Tag: Economic Crisis of 1908

Hellraisers Journal: Ben Hanford on the Republican Party, Bill Taft, and the Unemployed: “Go and Eat Grass!”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

The unemployed were clubbed by the police
under republican Mayor Busse in Chicago
and under democratic Mayor McClellan in New York.
-Ben Hanford, 1908
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday June 28, 1908
Chicago, Illinois – Republican Party to Unemployed: “Go and eat grass!”

From the Socialist Montana News of June 25, 1908:

Ben Hanford and Republicans
—–

“GO AND EAT GRASS” IS ADVICE.
—–
Socialist Candidate for Vice President
Scores Hypocrisy and Vulgarity
of Wall Street’s Recent Convention.
—–

SPA, Ben Hanford, VP Candidate, AtR p4, May 23, 1908

“Go and Eat Grass!”

“If the people have no bread, why don’t they eat cake?”

So says the national convention of the republican party to the more than five million unemployed men in the United States. What sweet consolation to them and the twenty millions of people dependent on them.

We are a prosperous people, declared the leaders of the convention.

We have wealth to the value of $110,000,000,000, more than one quarter of all the wealth on earth.

We make more than one-third of the world’s modern manufactured products.

The republican convention was opened each day with prayer, and by a different clergyman—but there is no evidence that it was closed with a benediction.

The delegates considered themselves “the people”, and therefore they could truly say “the people” were prosperous. It was a convention of lawyers, office holders and millionaires. Why shouldn’t Senator Burrows be prosperous? For thirty-nine years he has drawn pay from a city, county, state or national treasury. Why shouldn’t Senator Lodge be prosperous? He graduated from Harvard Law School thirty-three years ago, and has been fed at the public crib for twenty-five of the years since past. These worthies fear lest socialism would “have the nation own the people.”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Ben Hanford on the Republican Party, Bill Taft, and the Unemployed: “Go and Eat Grass!”” →

Hellraisers Journal: Appeal to Reason Defends Robert Hunter, Now Under Attack by Police Chief of New York

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

Quote re Hunger March, Jewish Daily Forward of Mar 28, NYT p3 Mar 29, 1908

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

Hellraisers Journal: Monday April 13, 1908
New York, New York – Robert Hunter Blamed for Bombing

The unemployed, and those who stand up for them, are to blame for a bomb thrown by a murderous criminal unconnected with them, this according to the Police Force of New York City. The actual crime of the protesting unemployed men, women and children was, apparently, their failure to starve silently and in an orderly manner.

From the Appeal to Reason of April 11, 1908:

Robert Hunter.
—–

Robert Hunter, Painting by Sergeant Kendall, The Critic, Jan 1905

In his address to the public following the breaking up of the meeting of the unemployed in Union Square, New York, Police Commissioner Bingham assumed an insolent and pompous attitude toward the working class. He served notice that the was going to deal with such meetings hereafter with an “iron hand.” We have heard such talk before. There is nothing in it.

Bingham goes on to defend the police. Of course. The police acted under his orders. Thousands of eye-witnesses declare that the police acted with unspeakable brutality in riding rough shod over the people and clubbing them without mercy. Hundreds who were unable to escape from the crowd bear the marks of the outrageous and unprovoked assaults of the police hirelings. Of course the police were not to blame, and of course Bingham comes to their rescue and defends them. The police were the mere tools in the hands of such politicians as Bingham.

Among other things, Bingham took occasion to misrepresent Comrade Robert Hunter and place him in a false light before the people. We happen to personally know Comrade Hunter and to have known him from his childhood. There is no gentler, kindlier, more considerate soul. Nor at the same time one more courageous. His heart throbbed in sympathy with the thousands of the unemployed. With all the passion of his noble nature he yearned to serve them, to comfort them. And so he was to speak to them on that fateful day when the blue-coated Cossacks swooped down upon the hungry hordes and scattered them with as little mercy as if they had been so many tarantulas. Robert Hunter did not speak. He had no chance to speak. But he was blamed for the trouble because he sympathized with the unfortunates; because he did not have a heart of stone.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Appeal to Reason Defends Robert Hunter, Now Under Attack by Police Chief of New York” →

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for February 1908-Part 1, Found Speaking to the Unemployed in Cincinnati

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

Quote Mother Jones, Over produce and UE, Cnc Pst p3, Feb 3, 1908

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday March 8, 1908
-Mother Jones News Round-Up for February 1908, Part 1:
–Found Speaking to Unemployed in Cincinnati, Fort Wayne & Racine

On March 2nd Mother Jones was found speaking to the unemployed in Cincinnati, where, it was reported, she was met by an enthusiastic audience.

From the Cincinnati Post of February 3, 1908:

MOTHER JONES STIRS HEARERS
—–

Mother Jones, Fort Worth Telegram, Apr 26, 1907

Have you ever stopped to think that for the $12, $15 or $18 you have been earning each week for the past five or ten years, you have been producing for the man who employed you four or five times that sum?

-was the question asked an enthusiastic audience of 1500 at Central Turner Hall Sunday [March 2nd] by “Mother” Jones, Socialist worker.

Did you know that he has been stocking up for years the overplus of your production, so that he can make a clean profit from it without the expense of paying you wages?

———-

[Photograph added.]

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for February 1908-Part 1, Found Speaking to the Unemployed in Cincinnati” →