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Hellraisers Journal – Friday January 16, 1914
Houghton, Michigan – Cheering Crowd Meets Moyer and Tanner at Station
From the Miners Magazine of January 15, 1914:
From the Miners’ Bulletin of January 9, 1914:
Tag: J. C. Lowney
Hellraisers Journal: News From Strike Zone of Michigan’s Copper Country; Threats and Mob Attacks Against Union Miners
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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday December 14, 1913
Michigan Copper Country – MacNaughton’s Eye, Threats and Mob Rule
News From Michigan Copper Country
From the Michigan Miners Bulletin of December 2, 1913:
“Seen by the Search-Light” is a regular feature of the Miners’ Bulletin and refers to “MacNaughton’s Eye,” the giant searchlight that James MacNaughton, manager of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, has had erected on top of the main tower situated in the middle of the town of Calumet, Michigan. The searchlight roams about the streets of Calumet, keeping a watchful eye on strikers and scabs alike. It shines into windows of the homes of the residents, interfering with a peaceful night’s rest. Of course most of those streets, the houses, and the property upon which the town itself sits, is owned by C & H. Therefore, we suppose, MacNaughton has a perfect right to make of the town something resembling a prison.
Seen by the Search-Light
Senator James, in his office staring at the labor situation of the day, and concluding to remain silent; to draw the votes from both sides at election time.
James Torreana, the Laurium scab supporter, at mid-night when the Hyena walks around the graveyard walls, going to meet the modern Judas A. C. Marinelli, to furnish him with news of strike-breaking nature.
Mike Bargo, the Italian scab herder at the telephone, communicating some scabious news to the “Gazette.”
A small man with spectacles riding a bicycle, from West Portland St. to the office of “The Italian Miner” of Laurium, with a parcel of written matter for publication.
Paul Tinetti looking at Pietro Micca’s picture.
5th St.-The green grass growing in front of Keckonen store, but no other place for lack of pollen matter in the seeds.
[Emphasis added.]
Regarding the “green grass growing,” we will remind our readers that MacNaughton has vowed that “grass would grow in the streets” of Calumet before he would treat with the Western Federation of Miners. This kind man has also vowed to teach the strikers and their families how to eat potato pairings.
Poetry from Miners Bulletin of December 2, 1913:
THE WORKER
By Berton BraleyI have broken my hands on your granite,
I have broken my strength on your steel,
I have sweated through years for your pleasure,
I have worked like a slave for your weal.
And what is the wage you have paid me.
You masters and drivers of men?
-Enough so I come in my hunger
To beg for more labor again!I have given my manhood to serve you,
I have given my gladness of youth;
You have used me, and spent me, and crushed me,
And thrown me aside without ruth;
You have shut my eyes off from the sunlight,
My lungs from the untainted air;
You have housed me in horrible places.
Surrounded by squalor and care.I have built you the world in its beauty,
I have brought you the glory of spoil;
You have blighted my sons and my daughters,
You have scourged me again to my toil.
Yet I suffer it all in my patience,
For somehow I dimly have known
That some day the worker will conquer
In a world that was meant for his own!
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Hellraisers Journal: Miners Magazine: Poem by Ellis B. Harris for Annie Clemenc and the Other Women of Calumet
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Hellraisers Journal – Friday November 28, 1913
Poem by Ellis B. Harris for the Heroines of the Michigan Copper Country Strike
From the Miners Magazine of November 27, 1913:
From The Survey of November 1, 1913:
Hellraisers Journal: From Miners Magazine: “The Faithful Dog” Walks the Streets of Chicago to Advertise Against Scabs
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Hellraisers Journal – Friday November 7, 1913
Chicago, Illinois – Faithful Dog, Topey, Says, “Don’t Be a Scab”
From the Miners Magazine of November 6, 1913:
Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones, Joseph and Laura Cannon Speak to Striking Miners and Families in Michigan Copper Country
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Hellraisers Journal – Saturday August 9, 1913
Michigan’s Copper Country – “Fiery” Mother Jones and the Cannons on the Scene
From the Escanaba Morning Press of August 8, 1913:
COPPERDOM IN DREAD
CRISIS IS IMPENDING
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Houghton, Mich., Aug 7.-The general impression in the district affected by the copper mine workers’ strike is that a crisis impending through the presence of Mother Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cannon, three fiery orators of the Western Federation of Miners. Persons who have had an opportunity in other strikes to see these people in action say they likely to inflame the strikers and their families to such a pitch of enthusiasm as may result in a reoccurrence of the of the first week of the strike.
The leaders of the strike here, Messrs. Mahoney, Miller and Lowney, have counselled peace in all their recent speeches, have the strikers to preserve law and order and to wait with determination because they are going to win.
