Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: Ruling Class Violence & the Lawless Month of August 1917

9th September 2017 Janet RayeHellraisers Journal

Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 9, 1917
From the International Socialist Review – Month of Lawlessness

During the month of August of this year, the Ruling Class was particularly violent in its drive to keep the Working Class under its firm control. The latest edition of the Review makes plain that there is one law for rulers of industry and another for those they rule.

Cover: International Socialist Review, September 1917:

———-

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: Ruling Class Violence & the Lawless Month of August 1917” →

Hellraisers Journal: Federal Government Passive as Miner Owners Establish Industrial Despotism in Bisbee

28th August 2017 Janet RayeHellraisers Journal

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday August 28, 1917
Bisbee, Arizona – Deputized Company Gunthugs Control City

From the Appeal to Reason of August 25, 1917:

The Truth About Bisbee

—–

—–

Bisbee, Ariz., has not formally seceded from the Union, but the mining companies of that district have set up an independent sovereignty-an industrial despotism-in utter defiance of American laws and the rights of American citizens. In the presence of this organized outlawry of capitalism, the great government of the United States remains passive and idle. Official Washington has virtually ignored the situation in Bisbee, just as it ignored the outrages in West Virginia and in Colorado and in a score of other places where capitalistic despotism sought to crush the workers. In connection with the Bisbee trouble it is interesting to note that one of the leading mining corporations of that district is the Phelps Dodge Company, and to recall that Cleveland H. Dodge, vice president of the Phelps Dodge Company, was a heavy contributor to the Democratic national campaign fund. A full and disinterested account of the happenings in Bisbee is given by the San Francisco Bulletin in a personal interview with Thomas McGuinness, a real estate dealer of Bisbee. The following is Mr. McGuinness’ story:

—–

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Federal Government Passive as Miner Owners Establish Industrial Despotism in Bisbee” →

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for July 1917, Part II: Found in West Virginia & Washington, DC

18th August 2017 Janet RayeHellraisers Journal

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday August 18, 1917
Mother Jones News for July, Part II: Organizing West Virginia

From the United Mine Workers Journal of July 12, 1917:

The following was published as an advertisement in the The Beckley (West Virginia) Messenger of July 10, 1917, but without the final paragraph.

“Mother” Jones’ Refreshing Experience

“Mother” Jones had a most refreshing experience at a great meeting of the miners at Quinnimont, West Virginia, on the 14th day of June. The Layland mines, where the meeting was held, is owned by the Berwin-White Coal Company, and a large number of men are employed at this place. It is in the very heart of the mountainous New River coal fields. In the years gone by this section has been a veritable Gibraltar of the foes of unionism, and armed guards have patrolled the works of the companies looking for those who were trying to carry the message of unionism to the miners of this section. Happily, this condition has passed away in many parts of this field, and the private gunman is being driven farther and farther back into the remote mountain fastnesses.

The refreshing part of the Layland meeting was the manner and spirit in which Mr. O. A. Kneer, the superintendent of the Berwin-White Coal Company received the visit of “Mother” Jones. Instead of following the tactics of some of the less enlightened companies and forbidding “Mother” holding a meeting at the mines, he told the miners to go to the meeting, and was present himself. After the meeting was over he said it was one of the best addresses he had ever heard. Having an open mind and the spirit of fair play, he was ready to meet the miners half way and deal with them as men with rights.

If all the coal companies were enlightened enough to show the same spirit, the coal fields of the country would not so often be the scene of bitter industrial struggles. Mr. O. A. Kneer, by his fairness and good will, has done much to bring peace between the miners and operators in that section. His attitude is commended to the companies who think to crush the miners by private armies of gunmen. There is nothing that appeals to the average miner so much as fair play.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for July 1917, Part II: Found in West Virginia & Washington, DC” →

Hellraisers Journal: Bisbee Deportee, Attorney W. B. Cleary, Issues Statement from Hermanas, New Mexico

16th July 201716th July 2017 Janet RayeHellraisers Journal

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Monday July 16, 1917
From Hermanas, New Mexico – W. B. Cleary Speaks

Bisbee Deportation Miners and Supporters July 12, 1917

—–

In a statement issued from Hermanas, New Mexico, where the miners and their supporters, deported from the Bisbee district of Arizona, were left stranded at 3 a. m. on July 13, Attorney W. B. Cleary said in part:

About 5 o’clock in the morning of the 12th a rounding-up of the men on strike began. The strikers were members of the I. W. W. and the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. Men from Bisbee, Lowell, Warren, and Douglas, and the county adjacent thereto, to the number of 2,200, mostly armed with rifles and revolvers and some with clubs, assisted in the work of the round-up. Some of the miners were treated without any show of violence by the men taking them from their homes, while in other instances the men were forced at the point of a gun to leave their homes, and in many instances their wives and families.

They were herded by gunmen with an automobile which carried a machine gun. This machine gun was trained on the miners….

The men were entrained on twenty-four cars waiting on a siding near the park. Cattle cars and box cars were used for this purpose. About noon the train was started toward New Mexico. On top of each car were a large number of armed guards and along the railroad track for miles the train was accompanied by automobiles with men holding guns fixed upon the railroad cars.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Bisbee Deportee, Attorney W. B. Cleary, Issues Statement from Hermanas, New Mexico” →