Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for January 1919-Found Messaging Mooney Convention from Los Angeles

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Quote Mother Jones, Courts n Justice, ES2 p190, to Mooney Conv, Jan 14, 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday February 22, 1919
Mother Jones News for January 1919
-Found in Los Angeles, California

On January 14th, Mother Jones sent a message from Los Angeles to the National Labor Convention for the defense of Tom Mooney which opened in Chicago on that date.

Telegram from Mother Jones:

Mother Jones, Eve Rv E Liverpool OH p2, Jan 4, 1919

January 14, 1919

To Ed Knockels,
166 Washington St.,
Chicago, Illinois

To the delegates in Convention greeting. May your resolutions be tempered with reason. Courts of our country must be exonerated. Convention must demand courts be cleansed of corporation judges. Place men on bench who will consider justice before dollars. Blot must be removed from courts. If the workers lose faith in courts then where are they to turn for justice.

Mother Jones.

———-

[Photograph added from The Evening Review (East Liverpool, Ohio) of January 4, 1919.]

From Nebraska’s Lincoln Daily Star of January 15, 1919:

LABOR RADICALS BADLY DEFEATED IN FIRST CLASH
—–

CHICAGO, Jan. 15.-After a fight which occupied the entire morning session the conservatives defeated the radicals by a vote or 2 to 1 today in organizing the national labor congress, called to consider plans for obtaining a new trial for Thomas J. Mooney, serving a life term for murder growing out of the San Francisco preparedness day parade bomb out rage.

[…..]

At the opening of today’s session Chairman Nolan made a plea for harmony and urged the delegates to speedily get to the consideration of the business for which the convention was called.

A message of greeting from “Mother” Jones at Los Angeles was read, in which she expressed the opinion that a rehabilitation of the country’s judicial system was necessary. “If labor loses confidence in the courts where can we turn for justice,” the message read.

———-

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Hellraisers Journal: Seattle Union Record: Thousands Cheer for Big Strike as Mass Meeting Jams Hippodrome to the Doors

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Quote John McKelvey re Stt GS Shipyards, SUR p1, Jan 27, 1919—–

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday January 28, 1919
Seattle, Washington – “Mass Meeting Endorses Big Strike”

From the Seattle Union Record of January 27, 1919:

Seattle General Strike, Mass Meeting Endorses, SUR p1, Jan 27, 1919

SHIPWORKERS ARE IN FIGHT TO WIN
—–

Jamming the big Hippodrome to its doors with cheering thousands on Sunday afternoon [January 26th], the Boilermakers, Iron Shipbuilders and Helpers held what was probably the largest and most enthusiastic meeting of organized labor which has been held in the Northwest.

The last doubt, if one still existed, that the big union stood behind the industrial battle as one man was dispelled by the meeting. Impressed not only with what it meant to them, but what it means to all of labor, a motion to endorse the strike was carried by a unanimous standing vote and three rousing cheers.

Jack Duschack, business agent of the union, was the first to speak. He told the story of the endeavor of the Metal Trades Council to secure living wages for the workers.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for December 1918, Part III-Found in California Organizing Oil Field Workers

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Quote Mother Jones, Charity Justice, Stt Str p1, Dec 27, 1918———-

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday January 22, 1919
Mother Jones News for December 1918, Part III
-Mother Found in Taft, California, Organizing Oil Field Workers

Mother Jones, Bff Enq p14, Dec 26, 1918

Following her audience with the Governor of California on behalf of Tom Mooney, Mother Jones spoke in and around the San Francisco area urging working men and woman to take action to free Mooney and all other political and class-war prisoners. Mother then traveled to Taft, near Bakersfield, at the request of the oil field workers there with the intention of organizing them into the United Mine Workers of America.

We next find her in the pages of the The Kalamazoo Gazette as the author of  a “Message to Women in Industry.” Here she states that the organization of women into “men’s” unions will strengthen organized labor for both working women as well as for working men:

Women ought to join men’s unions-not organize separate unions of their own. The battle against unpatriotic greed, the struggle for a free America, is no sex matter.

An infusion of women into men’s unions works for good to both men and women. Man has studied the disease longer than woman; he has a broader vision of society’s problems. Woman is less indifferent to suffering than man. She will contribute energy and inspire to action.

A woman will not see the hair torn from the scalp of a ten-year-old girl by unprotected cog-wheels, without wanting to do something about it.

Note: the photograph above is from The Buffalo Enquirer of December 26, 1918.

