Tag: Deputized Company Gunthugs

Hellraisers Journal: George P West on Mesabi Iron Range Strike: 1000 Gunthugs Deputized by Sheriff Meining

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Hellraisers Journal: Thursday September 7, 1916
International Socialist Review: George P. West on Minnesota Strike

THE MESABA STRIKE
By GEORGE P. WEST

masonovich-p-m-boarders-isr-sept-1916

The following are extracts from a report on the strike of iron miners now in progress on the Mesaba range in northern Minnesota which has been submitted to the Committee on Industrial Relations by George P. West, author of the report of the United States Commission on Industrial Relations on the Colorado strike. It is based on a field investigation.

The City of Duluth, the County of St. Louis, and the State of Minnesota, as represented by Governor Burnquist and other public officials, have joined hands in a relentless effort to crush out the strike of 15,000 iron miners now in progress on the Mesaba range, 70 miles north of Duluth.

With the support and good will of the United States Steel Corporation and affiliated interests as the stake, Governor Burnquist, Sheriff John R. Meining of Duluth, County Prosecutor Green and the Duluth Chief of Police are playing at ducks and drakes with the most sacred rights of the foreign workmen who mine the ore that goes down to the ships at Duluth for shipment to the Pittsburgh mills.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: George P West on Mesabi Iron Range Strike: 1000 Gunthugs Deputized by Sheriff Meining” →

Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part II

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 31, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota – “Injustices, Large and Small”

From The Outlook of August 30, 1916:

THE MINING STRIKE IN MINNESOTA
-FROM THE MINERS’ POINT OF VIEW

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE OUTLOOK
[Report of Mary Heaton Vorse, Part II]

Mary Heaton Vorse, 1874-1966, Spartacus Ed

Under the contract system, the miner contracts to mine ore for a certain price a car load. The price of this car-load may be, and is, varied at any time according to the conditions encountered. It is the mine captain who fixes the price. According to the miners, it has been the custom to sell the best places for prices varying from the virtue of the miners’ wives and daughters to presents of drinks and cigars. So universal is this custom that any reference to the graft of the captain is received in any meeting of miners by laughter and applause.

There are at present in the hands of the Federal investigators affidavits sworn to before a notary public concerning all these forms of grafts, from insulting propositions made to the women of miners’ families to affidavits that drinks or money were paid for the job.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part I

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday August 30, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota – “A Fierce and Important Struggle”

From The Outlook: Report of Mary Heaton Vorse, Part I:

THE MINING STRIKE IN MINNESOTA
-FROM THE MINERS’ POINT OF VIEW

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE OUTLOOK

March, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916

ONE of the most sinister aspects of life in this country is the failure of the serious and thinking people to obtain prompt information about the various industrial struggles and to get at the causes which are at the root of our industrial unrest.

Since June 3 a strike has been waged on the Mesaba Range, Minnesota, whose largest single owner is the Oliver Iron Mining Company, an arm of the Steel Trust. This strike has affected the life, not only of the twelve thousand miners employed on the Range, but of ten towns and villages from Aurora to Hibbing, a distance of sixty miles. The strike has been characterized by the prompt deputizing of a large force of gunmen, numbering, according to Sheriff J. R. Meining, of Duluth, over a thousand; more, according to residents of the Range towns.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mary Heaton Vorse on the Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike in Minnesota, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: Flynn, Vorse, and Women’s Welfare League Fight for Wives of Striking Miners

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
Share

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday August 29, 1916
Virginia, Minnesota – Mrs. Masonovitch Held in County Jail

From the Duluth Labor World of August 26, 1916:

STUDY CONDITIONS OF MINERS WIVES
—–
Women’s Welfare League Would Relieve
Suffering In Strike Zone.
—–

Masonovitch, Militza & Phillip, ISR, Nov 1916

VIRGINIA, Aug. 26.-Mrs. L. A. Hamlin of St. Paul, a member of the executive board of the Women’s Welfare league of that city, visited in Virginia and Biwabik recently, making an investigation of the strike conditions for the St. Paul club and for the charities and correction committee of the Minnesota Federation of Women’s Clubs, of which Mrs. V. F. Kinney of Minneapolis is chairman.

