Tag: Mother Mary Harris Jones

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for October 1916: Aids New York Street Car Strike & Campaigns for Democrats in Illinois and Kentucky

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You, the wives of the strikers,
ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday November 9, 1916
Mother Jones News Round-Up for month of October, 1916

UMWJ, Feb 10, 1916, Cover, Mother Jones, TVP, Pres White

During the month of October, Mother was first found in New York City advising the wives of the street car strikers to put on their fighting clothes and go out and raise hell. Her words greatly shocked the kept press, the same press which is never much shocked whenever workers are killed on the job, or beaten, shot, and otherwise brutalized on the picket line by the powers-that-be.

Mother was next found in Illinois and Kentucky campaigning for the re-election of President Wilson and Senator Kern. She was sent into the region by the United Mine Workers of America to speak to the miners and other working men.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for October 1906: Campaigning for Socialist Candidates in Illinois and Pennsylvania

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I have been on the firing line
of the industrial battle for years,
and when democratic bullets shot workingmen,
their blood watered the highways just the same
as when republican bullets shot them.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday November 8, 1906
Mother Jones Found Campaigning in Pennsylvania During October

From The Worker of October 6, 1906:

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

MOTHER JONES ABLE TO SPEAK.

Comrades the country over will be pleased to learn that Mother Jones is soon to be once more in the field [having recovered from a recent illness] and from now till election will divide her time between the 18th Illinois (Speaker Cannon’s) and the 11th Pennsylvania Congressional Districts, in which National board members of the United Mine Workers of America are candidates for Congress on the Socialist ticket, namely: John Walker and William Dettry.

———-

[Photograph added.]

Mother Jones, Grandmother of Agitation:

NATIONAL AGITATION FUND.

Contributions to the National Agitation Fund are reported:

…Mother Jones, gathered a field, $180…

Note: the other contributors donated between $10 and 50 cents, with the exception of the International Union of Brewery Workmen of America which donated $500.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Reports to the Appeal to Reason from Oklahoma Territory

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I have been on the firing line
of the industrial battle for years,
and when democratic bullets shot workingmen,
their blood watered the highways just the same
as when republican bullets shot them.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday October 21, 1906
Oklahoma Territory – Mother Jones Travels and Speaks

From the Appeal to Reason of October 20, 1906:

MESSAGE FROM MOTHER JONES
—–

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

Dear Appeal:-I want to report conditions as I find them in the new states. I entered the territory at Wilburton. There the democratic nominee for United States Senator was holding a meeting. The committee called on me and asked that the meetings be held jointly, as mine was also billed. I wanted to hear how he presented the struggle of the toiling millions from a democratic standpoint. He showed the wrongs of the republican party, and the beauties of his own. I followed, and showed up that they were both wings of the vulture class and if that class did not have both those wings they could not exist twenty-four hours. I explained to the audience that I had been on the firing line of the industrial battle for years, and that democratic bullets shot workingmen, and their blood had watered the highways just the same as when republican bullets shot them. The result was that a Socialist local of seventy of eighty members was organized soon after.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones: “The United States has become the home of a race of dollar hogs.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Recently in New York, there was held a banquet
at which $15,000,000 was represented.
Not one of the men present at that banquet
ever produced one dollar’s worth.
All that they posses was taken
away from the toilers.

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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday October 19, 1916
Moline, Illinois – Mother Jones Speaks and Encourages Illegal Street Music

From The Monmouth Daily Atlas of October 17, 1916:

Mother Jones, UMWJ, Feb 10, 1916

MOTHER JONES HAS A GOOD TIME
IN MOLINE
—–

Moline, Oct. 17. – “Mother” Jones needs music to start off her meetings.

Mayor Martin T. Carlson of Moline Saturday refused to issue a permit for a band to play Sunday afternoon on the streets but “Mother” Jones told the boys to go ahead. There was a musical program on the streets before the meeting and at a late hour this afternoon, city officials had taken no notice of the disregard to the mayor’s order.

The meeting at the Moline theater was a monster one and “Mother” Jones delivered one of her dynamic talks touching on several phases of modern life, touching political religious, civic and individual questions of the hour.

—–

[Photograph added.]

