothing to gain by crimes, but everything to lose, that these men should have been followed so relentlessly by the iron hand of all the machinery that the employing class can use shows the desperate straits to which this robber class will go to maintain the prerogatives and retain the slave.

Men who work, awaken. There is no peace or security for you, except as you arise and give battle for the common rights of all human beings.

IDA CROUCH-HAZLETT.

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