Tag: Mother Mary Harris Jones

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for March 1917: Found Assisting Strikers in Chicago and Washington DC

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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All strikes are alike;
they are a protest against charity,
ignorance, misery, hunger,
individual slavery and jails.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday April 12, 1917
Mother Jones News for March: Found in Chicago and Washington

Mother Jones, Garment Strike, Chg Dly Tb, Feb 26, 1917

From the Chicago Day Book
for March 1, 1917:


PETITION ASKS THAT COURTS
BE FORBIDDEN TO
ENJOIN PEACEFUL PICKETING

Signed by several hundred “neutrals,” a long petition asking the legislature to pass a law forbidding the courts from enjoining peaceful picketing of shops where a strike is on has been forwarded to Springfield.

True to the predictions of Mother Jones last Monday, the wholesale arrests of [garment] strikers on orders of Judges Baldwin and Smith aroused public opinion….

From the Duluth Labor World
for March 3, 1917:

MOTHER JONES MET WITH
COPY OF WRIT
—–

CHICAGO, March 1.-Officials anticipated activities of “Mother” Jones, 83-year-old labor leader. When she arrived here to participate in the garment workers’ strike she was served with a copy of the injunction prohibiting picketing.

[She declared:]

What a lot of rot. Imagine an old judge issuing anything like that in the twentieth century!

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for March 1907: Found in Texas on Behalf of Moyer and Haywood

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I am as ready to die with you now
as I have been ready to fight
with you in the past.
-Mother Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hellraisers Journal, Thursday April 11, 1907
Mother Jones News for March: Found Traveling in Texas

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

Mother Jones was found in Texas during the month of March. She traveled throughout the state and gave speeches under the auspices of the state committee of the Socialist Party. Mother spoke on the the subject of Socialism and also voiced support for Charles Moyer, Bill Haywood, and George Pettibone of Western Federation of Miners, now imprisoned in Ada County Jail of Boise through the machinations of the Mine Owners of Colorado and Idaho.

From The Oasis of Nogales, Arizona,
of March 2, 1907:

MOTHER JONES, “the labor union Joan of Arc,” has come to Arizona to bear a hand in the attempted unionization of Bisbee.

From the Appeal to Reason of March 2, 1907:

Mother Jones.

“Mother: Jones will fill the following dates in Texas: San Antonio, February 26th; Center Point, February 27th; Kerrville, February 28th; San Antonio, March 1st; Lytle, March 2d; Corpus Christi, March 4th, 5th, 6th; Hallettsville, March 7th; Columbus, March 9th; El Campo, March 11th; Alvin, March 13th, 14th; Galveston, March 15th; Raywood, March 16th; Sour Lake, March 18th, 19th, 20th; Batson, March 21st, 22d, 23d.

———-

ARMY COLUMN.
[Appeal Army]
—–

[…..]

“You will find enclosed money order for $5 to pay for the enclosed yearly subscriptions. You can tell by the names that we are invading the mighty plutes domain. “Mother” Jones will be here the 4th, 5th, 6th of March and we hope to boost up the local.”-W. S. Pittillo, Corpus Christi, Tex.

[…..]

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Abandons Her Neutrality; Says Kaiser Should Be “Kicked Off His Throne”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Why should the workingmen fight for
the robbers of Wall street?
Let them fight their own battles.
-Mother Jones

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday April 4, 1917
Des Moines, Iowa – Mother Jones Speaks Out on European War

WWI Dead All On Our Side, Ryan Walker, Nw Wkr, Mar 22, 1917

Overnight, perhaps reacting to the War Resolution now before Congress upon the request of President Wilson for same, Mother reversed her stand regarding American involvement in the terrible slaughter now taking place between the waring nations of Europe. In an interview reported by the April 2nd edition of The Des Moines Register, Mother declared:

I hate war. We must not throw our American workingmen into olive drab uniforms, stick guns in their hands, and ship them over to France to be fresh slaughter for the cannons of the devilish kings of Europe.

If John D Rockefeller, Morgan, the Guggenheims, or Wall street wants to see Germany defeated, let them go over and fight in the allies’ trenches. Why should the workingmen fight for the robbers of Wall street? Let them fight their own battles, says I!