Mother Jones Interviewed by The Davenport News:

LABOR LEADER SCORES HUGHES, BOOSTS WILSON
—–
‘Mother’ Jones, National Celebrity,
in Davenport for Short Time.
Decries Past Conditions.
—–
Says U. S. Home of Nation of ‘Dollar Hogs’
Holding Down Toilers.
—–

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for September 1916: Stumps for Wilson & Kern in Indiana

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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The miners need no angel.
They are living in hell
and they want to raise hell.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday October 12, 1916
Mother Jones Found in Indiana During Month of September

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

Mother Jones spent the much of the month of September 1916 in Indiana campaigning for the re-election of both President Wilson and Senator Kern. But before beginning our coverage of Mother’s activities in Indiana, we found an article from an Arizona newspaper which complained of her campaign on behalf of the re-election of Governor Hunt in that state.

Hellraisers Journal of September 2nd republished an article from the September 1st edition of the Graham Guardian of Safford, Arizona, which expressed much outrage over “The Stormy Petrel” and the bad language use by the supposedly foul-mouthed union agitator at a rally held in Phoenix on August 21st. The Guardian claimed that Mother campaigned as much for whiskey as she did for Governor Hunt.

Hellraisers Journal of September 5th republished two interviews with Mother Jones conducted while she was in Evansville, Indiana, to speak at the city’s Labor Day Celebration. Mother Jones declared herself in favor of the re-election of President Wilson and the Indiana Senator, John Kern. She demanded the six-hour day, and, on the subject women and the economic struggle she stated:

The problem of this age is not suffrage, not feminism, not liquor: it’s the industrial question. That’s the nation’s disease, that has bred nearly every war of mankind, for most wars are wars fought for capital.

You never can change the situation in which those who toil are illfed and ignorant, until woman is awakened to the economic situation in this country. She is by nature more human than man. When she becomes more enlightened to real labor conditions in this country, she will not rest until every child is well fed, well clothed and well educated.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for September 1906: Organizing for Socialist Party in Oklahoma

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, Thursday October 11, 1906
Mother Jones Found in Oklahoma & Indian Territories During September

From the Tulsa Daily World of September 2, 1906:

MOTHER JONES’ CAMPAIGN.
—–
Socialist Agitator Will Make Addresses
in Indian Territory.

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

Durant, I. T., Sept 1.-Mother Jones, of Philadelphia, who is well known from Maine to California, as a socialist agitator of great prominence, was greeted at Shuler Park last night by a large and enthusiastic audience, many of the people coming from a distance. The speaker was introduced by R. M. Coon. Mother Jones in her address principally talked upon the labor struggles which her party declares is in existence. She is a fluent talker and is very emphatic in her denunciations. Her remarks were at all times heartily applauded. She will leave today for Madill, where she will address a socialist meeting tonight.

—–

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Hellraisers Journal: “Women The Worst” -Easily Led by Mother Jones to “Riot and Revolution”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Never mind if you are not lady like,
you are woman-like.
God Almighty made the woman and
the Rockefeller gang of thieves made the ladies.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal: Sunday October 8, 1916
New York, New York – Mother Jones Blamed for Thursday’s “Riot”

Mother Jones, UMWJ, Feb 10, 1916

When a few of the wives of striking street carmen, out of the 500 in attendance Thursday afternoon at Mozart Hall, left the meeting and proceeded to attack a scab-run railway car, the kept press of New York City decided that this constituted a “riot” and put the blame for the disturbance on the “wild talk” of Mother Jones. There will be no apology forthcoming from Mother Jones who told reporters yesterday:

Let the working women realize what they can do and they will join with the men, and industrial troubles will soon be over.

From the New York Evening World of October 6, 1916:

WOMEN THE WORST

THE rioting women responsible for the disgraceful scenes at Eighty-sixth Street and Third Avenue yesterday afternoon furnish an example of the peculiar danger of letting professional agitators practice upon female audiences.

Even the most militant male advocates have failed to incite the striking car men to any such concerted acts of violence as those indulged in by these hundreds of women after listening to wild talk from Mother Jones.

