Hellraisers Journal – Saturday March 16, 1912 Washington, D. C. – Lawrence Children Appear Before House Committee
From the Everett Labor Journal of March 15, 1912:
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(Republished from Los Angeles Citizen.)
“The chill hand of charity” got a severe slap a few days ago when Congressman Victor Berger grabbed a bill from a hat that was being passed for the benefit of the child textile strikers from Lawrence, Mass., who appeared before the house committee on rules, and hurled it into the face of its donor, J. H. Cox, a mill owner of Lawrence.
“We don’t want your money; it’s blood money,” cried Berger, indignantly. “We’ll take care of our own without your help.”
If it were possible to Bergerize the public conscience and cast the frown of public disapproval on the Cox kind of charity—the bribe of industrial bandits to satisfy society—Lawrence episodes would become less frequent.
In the same room in which only a month or so ago Andrew Carnegie complained bitterly because he had been paid only $320,000,000 for his properties by the steel corporation; where Judge Gary confided to a committee from congress that the steel trust had $75,000,000 in cash always ready to meet an emergency, child strikers in the mills at Lawrence laid bare their scars to pitying congressmen.
Presented by Representative Berger as an exhibit of what “one of the most highly protected industries in America does to human life by which it is served,” thirteen sallow-cheeked, thin-lipped, hollow-eyed, poorly-clad children, and six adults marched up Pennsylvania avenue and filed solmenly into the capitol.
In the room where attendants hurried to wait upon the smallest wish of Carnegie, Gary and Schwab, nobody had arranged for the comfort of these “exhibits” and they stood along the wall until Representative Henry, accompanied by his own little son, of eight, took pity on their plight.
“Get chairs for these children,” commanded Judge Henry. “Arrange them any way you want and take your time,” he added to Mr. Berger.
Before the witnesses began Chairman Wilson of the committee on labor pleaded for a federal investigation on the ground that in refusing to permit children to leave Lawrence several days ago the state authorities had violated the federal law.
Hellraisers Journal – Sunday May 8, 1921 Bogalusa, Louisiana – Widows of Murdered Union Men Seek Measure of Justice
From the Duluth Labor World of May 7, 1921:
COURT FINALLY TELLS MOBBERS TO FACE TRIAL ———- Southern Lumber Company and Its Agents Must Answer for Murder of Union Men. ———-
The New York Times November 23, 1919
NEW ORLEANS. May 5.—After resorting to technicalities for 18 months Federal Judge Foster has ordered the city of Bogalusa, the Great Southern Lumber company and other persons sued for damages as the result of killings at Bogalusa, in November [22nd], 1919, to stop fighting for delay and get ready for trial. It will probably be another year before the mobbers will be placed on the witness stand and forced to tell of their connection with the murder of several trade unionists and the attempted lynching of Sol Dacus, influential negro in Bogalusa, who urged fellow negro workers to stand with the white workers in the mill strike of that year.
The suits were started by the widows of the mudered unionists. In the case of George Williams the charge is made that he was beaten nearly to death because he refused to quit his business of draying and return work in the mill.
The widows charge that their husbands were killed for the “sole purpose of destroying organized labor” in Bogalusa, and that the company sounded the mill’s siren whistle to assemble the mob.
The mob first went to the home of Dacus, but the negro hid in the swamp, and with the aid of white workers made his way to New Orleans and later to Gulfport, Miss. When the mob failed to find Dacus his home was demolished, his family terrified and $1,300 worth of war savings stamps stolen.
Hellraisers Journal – Monday November 22, 1920 Leavenworth, Kansas – Hulet M. Wells Released from Prison
From the Everett Labor Journal of November 19, 1920:
HULET M. WELLS IS AT LIBERTY —————
WASHINGTON, D C, Nov. 16.-Hulet M. Wells, former president of the Seattle Central Labor Council, sentenced to prison by the Seattle federal court for alleged seditious utterances in opposing the draft act, was released from Leavenworth prison on November 13 under order of immediate commutation of the remainder of his sentence.
The formal order for his release was signed today by Attorney General Palmer.
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Wells, after two trials, was sentenced to serve two years in the federal penitentiary following his conviction in the local district court on a charge of having violated the military law of the United States. He began serving his sentence at McNeil Island in June, 1919, and about one year ago was transferred to the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kan.
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[Photograph and emphasis added.]
Note: Hulet Wells was convicted in March of 1918 but did not begin serving his sentence until June of 1919 when all appeals were exhausted.
