Tag: Industrial Workers of the World

Hellraisers Journal: AWO Wrapping Up Season in Harvest Fields, Turns Attention to Lumber Workers

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
Share

The boss will be leery, the “stiffs” will be cheery
When we hit John Farmer hard
They’ll all be affrighted, when we stand united
And carry that Red, Red Card.
-Richard Brazier

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday October 18, 1916
From the Harvest Fields to the Lumber Camps: A. W. O. #400

The October 1916 edition of the International Socialist Review reports:

Harvest Workers, Farmer John, ISR Oct 1916
The Militant Harvest Workers

HUNDREDS of swarthy faced, hard muscled harvest workers are now turning their backs upon a hard summer’s work and are bound for the lumber camps and mills in the northwest, where they will be heard from during the coming winter.

The Agricultural Workers Organization, better known among the farmers as Local 400 I. W. W., is closing its second year’s work 20,000 strong. The members are going to carry their organization with them into the lumber camps and on construction work. Thus insuring not only the continued growth of the organization, but new unions in other industries. In spite of the fact that crops were small in North and South Dakota, the boys were able to enforce job control on half of the machines, making $3.50 per day for ten hours’ work.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: AWO Wrapping Up Season in Harvest Fields, Turns Attention to Lumber Workers” →

Hellraisers Journal: Appeal to Reason Reports on Turmoil at Second Convention of Industrial Workers of the World

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

There is power, there is power
In a band of workingmen.
When they stand hand in hand,
That’s a power, that’s a power
That must rule in every land-
One Industrial Union Grand.
-Joe Hill

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday October 10, 1906
Chicago, Illinois – Will I. W. W. Survive 2nd Convention?

This week’s Appeal to Reason offered a first hand account of the turmoil which prevailed at the Second Convention of the Industrial Workers of the World held in Chicago from September 17th to October 3rd:

DE LEON DOMINATES
—–

S. L. P. Leader Captures I. W. W. Convention
at Chicago and Rules With An Iron Hand
—–

BY F. M. EASTWOOD.
Staff Correspondent Appeal to Reason.
—–

Daniel De Leon (1852-1914), in 1902

CHICAGO, ILL., Sept. 24-The convention is dragging along into the eighth day with its organization not perfected and the really important work delayed by the bickerings of DeLeon and the time-consuming tactics of his untrained and untamed following. DeLeon is making strenuous efforts to promote himself as the apostle of the only revolutionary element in existence by showing all opponents of himself to be “reactionary”.

DeLeon is decidedly in control of the convention; and unless some means of reducing his personal influence on the floor to the measure of the membership which he represents is adopted, the entire convention will become a farce that will wholly dishearten the delegates who are working in good faith for the welfare of the working class and the up-building of the organization.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Appeal to Reason Reports on Turmoil at Second Convention of Industrial Workers of the World” →

Hellraisers Journal: Mesabi Defendants Must Face Trial; Cronaca Sovversiva Sends Aid

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 October 4, 1916
Virginia, Minnesota – I. W. W. Defendants Must Stand Trial

From The Duluth News Tribune of September 19, 1916:

I. W. W.’S DENY MURDER CHARGE
—–
Must Stand Trial in Myron Case, as
Court Overrules Quash Motion.
—–

Funeral of John Alar, IWW Leaders, Virginia MN, by GR Dawson, June 26, 1916

Overruling all motions to quash indictments against Carlo Tresca, Sam Scarlett, Philip Masonovich and other I. W. W.’s charged with the murder of Deputy Sheriff James Myron at Biwabik, July 2, Judge Bert Fesler in district court yesterday ruled that all defendants would have in face trial. Formal pleas of not guilty were then entered by all.

Attorney John Keyes at the conclusion of the hearing announced that on Wednesday morning before Judge Martin Hughes at Virginia that he would make a motion for continuance, Assistant County Attorney I. L. Boyle then stated that every effort would be made by the state to force trial immediately and that riot cases would be moved for trial next Monday.

In making the argument for the freedom of Tresca, Scarlett and Schmidt, Attorney Keyes pointed out that these men were miles away from the scene of the crime at the time of happening and argued that if they were held it should be on a charge of conspiracy and not of murder.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mesabi Defendants Must Face Trial; Cronaca Sovversiva Sends Aid” →

Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn on Tour on Behalf of Mesabi Defendants

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
Share

Your welfare ain’t on that rich man’s mind.
-Hazel Dickens

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday October 3, 1916
Miss Flynn to Hold Meetings in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas

IWW Metal Mine Workers IU No. 490, Hibbing MN, June 19, 1916

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn is currently on tour on behalf of Mesabi I. W. W. defendants who are charged with first degree murder-we refer our readers to the recent article by Eugene Debs in the International Socialist Review.

Before leaving northern Minnesota, Miss Flynn spoke with Joe Ettor at a meeting in Virginia, Minnesota, where she said:

Tresca, Scarlett, Smith and the others are in jail for your sake, remember them.

