Tag: Fred Mooney

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for September 1918 -West Virginia Miners and Families Hold Massive Labor Day Celebrations

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Fear Not Organize, Rkfd Mrn Str p3, Mar 19, 1918
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Hellraisers Journal, Friday October 18, 1918
Mother Jones News for September 1918
-Mother Found in West Virginia’s Fairmont Coal Field

From the Fairmont West Virginian of September 2, 1918:

On September 2nd Mother Jones spoke to 10,000 West Virginia miners and their families of the Fairmont Coal Field who gathered at Traction Park for a massive Labor Day Celebration.

DAY DEDICATED TO LABOR OBSERVED
BY MINE WORKERS
—–
Thousands of Them Attending
Six Big Picnics.
—–

TRACTION PARK CROWDED
—–
Many Organized Miners Walked
There From Monongah.
—–

Mother Jones, Ft Wy Jr Gz p3, Dec 17, 1917

More than fifteen thousand organized miners of the Fairmont coal district are today celebrating Labor Day at six picnics held in this section of the state. Celebrations are being held at the following points in the Fairmont region: Traction Park, Enterprise, Jamison Mine, Flemington, Reynoldsville and Clarksburg.

Practically all of the United Mine Workers locals in this region are participating in the big celebration at Traction Park, which is expected to be the biggest Labor Day celebration in the state. It is estimated that fully ten thousand miners will attend the celebration at Traction Park today. In addition to the miners there will be many families, because practically all of the miners have made arrangements to attend the celebration with their families, taking with them filled baskets prepared to spend the entire day.

Miners from the Dakota, Rivesville, Robinson and Barnesville shaft mine assembled this morning at 7:30 o’clock, marching all the way from Rivesville to Fairmont, arriving here about 9:30 [a.m.] As they marched up Main street, accompanied by the Ira L. Smith drum corps, each miner carried an American flag, some carrying United Mine Workers flags. The body departed for Traction Park on special cars leaving for Traction Park at 10 o’clock. Reports from Dakota are to the effect that there will be 800 members of that local attend the Traction Park celebration, more than 300, from the Shaft mine, and a proportionate number from the other miners in that section. The mines along the Minnington line and between here and Clarksburg will be represented as well, each local attending in a body and making an effort to have a fine showing. The Monongah local, of about 800 members, the Everson local and other organizations only a short distance from the park will have a full attendance.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for August 1918, Part II: Found Organizing in West Virginia

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Mother Jones Quote, 2x4 kaiser union recognition hell freeze over.
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Hellraisers Journal, Friday September 20, 1918
Mother Jones News for August 1918, Part II
-Mother Found Organizing in West Virginia

From the Fairmont West Virginian of August 19, 1918:

MOTHER JONES AND FOWLER
AT OWINGS PICNIC
—–
Talk To Miners About Their Attitude
Toward the Union.
—–

AND TOWARD THE CO.
—–
Men Are Urged To Dig Coal
Because Uncle Sam
Needs It.
—–

Mother Jones Fire Eater, St L Str, Small Crpd, Aug 23, 1917

“Mother” Jones is back in West Virginia and will remain here until after Labor Day when she is scheduled to make addresses at both Monongah and Enterprise. She returned to Fairmont Saturday afternoon in order to make a speech at the picnic held at Owings Sunday. “Mother Jones has been away since the scale convention of the miners, going to Illinois where she addressed two important Mooney meetings, out to Colorado for some addresses and back to Chicago for some important conferences with government and labor officials.

“Mother” Jones gets around the country without difficulty even though she is in her eighty-eighth year. She boarded the Baltimore and Ohio sleeper at Chicago at nine o’clock Friday night, changed to the accommodation shortly afternoon Saturday at Benwood and was in Fairmont shortly after five o’clock Saturday afternoon. “Mother” Jones does not carry any excess baggage, getting along with two bags which are smaller than the women folks generally carry.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for July 1918, Part III: West Virginia Miners’ Scale Convention

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Flag Organize, Evle IN Prs, Mar 29, 1918
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Hellraisers Journal, Saturday August 24, 1918
Mother Jones News for July 1918, Part III: Found in West Virginia

From the Fairmont West Virginian of July 25, 1918:

UNION MINERS HOLDING SCALE CONVENTION HERE
—–
Meetings at Willard Hall Are Expected
to Last Several Days.
—–

MOTHER JONES HOT SHOT
—–
W. M. Rogers Makes Plea for Big
Labor Day Celebration.
—–

Mother Jones, Ft Wy Jr Gz p3, Dec 17, 1917

The scale convention for the mines of the Fairmont field which have no contract with the United Mine of America is being held at Willard Hall this week, and opened at 10:30 this morning. The morning session was devoted to the adoption of the call, the filing of credentials and addressees by “Mother” Jones and W. M. Rogers, president of the State Federation of Labor.

Frank Keeney. president of District No. 17…called the meeting to order. P. F. Gaitens [Gatens], international board member for District No. 17, acted as secretary in the absence of Mr. Mooney, who is expected to be here on the morrow…

“Mother” Jones’ address was filled with interesting discussion of social and economic questions, as well as talk on coal mining and union organization.

W. M. Rogers made a plea for a big Labor Day celebration in spite of the fact that coal operators were opposing it. “They argue that a day’s production will he lost. I say that you can work a Sunday or extra hours for several days-that labor is entitled to one big day all its own.”

“Civilization never advances beyond he women.” declared “Mother” in her address to the scale convention. “The great danger is when the hog is developed in the woman instead of the human.”

“Mother” Jones, introduced as the most beloved labor leader in the world by Frank Keeney, president of District No. 17, was discussing the duty that lay before the coal miner delegates assembled for this convention.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for July 1917, Part II: Found in West Virginia & Washington, DC

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, Saturday August 18, 1917
Mother Jones News for July, Part II: Organizing West Virginia

From the United Mine Workers Journal of July 12, 1917:

The following was published as an advertisement in the The Beckley (West Virginia) Messenger of July 10, 1917, but without the final paragraph.

“Mother” Jones’ Refreshing Experience

Mother Mary Harris Jones, Decatur Herald IL, May 14, 1916

“Mother” Jones had a most refreshing experience at a great meeting of the miners at Quinnimont, West Virginia, on the 14th day of June. The Layland mines, where the meeting was held, is owned by the Berwin-White Coal Company, and a large number of men are employed at this place. It is in the very heart of the mountainous New River coal fields. In the years gone by this section has been a veritable Gibraltar of the foes of unionism, and armed guards have patrolled the works of the companies looking for those who were trying to carry the message of unionism to the miners of this section. Happily, this condition has passed away in many parts of this field, and the private gunman is being driven farther and farther back into the remote mountain fastnesses.

The refreshing part of the Layland meeting was the manner and spirit in which Mr. O. A. Kneer, the superintendent of the Berwin-White Coal Company received the visit of “Mother” Jones. Instead of following the tactics of some of the less enlightened companies and forbidding “Mother” holding a meeting at the mines, he told the miners to go to the meeting, and was present himself. After the meeting was over he said it was one of the best addresses he had ever heard. Having an open mind and the spirit of fair play, he was ready to meet the miners half way and deal with them as men with rights.

If all the coal companies were enlightened enough to show the same spirit, the coal fields of the country would not so often be the scene of bitter industrial struggles. Mr. O. A. Kneer, by his fairness and good will, has done much to bring peace between the miners and operators in that section. His attitude is commended to the companies who think to crush the miners by private armies of gunmen. There is nothing that appeals to the average miner so much as fair play.

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