“Yaas,” said the farmer reflectively,
“all the I.W.W. fellers I’ve met
seemed to be pretty decent lads,
but them ‘alleged I.W.W.’s’ must be holy frights.”
-Little Red Songbook, 1919
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 11, 1918
Chicago, Illinois – J. A. McDonald on Free Speech and Freedom
Report on the Chicago I. W. W. Trial from Harrison George:
John A. McDonald, editor of the “Industrial Worker,” occupied the chair for some length of time. He told of the origin of his ideas and how his experiences in the southern timber strike had made an I. W. W. of him.
[He said:]
The experience of all thinkers in the past is that free speech is necessary to social change and to maintain freedom.
[Photograph added.]
Trial Notes: Tuesday July 30, 1918:
On the morning of July 30, Chas. Thompson and Corporal Reynolds were recalled by Vanderveer. They told the jury that when leaving the court room the day before they had been arrested and detained by Department of Justice men in the office of Hinton G. Clabaugh. Over Nebeker’s strenuous objection they told of this attempt to intimidate defense witnesses and said that other soldier witnesses might be fearful of coming to testify. It was rumored about the court that Judge Landis had told Nebeker privately that if another soldier witness would be treated that way he would dismiss the case by a directed verdict. Following this, three Finnish witnesses were called in support of Laukki’s story that the registration trouble in Minnesota was a Finnish issue solely.
Fred Jaakkola, also an editor of “Industrialisti,” and a defendant, contradicted a government witness by proving by a church certificate that he was not a “slacker,” having been born in 1885. Nebeker in a nasty-mannered examination of the big, stolid Finn, thought to get an acknowledgement that Finlanders called a “slacker” a martyr or a hero. “Slacker” had been mentioned and Nebeker said, “You know what I mean by a slacker, don’t you?” “Yes,” said Jaakkola. “By the way,” said Nebeker, “what do you Finns call a slacker?’” “We call it ‘Vitkastelija,’” replied Jaakkola, and everybody laughed. And that was all the answer Nebeker got.