She also spoke to the Ministerial association at the Duluth Y. M. C. A. where she declared:

A very large majority of the workers on the iron range are foreigners, and they have no friends except among their kinsmen and fellow-workers. If the American-born people would only co-operate, and enlighten the lives of these poor unfortunates, all these disturbances and misfortunes would be done away with.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn on Tour on Behalf of Mesabi Defendants” →

Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Protests Frame-Up of Organizers & Strikers on Mesabi Range

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
Share

By the Gods, it shall not be!
The bloated, beastly Steel Trust pirates
shall not murder our innocent
comrades and fellow-workers!
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Monday October 2, 1916
From the International Socialist Review: Support Mesabi Range Rebels!

From the current edition of the Review, Comrade and Fellow Worker Eugene Debs calls upon unionists and socialists everywhere to support the Minnesota iron ore strikers and I. W. W. organizers who are now under indictment for first-degree murder:

Eugene Victor Debs, ISR, Oct 1916

Murder in the First Degree

By EUGENE V. DEBS

TRUE bills against four strikers and one woman and against Carlo Tresca and two other leaders of the striking iron workers on the Mesabe Range in Minnesota charging them with murder in the first degree, have been returned by a Steel Trust grand jury.

Not one of the accused is guilty. On the contrary, they are all absolutely innocent of the crime charged against them.

It is another case of punishing the workers for the crimes committed against them by their masters. Let us briefly review the facts in this extraordinary strike on the Mesabe Range.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Protests Frame-Up of Organizers & Strikers on Mesabi Range” →

Hellraisers Journal: The Agricultural Workers Organization (IWW) Is Coming Back to Stay

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

SABOTAGE
-the conscious withdrawal of
the workers’ industrial efficiency.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday October 1, 1916
From Solidarity: The A. W. O. Marches on to Industrial Freedom

AWO & Black Cat, Ralph Chaplin, Bingo, Solidarity, Sept 30, 1916

Solidarity, organ of the Industrial Workers of the World, in this week’s edition, published the above cartoon by “Bingo” along with the good news that 1916 has been a year of great success for the army of organizers sent out into the harvest fields by the Agricultural Workers Organization. In August the A. W. O. gained over 800 members and in in the first three week of September 2000 more were issued their red cards.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: The Agricultural Workers Organization (IWW) Is Coming Back to Stay” →

Hellraisers Journal: IWW Convention Meets in Chicago; Haywood Sends Message from Ada County Jail

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

Big Bill Haywood on IWW, 1906

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday September 29, 1906
Chicago, Illinois – Report from I. W. W. Convention

From the Appeal to Reason, a first-hand account of the Second Annual Convention of the Industrial Workers of the World:

THE I. W. W. IN SESSION
—–
Industrial Unionism Shows Itself to
Be a Virile Infant at Second
Annual Convention.
—–

by F. M. EASTWOOD,
Special Representative APPEAL TO REASON.
—–

IWW Label, 2nd Conv, Sept 17-Oct 3, 1906

CHICAGO. ILL., Sept. 20.-The second annual convention of The Industrial Workers of the World convened in this city September 17th, at 10 o’clock a. m., and is still in session.

The presence of factions has delayed the progress of the convention from the beginning but at this time all credential contests have been disposed of with the exception of that of the transportation department, which now is pending.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: IWW Convention Meets in Chicago; Haywood Sends Message from Ada County Jail” →

Hellraisers Journal: How A Cold Storage Egg Inspired Organization of Domestic Workers’ IU, 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, Thursday September 28, 1916
Denver, Colorado – Jane Street on Housemaids’ Union

Jane Street, Baltimore Sun, Sept 24, 1916

The Denver’s Domestic Workers’ Industrial Union, Local No. 113 of the Industrial Workers of the World was founded last spring by Miss Jane Street. Today we offer part two (of two parts) of an article about that union and its tactics from The Washington Post of September 24, 1916:

How A Cold Storage Egg Started
The Servant Girls Union (Part II)
—–

Miss Jane Street, organizer of the Housemaids’ Union, speaking of its purposes, said for publication in this newspaper:

Of all the abused people on earth none is worse treated than the general housemaid. The majority of housewives follow an aged tradition of looking down on those who serve them and their families and refuse to practice patience or give counsel or regard the women they hire as human beings with like impulses, like passions, like aims and hopes as their own.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: How A Cold Storage Egg Inspired Organization of Domestic Workers’ IU, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: How A Cold Storage Egg Inspired Organization of Domestic Workers’ I. U.

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, Wednesday September 27, 1916
Denver, Colorado – Domestic Workers and the Blacklist

Jane Street, Baltimore Sun, Sept 24, 1916

The Denver’s Domestic Workers’ Industrial Union, Local No. 113 of the Industrial Workers of the World was founded last spring by Miss Jane Street. Today we offer part one (of two parts) of an article about that union and its tactics from The Washington Post of September 24, 1916:

How A Cold Storage Egg Started
The Servant Girls Union
—–

In Denver, Colo., looms at the present moment happy promise of a solution of the vexatious servant girl problem. How happy that promise is will be seen in the fact that a housemaids’ union now organizing in that city will be conducted on lines which have the frank approval of Denver’s most prominent hostess and society leader.
Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: How A Cold Storage Egg Inspired Organization of Domestic Workers’ I. U.” →