The next day, the Register reported that Mother had “abandoned her neutrality:”

That old blood sucker, the kaiser, ought to be kicked off his throne, and if he ever starts anything with this country we will lick hell out of him if I have to raise a regiment of 10,000 women myself.

Thus “Mother” Jones, firebrand speaker, abandoned her neutrality in a speech that held spellbound the miners of the thirteenth district, U. M. W. A., who were celebrating the nineteenth anniversary of the securing of the eight-hour day for miners at the Coliseum yesterday afternoon.

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Hellraisers Journal: “Get Red Blood and Fight!” -Mother Jones Speaks at Rally for Striking Street Carmen

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I would rather go before God Almighty
with a paid-up union card than
with first class credentials
from any church in the United States.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday March 28, 1917
Washington, District of Columbia – Mother Jones Speaks

Mother Jones, Garment Strike, Chg Dly Tb, Feb 26, 1917, crpd

On the Monday Evening, March 26th, Mother Jones spoke at a rally for the striking street carmen and their wives, urging them to “stick together” and to “get some red blood and fight!”

The speech was covered by most of Washington D. C. press.

From The Washington Herald of March 27, 1917:

MOTHER JONES URGES STRIKERS TO STICK
—–
Predicted Disorder Fails to
Materialize at Meeting.

Mother Jones, with silver hair and bent form, but with voice and gesture as vigorous as any orator in the prime of life, swayed an audience of 1,500 that packed National Rifles Armory to the door last night to hear her version of the street carmen’s strike.

While trouble was expected to follow her address, the meeting was conducted without disorder, and a big detail of police under the direction of Lieut. Hartley saw the meeting disperse without trouble on the streets.

The speech of Mother Jones was tinged with anarchism, but in its entirety, the theme of her address was to have the men “stick together” and the wives of the strikers were urged to back them to the limit.

Present Strike Picnic

She rehearsed the industrial battles of the miners, which have brought about her title “Angel of the Miners” and declared that the present strike was a picnic compared to the majority which she had witnessed.

Some of the telling passages in her speech were:

This is the age of arbitration and not the age of Kings.

I would rather go before God Almighty with a paid-up union card than with first class credentials from any church in the United States.

Rome perished when the women became indifferent. So did Greece. So will every other nation. In this industrial war we must have the support of women.

Any old traitor or hypocrite can holler hurrah for the flag. The man who is a true patriot is the one who will work for free manhood for those beneath it.

The walls of the nation will never perish upon an altar of gold.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “Get Red Blood and Fight!” -Mother Jones Speaks at Rally for Striking Street Carmen” →

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for February 1907: Found in Arizona on Behalf of Moyer and Haywood

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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HMP, Mother Jones Ready to Die, AtR Feb 23, 1907
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday March 14, 1907
Mother Jones News for February: Found in New Mexico and Arizona

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtRMother Jones travelled to Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona during the month of February 1907. She spoke out on behalf of Bill Haywood, Charles Moyer, and George Pettibone of the Western Federation of Miners who are now imprisoned by the state of Idaho on charge of conspiracy to murder Ex-Governor Steunenberg. At one of her speeches in Arizona, it was reported that she gave warning to the ruling class:

If these men are hanged, we will hang some of them.

In our February review, we first found Mother mentioned in the pages of The Fairmont West Virginian of February 2nd. It seems her letter to Mrs. Potter Palmer (previously published by Hellraisers) was still making the rounds of various newspapers. The letter was introduced to this paper via a letter to the editor from Hoult, West Virginia, dated January 31st, and proceeded with this explanation:

Many persons in this part of West Virginia, especially the coal miners, are acquainted with the name as well as face of Mother Jones, the respected and gray haired advocate of labor’s cause, as she made many speeches here during the attempt of the United Mine Workers to organize this region. Therefore probably many will read with interest and perhaps an answering throb of sympathy, the following letter from Mother Jones to Mrs. Potter Palmer, on the occasion of a meeting at Mrs. Palmer’s palatial residence of representatives of capitalists and labor unions to find the ground for unity of interest supposed to exist…

News of Mother Jones appeared in and article in the New York Volkszeitung of February 3, 1907, with the following headline:

Mother Jones Klagtan Schildert die Zustande
im Gruben-Distrikt in West Virginia

The article was sent from Charleston, West Virginia, and written February 2nd. Our German is not perfect, but we believe the headline states: “Mother Jones Describes the condition in the mining district in West Virginia.”

