Hellraisers Journal – Sunday January 19, 1913 New York, New York – Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Leads Waiters’ Strike
From The Rock Island Argus of January 18, 1913:
New York.-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn is just a woman, but she has demonstrated her ability to lead a big strike in New York City. When the hotel and restaurant waiters decided that they wanted more pay, they asked Miss Flynn to help them. She played a prominent and successful part in the Lawrence, Mass., textile strike a year ago.
She came to New York City about the time the strike started and has been on the job ever since. She’s a good organizer and a fiery speaker. She says the best way to hit the hotel-keepers is to prove that the food they serve is unclean. Addressing a big crowd of strikers the other night she said:
I want you all to come and tell about the adulteration of food. I want you to tell how dishes which are refused by one guest because of their inferiority are sent back again to another guest; and how sauces are poured upon bad food to make it taste like good food. I want you to make affidavit to it, so we may give our information to the board of health and to the newspapers.
If the guest knew half much as you do about the food they eat and the places it comes from, they wouldn’t dare go into some of our best known hotels and restaurants.
Miss Flynn declared that of course the board of health wouldn’t do anything in the matter. All public officials, naturally, had their palms crossed with filthy capitalistic lucre when they went on “inspection.”
[She resumed:]
We want Mr. Capitalist, when he sits down to his dainty dinner, to know that its daintiness rose out of a vile spot like a lily out of a mud pool. We want to let the evil smell of your waiters’ quarters spread throughout New York.
He doesn’t care where you work, of course. But if you can impress him with the fact that you work in a vile place, and that his food comes from a vile place, you may be helped. For you will hit him square in the stomach, and that’s where all the senses of the American capitalist are located.
Miss Flynn has been trying to induce the waiters to adopt an anti-tipping resolution. In this she has been unsuccessful.
Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday January 14, 1913 Charleston, West Virginia – Glasscock Pardons Miners Convicted by Military Court
From The Fairmont West Virginian of January 13, 1913:
GOV. GLASSCOCK PARDONS MANY MINERS —————
MEN CONVICTED BY MILITARY COURT ARE PARDONED BY THE GOVERNOR. —————
Dan Chain and S. F. Nantz Sent to Moundsville Prison on Nov 21, 1912
CHARLESTON, W. V., Jan. 13.-That Governor Glasscock has issued conditional pardons clearing the State penitentiary of all persons convicted by the military court during the recent occupation by martial law of part of Cabin and Paint Creek became known last night when 12 convicts having sentences ranging from one to seven one-half years, were allowed to take freedom from the walls of the State prison at Moundsvllle by the pardon board of January 3, but were for some reason held up until Saturday.
The greatest secrecy was maintained concerning the governor’s action. Not one of the 80 persons convicted under martial law remains in prison, many having been pardoned heretofore and a few having served their sentences. Of the 12 released Saturday 11 are miners convicted of conspiracy or similar crimes under the second occupation of martial law. Much rejoicing was occasioned in the strike zone Saturday night when it became known that the convicts had been pardoned. Troops were withdrawn from the strike zone December 12, and beginning the day after Christmas all guns taken from the residents of the martial law districts except high power rifles were ordered returned. Hundreds of miners have received their guns.
Last Wednesday night there was an outbreak of strikers on Paint creek when a freight train crew was fired upon and a mine set on fire. Farther trouble is expected in the strike zone.
Of those released Saturday, Shanklin was a mine guard and was sentenced during the first part of martial law rule. All the others were miners. Those released were the following: S. Frank Nance, five years; J. R. Shanklin, one year and $100; Dan Chain, five years; Charles Jarrel, two years; Newt Gump, five years; Rock Spinelli, five years; Angelo Billetlli, five years; Tony Stafford, five years; Grover Jarrell, three years; William Thompson, three years; Joe Raines, five years; Lawrence Cepreant, seven and one-half years.
George Book, serving a one-year sentence for malicious wounding in Logan county, was also pardoned.
[Photograph, emphasis and paragraph breaks added.]
Hellraisers Journal – Monday January 13, 1913 Washington, D. C. – Mother Jones Speaks on Behalf of West Virginia Miners
From the Washington EveningStar of January 11, 1913:
TELLS OF INHUMANITY ———- “Mother” Jones Scores Treatment of the West Virginia Coal Miners. ———-
“Mother” Jones, the “angel” of the United Mine Workers and a prominent figure in the coal mining regions for the last forty years, was the principal speaker at a meeting at National Rifles’ Armory last night, the meeting being held under the auspices of the Central Labor Union.
In her address Mother Jones pronounced conditions in the coal mining regions of West Virginia worse than that of the slaves in the darkest days of the antebellum period. She declared that she had seen twenty-one innocent men out of a party of thirty miners slain while they slept by a posse made up of deputy sheriffs and detectives, and that of her own knowledge women and children of striking miners had been thrown out of their cabins, in evil weather, by the hired officers of the mine owners and forced to seek shelter under trees and in eaves of the mountains, without food for four days and nights.
“Were these things to occur in Russia or Mexico,” declared Mother Jones, “the American people would rise up in protest, as they have done on several occasions, forcing Congress to take action to prevent further murders and violence.”