Mrs. Hamlin is making the investigation for the purpose of reporting on the manner in which the women of the range are treated, especially by the special deputy sheriffs employed by the mining companies. The women’s Welfare league was recently addressed by Miss Elizabeth Gurley Flynn of the I. W. W. and Marie Heaton Vorst [Mary Heaton Vorse], who visited on the range to secure news of the strike for Harper’s magazine and other eastern publications.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Flynn, Vorse, and Women’s Welfare League Fight for Wives of Striking Miners” →

Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part II

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Hellraisers Journal, Monday August 28, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota-Strike Investigators on the Scene

From The Survey of August 26, 1916:

MN Iron Miners Strike, Recruiting, Cothren, Survey, Aug 26, 1916

When Strike-Breakers Strike
The Demands of the Miners on the Mesaba Range
By Marion B. Cothren
[Part II]

The crux of the trouble, is the demand of the underground miners, for a minimum of $3 for dry work and $3.50 for wet. The underground men are paid either by the foot or by the carload, the rate depending upon the quality of the ore mined and conditions of work—hard and wet mining for instance bringing more than soft ore and dry mining. Thus, although the captain (boss) of the mine agrees beforehand upon the rate to be given a miner, this contract price may be changed from time to time as the character of the ore changes.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: On the Mesabi, “When Strike-Breakers Strike” by Marion B Cothren, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part II

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Wednesday August 2, 1916
The Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Iron Miners Speak Out

From this month’s edition of the International Socialist Review:

Red Girls, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part I

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

Tuesday August 1, 1916
The Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Miners Ruled by Deputized Gunthugs

From this month’s edition of the International Socialist Review:

Parade, Mesabi, Marcy, ISR Aug 1916
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “The Iron Heel on the Mesaba Range” by Leslie H. Marcy, Illustrated by George Dawson, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: Attorney Keyes Describes Arrests of Strike Leaders Without Warrants All Along the Mesabi

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Wednesday July 26, 1916
From The Labor World: “Facts Regarding Strike,” Part II

From the Duluth Labor World of July 22nd:

FACTS REGARDING STRIKE BECLOUDED
—–

Duluth Attorney Scores Mining Company Police,
Courts and Daily Press.
—–
LEADERS ARRESTED WITHOUT GOOD CAUSE
—–
Fate of Republic Hangs Upon Settlement
of Trouble on Range, He Says.
—–

John Arnold Keyes, Labor World, Sep 12, 1896

The real facts concerning the strike of the miners on the Mesaba range have been beclouded by misrepresentation and much prejudice aroused against the miners according to Attorney John A. Keyes of Duluth, who is acting as counsel for some of the leaders who have been placed under arrest. Mr. Keyes denounces the mining corporation police, the “gunmen” as termed by the miners, and the courts and daily press in part. Stories from the range have been highly colored Mr. Keyes declares, and so for the sake of justice, he has made the following statement regarding the cause and development of the strike and conditions up to the present time [Part II of statement by Attorney Keyes]:

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Attorney Keyes Describes Arrests of Strike Leaders Without Warrants All Along the Mesabi” →

Hellraisers Journal: Attorney Keyes Speaks Out on Behalf of Mesabi Range Strikers and I. W. W. Leaders, Scores Company Police

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Tuesday July 25, 1916
From The Labor World: “Facts Regarding Strike,” Part I


FACTS REGARDING STRIKE BECLOUDED
—–


Duluth Attorney Scores Mining Company Police,
Courts and Daily Press.
—–
LEADERS ARRESTED WITHOUT GOOD CAUSE
—–
Fate of Republic Hangs Upon Settlement
of Trouble on Range, He Says.
—–

John Arnold Keyes, Labor World, Sep 12, 1896

The real facts concerning the strike of the miners on the Mesaba range have been beclouded by misrepresentation and much prejudice aroused against the miners according to Attorney John A. Keyes of Duluth, who is acting as counsel for some of the leaders who have been placed under arrest. Mr. Keyes denounces the mining corporation police, the “gunmen” as termed by the miners, and the courts and daily press in part. Stories from the range have been highly colored Mr. Keyes declares, and so for the sake of justice, he has made the following statement regarding the cause and development of the strike and conditions up to the present time [Part I of statement by Attorney Keyes]:

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Attorney Keyes Speaks Out on Behalf of Mesabi Range Strikers and I. W. W. Leaders, Scores Company Police” →

Hellraisers Journal: The Duluth Labor World Blames Deputized Company Gunthugs for Violence on the Range

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

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

Sunday July 16, 1916
The Duluth Labor World Shows Surprising Support for I. W. W.

MN Miners Strike, Get Out IWW, Cartoon, DNT, July 6, 1916

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: The Duluth Labor World Blames Deputized Company Gunthugs for Violence on the Range” →