But the speeches made by Cannon and his wife [Laura Gregg Cannon] at the Kansankoti hall, Hancock, Tuesday night were certainly not pacific. They aroused more enthusiasm than any speakers previously heard here since the strike opened and gave a good forecast of the result of their later speeches.
The strikers are for the most part phlegmatic Huns, Croatians and Finns, members of races not given to vociferous outbursts. If the Jones and the Cannons of the strike forces can stir these people up something more exciting than has been seen in the past week may be expected.
Mother Jones and Mrs. Cannon have reputations for exciting the women of strike districts to a point of frenzy resulting in rioting. Something of this sort is feared.
An example of the dangerous potentiality in Mother Jones can be seen in the interview given out by her at Calumet Tuesday afternoon [August 5th]. She said:
I’m a socialist, Why shouldn’t I be? That is the party that stands ready to help the working man.
I can’t see the need for the militia. Take a plumber and make him a major and he swells up like a toad and seems to forget that he is a workingman. The struggle is between the employer and employee and the state ought to let them fight it out. The strikers don’t believe in damaging property or the destruction of lives and I always impress on the men that they shouldn’t do damage.
They threw me into the bull pen in West Virginia, but before then, I went with 16 representatives of the miners to see the governor. When they heard I was coming, the governor wired for the fire department and the police and the legislators crawled under their desks and cried, “Is she coming?” The firemen came running up the streets without their socks. I had the devil scared out of the whole bunch of sewer rats. An old woman like me, over 80 years old. They thought I was coming to murder them, I guess.
What do you think the charge was they arrested me on. Stealing a field gun, my dears, and the damn fools were looking for it in the hills for months.
Ah, boys this is a terrible thing to go through. I hope you don’t see the like here. I saw my brave boys, who I know would not commit a crime, taken from their homes to far-away jails while their wives and babies screamed for their husbands. I raised my hand to heaven and prayed for their safe return.
And they talk about the red flag, bless you. Why, don’t they know the red flag was the first flag hoisted at Lexington, that a farmer who didn’t have time to put his shirt on went into the ranks of the bloody Sassenachs [English persons] and waved his red shirt in the air to cheer his comrades. Don’t they know the red bar is the first on the flag, signifying that blood was shed for the union?
Hellraisers Journal: General Strike Led by Western Federation of Miners Begins in Michigan’s Copper Country
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Hellraisers Journal – Thursday July 24, 1913
Copper Country, Michigan – General Strike Begins, Led by W. F. of M.
From The Calumet News (Michigan) of July 23, 1913:
The first general strike in the history of the Lake Superior copper region. which has long been forecasted, become a realization today. Following a mass meeting of the miners, called by local officers of the Western Federation of Miners last evening, the strike was declared this morning, and underground operations have been suspended at practically every mine in the Lake Superior copper region.
Local officials of the Western Federation of Miners give the folowing as the principal demands of the strikers:
Recognition of the union.
Shorter hours.
Increased wages.
Two men to operate the one-man drilling machine.Three members of executive board of the Western Federation of Miners, Guy Miller, J. C. Lowney and Janco Tersich are here to direct the strike. They state the strike will be financed by the Western Federation of Miners and the American Federation of Labor, and that the men are prepared to hold out as long as necessary to gain the points for which they are contending.
Union officials claim the membership in the Western Federation of Miners is 9,000, out of a total of 11,000 men employed in underground work in the district.
Strike Is General.
The surface as well as the underground employes of some of the mines, laid down their tools this morning, declining to go to work, but this is the exception to the rule, for at most of the mines the surface work has not been interrupted so far. The strike, however, is general throughout the entire district, about the only mines now affected so far being the Hancock, Winona and Franklin. At the latter mine a few of the men remained away from work today, but operations continue as usual.
At the Mohawk. Ahmeek, Allouez and Centennial mines, underground was suspended, and at the Wolverine mine, surface as well as underground work came to a stop. No mining work was conducted at the Tamarack, Osceola or Kearsarge shafts today, and the same condition prevailed at Quincy, Isle Royale, Superior and other mines in the portage Lake territory. Work was started at two shafts, the No. 4 and 6 shafts the Isle Royale this morning as usual, but later was discontinued. The shut down at the Champion, Trimountain and Baltic Mines of the Copper Range Consolidated and the Houghton Copper company is complete, as well as all other mines except Winona, Hancock, and Franklin.
It is understood the mining companies will decline to recognize the Western Federation of Miners.
No Disturbances Reported.
The strike is being conducted in an orderly manner so far. Except for the air of suppressed excitement which prevails, it would be difficult to realize a strike is in progress in the district. At some of the shafts and mine buildings the men congregated and discussed the situation, but for the most part the men returned to their homes when they discovered the strike was on.
General Manager James MacNaughton of the C. & H. Mining company was asked for a statement today, but declined to be quoted at this time.
[Emphasis added.]