Representative W. B. Wilson of Pennsylvania, for many years a high official of the United Mine Workers, presided at the meeting, and declared that he knew personally that the things of which Mother Jones told were actually true. Other speakers were J. W. Brown of the U. M. W., and Frank Hayes, a vice president of that organization. Resolutions were adopted reciting at length the alleged conditions in the West Virginia coal fields and petitioning Congress to rectify them by adopting a pending of Representative Wilson’s calling for a thorough investigation.
Hellraisers Journal – Saturday January 11, 1913
Leavenworth, Kansas – Heavily Guarded Train Carries Union Men to Prison
From the United Labor Bulletin of January 2, 1913:
Note: Article continues with names, residences and organizations of other men transported to Leavenworth along with President Ryan, and continues further with remarks of Judge Anderson at sentencing.
Hellraisers Journal – Friday January 10, 1913 Wheeling, West Virginia – Mother Jones Speaks at Mass Protest Meeting
From The Wheeling Majority of January 9, 1913:
Protest Meeting Well Attended ———-
The Wheeling Majority January 2, 1913
The mass meeting held last Sunday afternoon to protest against the conditions being inflicted upon the striking miners of this state by heartless coal barons, and to insist upon a federal investigation of the coal mine industry in West Virginia was a great success. The Victoria theatre was crowded long before the hour for opening the meeting had arrived, and close attention was paid to the teaches and great interest shown on the part of the audience—an interest which proves that the working class is awakening to its own desires and that the days of inhuman exploitation in the coal mines of this state are numbered.
The meeting was held under the auspices of the Ohio Valley Trades & Labor Assembly, in behalf of the United Mine Workers of America, and T. J. Hecker, of the Assembly, called the meeting to order and introduced Harry P. Corcoran as chairman.
H. P. Corcoran Chairman.
Mr. Corcoran made a brief talk, explaining that the meeting was non-political and non-sectarian, and that it was held in the attempt to arouse public sentiment to demand a federal investigation of conditions in the West Virginia coal fields, and the passage of remedial legislation by the present legislature.
Marco Roman.
He introduced Marco Roman, international organizer of the United Mine Workers, who spoke briefly in Italian, giving a history of the present conflict.
Attorney Houston Speaks.
H. W. Houston, attorney for the Mine Workers, followed, stating that he was making an appeal from the supreme court of the state to the “Court of last resort—the people.” He reviewed the granting of political concessions in governments from the Magna Charta almost 700 years ago, and said that all these concessions would now be worthless until we abolished industrial slavery. Modern government, he said makes workers be good while it robs them. Courts are daily twisting old decisions in order to keep the workers in subjection. He cited the Hatters’ case, the Iron Workers case, and the Ohio county case where, before Judge Nesbitt, it was held that when workers combine and keep another fellow out, they must respond in damages, but when he asked if employers could be held if they combined to discharge men in malice and blacklist them he received no answer.
He said that Governor Glasscock established martial law while the courts were open, which is a violation of the state constitution. Then there were no jury trials, and no chance to cross examine witnesses. All the criminals of the state, he said, had never violated the basic law of the state as had Governor Glasscock. The military authorities used the words of Wellington to justify their deeds: “That martial law was the will of one man.”
The miner Nance [Silas Frank Nantz], whose case the supreme court refused to dismiss, was always an aggressive fighter for unionism and because of that he was arrested without warrant by the military authorities for an alleged offense committed eight days before martial law was established, and, although the penalty in law for the offense provided a maximum punishment of but one year in jail or $500 fine, he was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. He quoted the opinion of the U. S. Supreme court in the case of Nance was not unanimous, even Judge Ira E. Robinson dissenting, saying: “I stand for constitutional law.” Attorney General Conley, also, refused to stultify himself by defending the state’s unwarranted action before the court.
Mother Jones.
“Mother” Jones was next introduced and spoke for nearly an hour in her accustomed vigorous style.She recited with much detail the horrors of the situation throughout the strike region. She stated that this fight had begun twelve years ago and told of the first meeting ever held. Contrary to general opinion, she said, she had not been in jail often, but had had that honor only once, when Judge Jackson put her in jail at Parkersburg.
When she came to West Virginia she had been working for the shop men on the Harriman lines, then on strike, and she came down to help the boys she knew. When she got here they told her that a stone wall was the dividing line in the Cabin Creek region and that no organizer was allowed behind the wall. She replied that no wall had ever been built by capitalist robbers high enough to keep her out and she proceeded to go in. And she had been in ever since, except when she came out, as she was out now, to tell the people of this state and country about the conditions that existed behind that wall.
Hellraisers Journal – Thursday January 9, 1913 Paterson, New Jersey – Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Speaks to Shirt Workers
From The Paterson Evening News of January 7, 1913:
GIRL ORGANIZER ADDRESSED MEETING OF SHIRT WORKERS ———-
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn a well known organizer in the ranks of the Industrial Workers of the World, last night addressed a gathering shirt workers at Helvetia hall. The purpose of the meeting was to affect a permanent organization of a union.
Miss Flynn is a forceful speaker and her suggestions gained from much experience in the ranks of labor were listened to attentively. She dwelled on the eight-hour day movement, which she declared is general throughout the country, and laid importance on the shorter work day for the working girls and women. Following her address three hundred applications for membership were acted upon.
—————
—————
—————
—————
—————
—————
—————