———-

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for December 1918, Part III-Found in California Organizing Oil Field Workers”

Hellraisers Journal: National Labor Convention for Mooney: Debs Invited, W. F. Dunn of Butte Speaks for Radicals

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Quote EVD re General Strike, Journal Paper Mill Workers p7, Mar 1919

———-

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday January 18, 1919
Chicago, Illinois – National Labor Convention for Mooney Hears from Radicals

From The Butte Daily Bulletin of January 16, 1919:

National Labor Mooney Conference, HdLn, Btt Dly Bltn p1, Jan 16, 1919 National Labor Mooney Conference, Radicals, Btt Dly Bltn p1, Jan 16, 1919

—–

(Special Dispatch to The Bulletin.)

Chicago, Jan. 16.-At this morning’s session of the Mooney Labor Congress Ed Nolan scored the capitalist press on its criticism of the invitation of Debs and its attempt to give a sense of dissension among the delegates. Debs’ name was again greeted with tumultuous applause. It was moved that the Nonpartisan league be given the floor. The motion was defeated. Dunn of Butte moved to give the Detroit delegate the floor. The Detroit leader clearly outlined the program before the convention as follows:

No political begging, a general strike to free Tom Mooney and also to take a stand to free political prisoners and recognize Russia; reorganize the American Federation of Labor on an industrial basis.

The radicals are satisfied with the moves so far.

—–

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Hellraisers Journal: National Labor Convention at Chicago Plans Country-Wide General Strike on Behalf of Mooney

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Quote Edward D Nolan, re General Strike for Mooney, Stt Str p1, Jan 14, 1919

Hellraisers Journal – Friday January 17, 1919:
Chicago, Illinois – National Labor Convention Convenes on Behalf of Mooney

From The Seattle Star of January 14, 1919:

National Labor Mooney Conference, HdLn, Stt Str p1, Jan 14, 1919 National Labor Mooney Conference, re Nolan, Stt Str p1, Jan 14, 1919

CHICAGO, Jan. 14.-Nation-wide strikes and boycotts will be the weapons used by labor to secure the release of Thomas J. Mooney, according to Edward B. Nolan, San Francisco, secretary of the International Workers’ Defense league who made the keynote speech at the opening session of the labor congress in the Mooney case here today.

Nolan asked the congress to set a definite date for the strikes.

[Declared Nolan:]

Legislation is not forthcoming for Mooney’s benefit. Labor must use its last resort, its powerful economic weapon-the strike and the boycott-to win Mooney his justice. The case has become the greatest question of the nation. We must use the final expression of labor and lay our cards on the table.

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Hellraisers Journal: Everett Trades Council Elects Delegate for Upcoming Chicago Tom Mooney Defense Conference

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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday January 5, 1919
Everett, Washington – Trades Council to Send Delegate to Chicago

From the Everett Labor Journal of January 3, 1919:

EVERETT’S ORGANIZED LABOR ELECTS
DELEGATE TO CHICAGO
—–
Big Meeting of Trades Unionists Last Wednesday
Night at Red Men’s Wigwam.
—–

Tom Mooney, Chicago Conference, Union Advocate Cfvl KS p1, Dec 29, 1918

Wednesday, January 1, 1919.

The Council was called to order at the usual time by President Gulley.

The Trades Council, having invited the membership of the several trades unions in the city to meet with it a larger hall was necessary and the Red Men’s Hall was secured for the occasion.

Members of nearly all the unions were in attendance and a large meeting was the result.

There were present President Short and ex-President Marsh of the Washington State Federation of Labor, which added zest to the meeting.

Bro. Short addressed the meeting briefly, calling special attention to conditions existing in California growing out of the Mooney case and then discussed the subject of reconstruction. He said the nation had entered the war in a state of unpreparedness and had “made good” in helping to destroy autocracy, but was now confronted by as serious a problem in the reconstruction made necessary by changed conditions. This new problem would tax the deepest thought of the greatest minds in the country and its solution would require all the wisdom, and experience of the people. Relating to the proposed strike in defense of Mooney and his co-defendants he said it was ill-advised. It lacked organization as to its national significance. If there should be a strike it should be confined to the State of California where the trouble lay. Industrially and politically California was so strongly organized by the corporation employers of labor that united effort must be put forth to crush that opposition to the welfare of the workers.

California was the offender and to California should be applied |the drastic remedy implied by a general strike. If a nation-wide strike were necessary there must needs be nation-wide preparation for it if success in the use of this last weapon of labor’s defense be made successful…..

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