Tag: Kansas City MO

Hellraisers Journal: General Strike In Kansas City Now Underway in Sympathy with Striking Laundry Workers

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Solidarity Forever
For the Union makes us strong.
-Ralph Chaplin

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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday March 28, 1918
Kansas City, Missouri – General Strike Is Spreading

Workers of Kansas City, both union and non-union, are rallying to the aid of laundry drivers and laundry workers who have been on strike now for about five weeks.The employers have repeatedly refused to bargain with their employees, and have even refused to meet with the federal conciliators sent by the U. S. Department of Labor.

From The Leavenworth Post of March 27, 1918:

GREAT STRIKE AT KANSAS CITY
NOW WELL UNDER WAY
—–
Walkout Began at Eight o’Clock This Morning
With Barbers, Bartenders and Brewers
in the Forefront of the Fray.
—–

TROUBLE REPORTED THIS AFTERNOON
—–
Sympathetic Strike, Called to Aid Laundry Drivers,
Brought Out 700 Card Men
From Other Unions in First Call.
—–

Kansas City GS, Chg Tb, Mar 27, 1918

Kansas City, March 27.-Kansas City today was in the midst of a general strike, the exact extent of which was unknown this afternoon. The strike began at 8 o’clock this morning and although labor leaders declared it would result in a virtual tie-up of all industry by tomorrow night, best reports indicated that so far only 700 union men, including brewers, bartenders, barbers and members of certain building trades unions had quit work. Men from other crafts were walking out this afternoon, however, it was said. No disorders had been reported to the police. The strike was called to support the walkout of laundry workers and drivers.

Street cars were still operating this afternoon and reports were current that members of the Street Railway Employes’ union had voted not to strike.

Late News Tells of Violence.

The first violence in connection with the strike occurred at 2 o’clock this afternoon when a crowd estimated at one thousand persons rushed a crowd of police reserves who had arrested three men in connection with the overturning of a laundry wagon. The officers used their clubs freely and the crowd responded with stones and fists. A number of persons were injured, none severely it was reported. The prisoners escaped during the tussle and only one of them was recaptured it was said.

Reports late this afternoon indicated that the strike was spreading slowly.

———-

[Inset is from Chicago Daily Tribune of March 27th.]

 

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for November 1917, Part II: Found at Miners’ Convention at Kansas City

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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That old blood sucker,
the kaiser, ought to
be kicked off his throne.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday December 22, 1917
Mother Jones News for November, Part II: Supports President Wilson

From the Pittsburg, Kansas, Sun of November 15, 1917:

MINERS VOTE TO REJECT THE
AUTOMATIC PENALTY
—–

MAJORITY WAS 18 WITH KANSAS MINERS
OUTVOTING THE OTHER DISTRICTS.
—–

Howat Stands Pat in a Fiery Speech
—–

President John Wilkinson and “Mother Jones”
Urges Miners to Vote for Wilson
and Against the Kaiser
—–

Alex Howat, UMW Dist 14 Prz, crpd, Sun Ptt KS, Dec 12, 1917

Kansas City, Nov. 14.-Delegates representing the coal miners of Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas in convention here tonight voted to reject the automatic penalty clause insisted on by Dr. H. A. Garfield, federal fuel administrator, as a part of their working agreement. The vote was 185 to 167…

Kansas Outvoted Others.

…It was announced that the vote by districts was as follows: Kansas, for the resolution, 129; against, 11; Oklahoma-Arkansas, for 22; against, 105; Missouri, for, 34; against 51.

Howat for Rejection.

The adoption of the resolution came at the end of a day of debate in which “Mother Jones” and John Wilkinson, president of district 21, counseled against the rejection of the clause and Alexander Howat, president of district 14, vehemently urged its rejection.

“Mother Jones” and Wilkinson urged the acceptance of the clause on the ground of patriotism.