Women are more easily persuaded to riot and revolution than men. Respect for law restrains them less, and beyond a certain pitch of excitement fear of consequences restrains them not at all.
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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones to Wives of New York Carmen: “You ought to be out raising hell!”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You, the wives of the strikers,
ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday October 7, 1916
New York, New York – Mother Jones Speaks, Blamed for “Riot”

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

On Thursday October 5th, Mother Jones spoke to the wives of the striking street carmen of New York City. She spoke at Mozart Hall where she told the women:

You, the wives of the strikers, ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes

A few women left the hall and attacked one of the surface cars of the New York Railways Company resulting in a few arrests. This was termed a “riot” in blaring headlines from The New York Times and others of the kept press.

The Address of Mother Jones

During her speech at Mozart Hall, Mother spoke of the lives of the street car workers and the effect of the long hours of labor upon family life. She advised the women to stop being “sentimental” and to put on their “fighting clothes.”

I know something of what life is like for street car workers. I have talked to men who work on the cars from one end of the country to the next and I know how terribly exploited they are. But none are more exploited than the carmen in this, the leading city of the United States. You know and I know that your husbands have to work seven days a week with no provisions for days off; that their basic work day consists of ten hour time actually spent on a car run, but that it frequently takes 15 hours of working time to receive their ten hours pay. No provision exists for any overtime pay. It is not unusual, as you know, for your husbands to spend upwards of 80 hours a week on the cars. The car runs are frequently not consecutive but are split by three-or four hour breaks. When do your husbands have time for you and your children? The church and the press are worried about families breaking up, but when the workers go on strike to have the time to keep their families together, these same lackeys of the employers denounce them for doing so. And on top this, the wages your husbands bring home for the longest work week of any car workers in the country are the lowest earned by men in this trade anywhere.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Arrives in New York City to Assist Street Car Strikers

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, Friday October 6, 1916
New York, New York – Mother Jones on Scene of Turbulent Strike

Mother Mary Harris Jones, Decatur Herald IL, May 14, 1916

Mother Jones arrived in New York City on Tuesday evening to assist the striking street carmen who are now threatened with the importation of scabs. At noon on Wednesday, she spoke to the strikers at Lyceum hall. According to The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, she said, in part:

Boys, I have come to New York to help you win your fight for better homes, to win more time in them and more comfort in them. You’ve been working here for 25 cents an hour for a lot of high class burglars who reward you if you are good boys by giving you another cent and hour. A lot of good a cent will do you.

O, boys, boys, there are so many of you and so few of the high class burglars. Get together and you can lick —- out of them. You can do it without the women but to make sure, have the women with you.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Speaks at Indiana Federation of Labor Convention

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I reside wherever there is a good fight against wrong-
all over the country.
Wherever the workers are fighting the robbers
I go there.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday September 30, 1916
Logansport, Indiana – Mother Jones: Interview and Speech

From the Logansport Daily Tribune of September 27, 1916:

Mother Jones, Logansport Dly Tb IN, Sept 27, 1916

Comes to Address Federation of Labor
and Grants Testy Interview
—–
STILL VIGOROUS AT AGE OF 86
—–
(By Helen C. Kuppenheimer.)

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

Mother Jones arrived in the city last evening. The office sent me out to hunt her up and get an interview. These were the directions: “You’ll find her in one of the down-town restaurants-she’s a little, sweet-faced women with white hair and just as kind as she looks.”

I found her down at a Broadway restaurant sitting at a table with three men. I knew her because she was little and white-haired and sweet-faced, just like the office said she would be. I walked over to the table confidently, even boldly-here at least was one interview over which I need feel no timidity or trepidation-because she was as kind as she looked.

She was talking to the men at the table with her and I stopped beside her chair until she would give me an opportunity to speak to her. Finally she glanced up at me and then down at my feet and back up again-and then, very sharply, “Well?” I told her rather hurriedly who I was and what I wanted.

“An interview? What for? The paper? No I am going home and go to bed. I have nothing to say.” All these rapid fire remarks were made in a voice which might easily have reached to the farthest corner of a large hall. While her voice is as strong as a fog horn, it is as nothing compared to the quality of her glance which first pierces and then shrivels the person upon whom it is directed.

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