Hellraisers Journal – Saturday February 13, 1909
Silk Mills of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Region Investigated
From the Everett Labor Journal of February 11, 1909:
DISGUISED AS FACTORY GIRLS
That actual knowledge might be obtained of the conditions in the factories two graduates of Bryn Mawr College prominent in social circles in Philadelphia, Miss Fanny T. Cochran and Miss Florence L. Sanville, found employment in silk mills of the anthracite region of Pennsylvania.
In the itinerary of three weeks these college girls visited sixteen towns, and when the days’ work was done went home with the girls with whom they toiled and got glimpses into their life and the influences that surround them. The project was planned by Miss Cochran and Miss Sanville without consulting their friends.
This work was performed in the interest of the child labor bill, which has been prepared at the instance of the Consumers’ League, of which both young women are members and, of which Miss Sanville is executive secretary.
[Said Miss Cochran:]
What we wanted to get at was these four things: First, the workers; second, the wages paid; third, the hours of employment, and fourth, the environment of the girls in the factory. We visited twenty-eight factories, and in many of them the conditions were very bad.
About 60 per cent of the silk throwing mills are in the Pennsylvania anthracite region, and this is due to the cheap labor obtainable. I could not help being impressed by the youth of most of the girls. Most of them were under twenty years of age.
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 – Sunday January 5, 1919
Everett, Washington – Trades Council to Send Delegate to Chicago
From the Everett Labor Journal of January 3, 1919:
EVERETT’S ORGANIZED LABOR ELECTS
DELEGATE TO CHICAGO
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Big Meeting of Trades Unionists Last Wednesday
Night at Red Men’s Wigwam.
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Wednesday, January 1, 1919.
The Council was called to order at the usual time by President Gulley.
The Trades Council, having invited the membership of the several trades unions in the city to meet with it a larger hall was necessary and the Red Men’s Hall was secured for the occasion.
Members of nearly all the unions were in attendance and a large meeting was the result.
There were present President Short and ex-President Marsh of the Washington State Federation of Labor, which added zest to the meeting.
Bro. Short addressed the meeting briefly, calling special attention to conditions existing in California growing out of the Mooney case and then discussed the subject of reconstruction. He said the nation had entered the war in a state of unpreparedness and had “made good” in helping to destroy autocracy, but was now confronted by as serious a problem in the reconstruction made necessary by changed conditions. This new problem would tax the deepest thought of the greatest minds in the country and its solution would require all the wisdom, and experience of the people. Relating to the proposed strike in defense of Mooney and his co-defendants he said it was ill-advised. It lacked organization as to its national significance. If there should be a strike it should be confined to the State of California where the trouble lay. Industrially and politically California was so strongly organized by the corporation employers of labor that united effort must be put forth to crush that opposition to the welfare of the workers.
California was the offender and to California should be applied |the drastic remedy implied by a general strike. If a nation-wide strike were necessary there must needs be nation-wide preparation for it if success in the use of this last weapon of labor’s defense be made successful…..
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 November 29, 1918
Sacramento, California – Life of Brother Mooney to be Spared
From the San Francisco Chronicle of November 29, 1918:
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Governor, in Decision,
Refuses to Recognize
Case as Representing
Clash of Capital and Labor
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ACTION INFLUENCED BY
APPEALS FROM WILSON
—–
Convicted Man No True Friend
of Working Class,
Statement Says;
Matter Decided on Merits
—–
Sacramento, November 28,-The death sentence of Thomas J. Mooney was commuted to life imprisonment today by Governor William D. Stephens. Mooney, convicted of the Preparedness parade bomb murders in San Francisco July 22, 1916, was sentenced to be hanged at San Quentin Prison December 13.
In announcing his decision governor Stephens asserts the case does not represent a clash between capital and labor. He characterizes as “absurd” propaganda that would make Mooney appear as a martyr to the cause of labor, and indicates that this action was influenced by two telegraphic appeals from President Wilson which urged commutation of sentence for international reasons….
Hellraisers Journal, Friday October 5, 1917
New York, New York – I. W. W. Leaders Will Fight Extradition
From the Everett Labor Journal of October 5, 1917:
WELL KNOWN I. W. W. TO BE EXTRADITED
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NEW YORK, Oct. 1.-The first step in the government’s fight to extradite the four eastern leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World for trial in Chicago in the alleged nation-wide conspiracy against the government was taken here today when Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, known as “Princess of the Reds,” Carlo Tresca, Arturio Giovanitti [Arturo Giovannitti], and John Baldazza [Giovanni Baldazzi] were arraigned before United States Commissioner Hitchcock. The prisoners were held in $10,000 bail for examination
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