Tag: Commonwealth of Toil

Hellraisers Journal: From the Cook County Jail: the First Prison Poem of Fellow Worker Ralph Chaplin

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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When our cause is all triumphant
And we claim our Mother Earth,
And the nightmare of the present fades away,
We shall live with love and laughter,
We who now are little worth,
And we’ll not regret the price we have to pay.
-Ralph Chaplin

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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday December 2, 1917
From the Cook County Jail, Chicago – A Prison Poem by Ralph Chaplin

Mourn Not The Dead

Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie-
Dust unto dust-
The calm, sweet earth that mothers all who die
As all men must;

Mourn not your captive comrades who must dwell-
Too strong to strive-
Within each steel-bound coffin of a cell,
Buried alive;

But rather mourn the apathetic throng-
The cowed and the meek-
Who see the world’s great anguish and its wrong
And dare not speak!


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Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little & “Agitators” of Butte “Against Everything” Proclaims Company Newspaper

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday July 25, 1917
Butte, Montana – “Agitators” Support Striking Miners

Metal Miners, Butte MT, Mining Artifacts, date unknown

The Anaconda Standard, voice of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, declared recently that the “agitators” of Butte are “against everything.”

Yet the striking miners have made it quite clear exactly what they stand against-i.e., the blacklist (Rustling Card system), long hours, low wages, and unsafe working conditions such as led to the deaths of 168 copper miners in the Speculator Mine Fire Disaster just a few short weeks ago.

From the Anaconda Standard of July 23, 1917:

AGITATORS TALKING AGAINST EVERYTHING
—–

A mass meeting for miners of the Butte district, held last evening at the ball park, was attended by about 2,000 men. All the speakers urged the miners to stay out and said the modifications of the rustling card and the weekly pay day announced by the Anaconda Copper Mining company on Saturday should be disregarded.

Joe Shannon made a fiery speech in which he urged every miner to start picket duty today, and he remarked that the Campbell union [Butte Metal Mine Workers Union] had the “number of every miner now working.”

R. L. Dunn, strike leader of the electricians, who had pledged the miners the electricians would not go back to work until the miners were underground, said the papers had called him an I. W. W. and he would admit it.

[Said Dunn:]

This strike is an expression against the form of society which allows a few to control the wealth of the nation and a protest against the system of society which keeps workingmen from enjoying the comforts and good things of life.

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Hellraisers Journal: Haywood Family in Court and Socialists in Boise by Ida Crouch-Hazlett

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
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Hellraisers Journal, Friday May 17, 1907
For The Montana News: Ida Crouch-Hazlett Reports from Boise

Reporting from Boise, Idaho, on the trial William D. Haywood, Ida Crouch-Hazlett, editor of the Socialist weekly, The Montana News, describes the Haywood family as they appeared in court on May 9th, the first day of the great trial:

Haywood’s Family Present.

Haywood Family Reunited, Boise, Wilkes-Barre Leader, May 10, 1907, Crpd

Mrs. Haywood had been carried up the stairs and into the court room in her invalid chair. She was dressed in black with a white collar at her throat and wore a black hat with a white flower. She was accompanied by her two daughters and nurse. The daughters sat in the same line with Haywood behind the attorneys; first the wife, then Verna, then the nurse with Henrietta on her lap, and then the man on trial for his life.

Haywood was clean shaved, well dressed and looked in the best of condition. His face held an expression of confidence that showed that his mind was not greatly disturbed.

As he sat down by the side of his daughter, Haywood placed his hand fondly upon her head and the two exchanged quick, loving smiles. Then he glanced over toward his wife and the two exchanged similar smiles. A moment later Haywood leaned over and began talking earnestly with Attorney Richardson. He was apparently asking some important questions and his attorney nodded vigorously at intervals. Then Haywood said some thing that caused them both to laugh heartily.

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Seattle Union Record: Charles Ashleigh Exposes Waterfront “Bomb Plot” Bunk

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday February 22, 1917
Seattle, Washington – News from Everett Prisoners’ Defense

From the Seattle Union Record of February 17th:

TRIAL WILL BE HELD IN SEATTLE
—-
Change of Venue From Snohomish County Is Granted
-Waterfront “Bomb Plot” Blows Up
-Help Needed
—–

By CHARLES ASHLEIGH

Moore & Vanderveer, Attorneys Everett Defense

The application of our attorneys for a change of venue from Snohomish County was heard February 9, in Everett, before Judge Ronald. Moore and Vanderveer had filed a mass of evidence showing great prejudice in the county against the defendants and the working-class movement generally. The prosecution did not attempt to rebut the dozens of affidavits of prejudice submitted by the defense and the judge thereupon granted a change of venue to King County, of which Seattle is the county seat.

There is a certain amount of advantage accruing to the change of venue to Seattle, according to most comment. Upon the list of the prosecution’s witnesses are Everett bank managers, cashiers, the most prominent money-lender of the town, and others of financial importance. This means that the jury would be chary of rendering a decision which would discredit the statements of persons to whom probably a number or the jurors would owe money or to whom they would be in some manner obligated. But that does not hold good in a city such as Seattle. A little Everett bank manager would cut merely an inconsiderable figure there. In Everett he would be a large toad in a small puddle, in Seattle, he would be a very little toad in a big puddle.

Press Tries to Arouse Prejudice

The same day as the change of venue was granted, the Post-Intelligencer and The Times of Seattle came out with a frothy story about a “bomb outrage” which, they alleged, was the work of the I. W. W. A little explosion was noted on the roof of the building in which is the office of the Waterfront Employers’ Union, an Open-Shop organization on the water-front. It seems that the “explosion” was probably caused by a fire-cracker thrown out of the window of a neighboring building. The papers reported Mr. Wollen, assistant-manager of the Employers’ Union, and the police, as attributing the affair to the I. W. W. and other “disgruntled”-by which they mean class-conscious-water-front workers.

A representative of the labor press was immediately sent out to investigate the truth of the matter and it turned out that the bosses’ sheets of Seattle had been spinning some of their usual wholecloth. Manager Becker, of the waterfront Employers, said, referring to the press stories: “You may quote me as saying the stories are bunk!” Assistant-Manager Wollen, whom the papers credit with the statement that the “outrage” was perpetrated by the Industrial Workers, said: “I never said anything about an attempt on my life. I said the whole thing was a Chinese New Year’s joke and laughed it off.” Chief of Police Beckingham said he knew nothing about any police theory connecting it with the workers. “The papers will say anything to arouse prejudice against the I. W. W.,” said the chief.

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