[Mother Jones declared:]

It’s our to stand by the president and the nation in this crisis. Our business now is to help the government lick hell out of the Kaiser and then we will lick hell out of the operators. President Wilson and Dr. Garfield will see that no injustice is done you through the working of this hateful clause. And I pledge myself to go before the president and Mr. Garfield and obtain relief if you want me to.

As “Mother Jones” left the platform she said:

Vote for the clause, boys, it’s a vote for Wilson and he’ll vote for you.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for November 1917, Part I: Found in Connecticut, New York City and Kansas City

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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EVD Quote re Mother Jones, AtR, Nov 23, 1907

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Hellraisers Journal, Friday December 21, 1917
Mother Jones News for November, Part I: Attends District Miners Convention

Mother Jones, IL State Rgstr p2, Springfield, Sept 1, 1917

Mother Jones began the month of November in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where she was found addressing a meeting of the employes of the Locomobile Company who were seeking organization with the machinists union.

We next found her in New York City at the headquarters of the Democratic Party where she shook hands with Mayor-elect Hylan.

At near mid-month we found her in Kansas City attending the convention of the miners of the Southwestern districts, whose delegates were there assembled to debate the “automatic penalty clause,” a bone of contention within the United Mine Workers of America. Regardless of her stand on that issue, Mother remains much beloved by the miners. She was welcomed into the convention on the arm of the President of District 14 (Kansas):

Howat entered the hall with Mother Jones on his arm. He introduced her as the “angel of the miners,” after she had been heartily cheered.

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Hellraisers Journal: Appeal to Reason Invites Czar to America, “Conditions here are good for your line of business.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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While Elihu Root is advising
the new Russian democracy,
you can come over and advise
the new American autocracy.
–Appeal to Reason to Czar Nicholas II

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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday July 12, 1917
Girard, Kansas – Invitation Sent to “Mr. Nicholas Romanoff”

From the Appeal to Reason of June 30, 1917:

The Appeal Invites “Czar Nick”
to Come to America

Girard, Kansas, June 27, 1917.

Mr. Nicholas Romanoff, Care Council of Workmen’s and Soldiers’ Delegates, Petrograd, Russia.

Czar Nicholas II, March 1917, wiki

Dear Nick: Not knowing just how to reach you directly, we are sending this letter in care of the Workmen’s and Soldiers’ Delegates, who are doubtless keeping an eye on you and whom we trust to deliver this message uncensored as the mail of other private citizens is now being delivered-in Russia.

We expect you to be surprised at hearing from us, but not more surprised than we are at finding ourselves writing to you, a perfect stranger, you might say. Still, we feel that we have had an introduction to you after a fashion, having read about you a great deal and followed your recent career with much interest; so we think, Nick, that you’re the very man for a job that is now open over here in this land of the recently free. Here is a new and promising field for the exercise of your peculiar talents.

You will drop your hoe and come over on the next ship when we tell you that Czarism has been introduced in America, that the United States has taken the place of Russia with a vengeance that is rather characteristic of your own past rule.

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Hellraisers Journal: Report from the Harvest Fields by W. T. Nef of the Agricultural Workers Organization

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

Hellraisers Journal, Monday September 11, 1916
Midwest Harvest Fields: A. W. O.’s 1000-Mile-Long Picket Line

From the International Socialist Review:

harvest-fields-1-nef-isr-sept-1916

JOB CONTROL IN THE HARVEST FIELDS

By W. T. NEF
Sec y-Treas. Agricultural Workers Organization

FOR the first time in the history of the United States a successful organization of migratory workers has been built thru the grain growing states of the middle west.

The organization of the despised harvester has demonstrated that these men actually had backbone and the spirit to fight in an organized body to eliminate the 15th century conditions they were forced to work and live under while garnering one of the main sources of the country’s wealth.

The Agricultural Workers’ Organization of the I. W. W. in which the harvesters are organized, has flung out the greatest picket line the sun ever looked down upon, extending from Kansas City, Mo., to 300 miles north of Aberdeen, S. D. Every picket carries organizers’ credentials, and the unorganized harvest hand is out of luck this summer unless he kicks in and helps in the struggle for job control.

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