Hellraisers Journal: From the Appeal to Reason: Wayland for Debs Campaign; Colorado Republicans; Georgia Democrats

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Quote EVD, Prosperity, LW p1, July 1, 1919—————

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday September 6, 1904
Comrade Wayland Supports Debs Campaign vs Republicans and Democrats

From the Appeal to Reason of Sept 3, 1904:

Comrade Wayland Does His Part for Socialist Candidates

In this week’s Appeal to Reason, Editor J. A. Wayland  describes how he has been working, on his own time, for the Socialist Party candidates and asks the Appeal Army to do the same:

EVD n Hanford for Pres SPA, AtR p6, Sept 3, 1904

WILL YOU HELP
———-

Last week I rode sixty-five miles, circulating Appeals and pamphlets, about Girard [Kansas]. One evening after work I made twenty miles and left an Appeal and two pamphlets at every farm house. Don’t feel to dignified to do such work, and the most humble can do it and by it do just as effective work as the most brilliant speakers. I intend to keep this up during the entire campaign, giving fresh literature at each covering of the same roads. I do this after my day’s work in the office is done. Ten thousand men doing this two or fours hours a week would make a tremendous breach in capitalism this fall.

J. A. WAYLAND

Good Christians of Colorado Fear Growth of Socialism

The Appeal to Reason reports that ministers throughout Colorado have been receiving the following letter:

Letter re Socialism v Christianity by Rev, AtR p2, Sept 3, 1904

The above letter was written to a New Castle, Colo., minister. A similar letter was sent to every minister in the state of Colorado. You will note that it is written on stationery furnished and paid for by the people of Colorado. It is by this means that the ruling class hope to further enslave the working class. The Mine Owners’ Association and the Citizens’ Alliance are flooding Colorado with literature in a vain attempt to stem the tide which they realize will soon engulf them. The Rev. Mr. Malone is very much afraid that Socialism will sweep aside the time honored institution of private property-and by private property in this case the gentleman has reference to the great productive properties of the state-the mines-the railroads-the mills and factories. Mr. Malone is right. Socialism proposes to destroy private property in these things, which are essential to the collective welfare and vest the title in society collectively. Exploitation will then cease.

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for April 1902: Found Speaking in Streator, Illinois, at Celebration of Eight-Hour Work Day

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Quote Mother Jones, Elect Labor Reps, Streator IL Dly Prs p1, Apr 3, 1902—————

Hellraisers Journal – Friday May 9, 1902
Mother Jones News Round-Up for April 1902
Found Speaking in Streator, Illinois, at Celebration of Eight-Hour Day

From the Streator Daily Free Press of April 2, 1902:

EIGHT-HOUR WORK DAY.
———-
Various Labor Unions Are Celebrating
Its Fifth Anniversary.

Mother Jones, Ipl Ns p11, Jan 21, 1902

The fifth anniversary of the establishment of the eight-hour work day in Streator is being celebrated here today, and an excellent program has been prepared for the occasion by the committee having the affair in charge. Owing to the very disagreeable weather the attendance from the surrounding towns is not as large as was hoped for, although there is a goodly sprinkling of visitors in the city, many of them coming in on the noon trains to hear the addresses in the opera house this afternoon by a number of distinguished speakers.

Among these are “Mother” Jones, of Pennsylvania, and she entertained a constant stream of callers at the Plumb House this morning…..

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[Photograph added]

From the Streator Daily Free Press of April 3, 1902:

CELEBRATION A SUCCESS.
———-
Large Audience Hear Addresses
by Good Speakers.
———-

Mr. Chipperfield Talks Against Convict Labor-“Mother” Jones Tells of Conditions in West Virginia, and What Must Be Done There-Secretary Ryan Says Illinois Miners Can Expect No Increase in Scale Until West Virginia is Brought Into Line.

———-

When our report of the celebration of the eight-hour day anniversary closed yesterday Mr. Chipperfield, of Canton Ill., was speaking. He said that great problems confronted the United Mine Workers organization. Among those were the Chinese and convict labor questions. The Chinese exclusion bills should receive the hearty support of the organization. and it should see that the congressmen from this state voted for them. Convict contract labor is also a menace to free labor, and the constitution is violated when such contracts are entered into…..

The speaker closed with a eulogy of the organization, and when the applause ceased the chairman introduced “Mother Jones, who was given a most cordial welcome. She is a gray-haired woman of probably fifty years of age, and is possessed of a fire and spirit which makes her a power among the men in whose cause she is a timeless worker.

“Mother” Jones said that there was one great problem to be settled today, and that was the labor problem. It was an old one, and efforts had been made in olden times to settle it. Labor had always made the advancing step to better conditions. It had lined up its army time and again, and although the arm of the government had been against it in many ways, labor had marched on and upward until the time had come to settle the question forever.

The declaration of independence was the opening wedge to labor. If any class is entitled to enjoy the luxuries of life, it is the laboring class, for it makes them all. If it was not for labor there would be no luxuries. She told of the awful condition prevailing in the mining districts in West Virginia. where men and children work ten, twelve and fourteen hours in the mines, and the scale was a low one. It was that field which made it impossible for the miners of other states to get the scale increased, as the operators there can sell coal so much cheaper than the operators of Illinois. Now, said the speaker, if you will furnish ammunition we will make the fight and bring the miners up with you.

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Hellraisers Journal: Modern-Day Slavery, American Style: Convicts Sold to Highest Bidder, Dice Thrown for First Choice

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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, Monday January 31, 1898
Albion, Florida – “Great Annual Sale of Convict Labor”

From The San Francisco Call of January 30, 1898:

Headline Convict Sale Florida, SF Call, Jan 30, 1898

Great Annual Convict Sale Florida Crpd, SF Call, Jan 30, 1898

Convicts Sold in Florida, SF Call, Jan 30, 1898

After a fashion slavery still exists In the United States! Only the other day at Albion, Fla., 430 men, women and children were sold into a bondage worse than death, and the State of Florida to-day is richer by $21,000.

To be sure, these poor wretches were convicts, and had broken the laws. But they were none the less human beings. You might have had some difficulty in realizing this could you have seen them as I saw them in all the misery of their hopeless, squalid dejection. And they were bought, body and soul, for the period of one year. The State sold them to four contractors, who had made the highest bids. Next year they will hare other masters.

They have no penitentiary in Florida, and so the convicts are sold into slavery. To build penitentiaries means the expenditure of money, and this the legislators are not willing to vote for, even were the property owners willing to be thus taxed. So the State of Florida, instead of providing accommodations for its criminals, derives a pecuniary benefit from a form of traffic which is appalling in this age of civilization and in this land of the free.

It isn’t called slavery in Florida. There is no auctioneer to cry: “How much am I offered for this man?” There is no bidding and raising of bids. The bidding has already been done to the State officials, and the entire lot has been knocked down to the highest bidders. Oh, no, it is not the selling of slaves, they will tell you. The scene I witnessed was merely the “annual division.”

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Hellraisers Journal: Men, Women, and Children Sold to Highest Bidder at Auction in West Palm Beach, Florida

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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, Sunday January 23, 1898
West Palm Beach, Florida – On Sale:  Men, Women, and Children 

From The San Francisco Call of January 7, 1898:

Convicts Sold as Slaves in Florida, SF Call, Jan 7, 1898

 

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