From Missouri’s St. Joseph Observer of February 9, 1907:

“Mother” Jones, the labor leader, is visiting the mining districts of St. Francois and Madison counties this week.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for February 1917: Found in New York City & Chicago Fighting for Working-Class Women

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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When half a million mothers
in the richest city
in the richest country in the world
feel the pinch of hunger
as they are feeling it here now
nothing can prevent trouble.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday March 8, 1917
Mother Jones News for February: Fighting for Working-Class Women

Mother Jones, Colorado Military Bastile, March 1914

During the month of February 1917, before she moved on to the struggles of the working-class women in the cities of New York and Chicago, we first found Mother Jones in Washington, D. C. Here she observed a women, one of them clad in a $7,000 coat, demonstrating for women’s suffrage. Now, Hellraisers does not agree with Mother on the issue of suffrage for women, but we acknowledge that, perhaps, her attitude is shaped by having been on the front lines of the Colorado Coal Miners’ Strike of 1913-1914. In Colorado, at that time, the vote for women did very little good for miners, their wives, or their children.

In that state, women had the right to vote, nevertheless, the miners and their families suffered greatly under the rule of Governor Ammons, Democrat of Colorado. Many of these coal-camp women were immigrants who could not vote. And those women who were citizens, and had the right to vote, had first to get past the company guards before they could exercise their franchise.

The duly elected Governor Ammons sent a brutal military general to rule over the striking miners and their families. It was this Military Despotism which then resulted in the Ludlow Massacre of April 20, 1914. Mother Jones was herself a guest of the Military Bastile established under General Chase who answered directly to the democratically elected Governor of the State of Colorado.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Speaks to Striking Chicago Garment Workers, “Don’t be afraid of their jails!”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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No matter what your fight don’t be ladylike!
God Almighty made women
and the Rockefeller gang of thieves
made the ladies.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday February 28, 1917
Chicago, Illinois – Mother Jones Jumps into Garment Strike

From The Day Book of February 27th:

MOTHER JONES URGES STRONG ACTION
IN GARMENT STRIKE

Mother Jones Speaks to Chg Garment Strikers, ISR Dec 1915

The same old Mother Jones, with her scream of hatred for the bosses who grind their workers, jumped into the garment ladies garment strike yesterday. Twice she addressed the strikers and twice the crowd of workers yelled back in answer when she shouted for more vim in the strike.

“Picket,” she screamed at the packed hall at 180 W. Washington st.,

Picket! Let them arrest you. Don’t picket in ones or twos. Go in hundreds-five hundreds of you. Get out there, and if they arrest one they’ll have to arrest all of you.

When they start taking you to cells by the hundreds, taxpayers will begin asking questions. Pretty soon they’ll find out what this is all about and your strike will be won.

The substance of Mother Jones’ talk yesterday, which is as yet unprinted, follows:

They call me a radical agitator. They call your organizers radical agitators. Let me tell you that the most radical agitators we have ever had were those who founded our government. It was founded on a mighty revolt against tyrants. Let us keep up our revolt against indecent labor conditions until we clean up the bosses in Chicago.

They served me with a copy of an injunction Sunday as I came into the city. I thought it was the Salvation Army because it was handed me on the Sabbath. Then I read the name of one of your judges and I knew it was an injunction sent in violation of the Lord’s commandments. Why I’ve had enough injunctions served on me to fill 99 coffins when I go to meet my master.

I hope that Judge Baldwin has his lap dog here because I want to give him a message to carry back. I want him to hear what I have to say about this strike that I am butting into.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Arrives in Chicago, Served with Injunction, Declares, “What a lot of rot!”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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All strikes are alike;
They are protest against charity,
ignorance, misery, hunger,
industrial slavery, and jails.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday February 27, 1917
Chicago, Illinois – Mother Jones Arrives to Aid Garment Strikers

Mother Jones states she will aid the garment workers now on strike in this city, court injunction notwithstanding. Most of the strikers are women. Many of them have been brought before Judge Baldwin, the old injunction judge, forced to listen to his endless lectures and sentenced for up to six months in jail.

From The Pittsburgh Press:

PREPARE TO DEAL WITH “MOTHER” JONES
—–

By United Press.

Mother Mary Harris Jones, Logansport, IN, Sept 27, 1916

Chicago, Feb. 26.-Officials anticipated activities of “Mother” Jones, aged 83, labor leader. When she arrived here from New York to participate in the garment workers’ strike, she was served with a copy of the injunction prohibiting picketing.

[She declared:]

What a lot of rot. Imagine an old judge issuing a thing like that in the twentieth century.

I shall speak in Chicago if I am asked and attend meetings too. All strikes are alike; they are a protest against charity, ignorance, misery, hunger, industrial slavery, and jails.

Miss Gertrude Barnum, who with Theodore Roosevelt, helped settle the kimona workers’ strike in 1913, has also arrived to help the strikers.

[Photograph added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Calls for Nation-Wide Protests on Behalf of Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I am as ready to die with you now
as I have been ready to fight
with you in the past.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday February 26, 1907
From the Appeal to Reason: Mother Jones on Idaho Injustice

While Eugene V. Debs continues his campaign to save Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone on the front page of this week’s edition of the Appeal to Reason, a stirring article from Mother Jones appears on page three:

THE DAWNING OF A NEW ERA

(BY MOTHER JONES.)
—–

HMP, Mother Jones Ready to Die, AtR Feb 23, 1907

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

IN the history of the country-I go farther, in the history of the world-there is nothing more criminal and heartless than the kidnaping of Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone and walling them in alive without the shadow of a charge against them. Two governors, in league with the money power, are guilty of this crime. We who know these men know them to be innocent and we also know that they are worthy to receive our loyal support and that they shall have it to the end.

This diabolical deed, accomplished at night, upon honest workingmen is enough to set one’s brain in a whirl and stir one’s soul to revolt.

King Ruzvlt entered no word of protest, but indirectly approved and backed up this attack upon organized labor.

When Gooding said: “These men shall never leave Idaho alive” he said more than he intended. That is what he meant, but he has since realized that it was unfortunate for him to blurt it out.

General Miles says he can bring 250 honest citizens into court to swear that the beef trust murdered three thousand American soldiers by feeding them poisoned beef.

The mine owners, with the aid of United States deputy marshals, murdered seven miners in the dead of night on Stanford Mountain, W. Va., February 23, 1903.

These are two typical incidents which show the murderous march of King Capital. Life counts for less than nothing. But let it be noted that it is always the life of labor.

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Hellraisers Journal: East Side Women of New York City to Mayor Mitchell: “Give us food! Our Children Are Starving!”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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When half a million mothers
in the richest city
in the richest country in the world
feel the pinch of hunger
as they are feeling it here now
nothing can prevent trouble.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday February 24, 1917
New York, New York – Mothers Demand Food as Children Starve

New York Food Riots, Lt Digest, Mar 3, 1917

While the nation’s kept press continues to report on the food rioting taking place in New York City and Philadelphia, they continuously emphasis the foreign birth of many of the demonstrators, some of which have indeed rioted. Seems they believe that those of foreign birth should be willing to starve and perish in a quiet and orderly manner once they come to America.

The kept press mostly ignores the deep suffering of those who have been driven to such desperate measure in order to find relief. In fact, within just the past two months of January and February, the price of staples has risen dramatically. The cost of potatoes has risen 100 percent, onions are up by 366 percent and cabbage by 212 percent. Without being able to afford meat, mothers rely on beans to nourish their growing children and that staple has increased by 100 percent.

The Day Book of Chicago is an exception to this callous coverage of human suffering, pointing out that people are actually starving in New York City. The Day Book reports on attempts at relief:

STARVING CONTINUE TO RIOT
IN NEW YORK-ACTION

New York, Feb. 23.-Food riots continued sporadically in city today as heighth of Sabbath food buying among Jewish people was reached.

Mass meeting tonight, Rutgers sq., following which women will march to meeting of Board Estimate, where Mayor Mitchell is expected to make move to relieve conditions.

Demands will be made on city authorities for appropriation of $1,000,000 to open municipal stores and another $1,000,000 for school lunches. Strong demand that steps be taken to have government take over railway systems for food transportation.

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