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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday October 15, 1911
Cartoon by Ralph Barton: Predatory Wealth and Child Labor
From The Progressive Woman of October 1911:
The Capitalist: “Suffer the little children (of the working class)
to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Capitalism.”—————–
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Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday October 10, 1911
Socialist Editors of New Castle, Pennsylvania, Freed
From the Appeal to Reason of October 7, 1911:
New Castle Socialists Freed
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Charles McKeever, Frank M. Hartman and C. H. McCarty, editors of the Free Press, of New Castle, Pa., have been acquitted in the court of the charge seditious libel. This is the ease that has attracted so much attention all over the country. They are arraigned under an obsolete English law that was supposed to have been off the statute books of every civilized state. Had there been no publicity given to the matter no doubt the comrades would have been convicted, but when the people began to realize that a law belonging to the middle ages was sought now as a means of upholding the capitalist system there was such an awakening that conviction became an impossibility.
Although the seditious libel case was decided in favor of the defense, the unheard of action was taken of assessing them half the costs of the prosecution. All the costs of defense and half the cost of prosecution, when they were found not guilty, is a hard burden for them to bear and is an outrage against so-called civilization in America.
But in addition to this, they are under sentence of a fine for contempt of court. This case has cost them a great deal and the flight against the life of the Free Press has lasted for eighteen months. As a result it has been a severe blow to the comrades. Those who wish to help in this fight now that it is won should send fifty cents for an annual subscription to the Free Press.
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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday October 4, 1911
Debs Recommends Propaganda Books by Socialist Writers
From the International Socialist Review of October 1911:
Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday October 3, 1911
“The Pyramid of Capitalism” -Workers of the World Feed the World
From the International Socialist Review of October 1911:
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Hellraisers Journal – Monday October 2, 1911
West Virginia’s Mine Guard System, Brutal Thugs Hired by Coal Operators-Part II
From The Labor Argus of September 28, 1911:
If there is a place on earth where every right of citizenship is ruthlessly tramped beneath the feet of the brutal tyrants, armed thugs and political traitors it is the nonunion and guard ridden coal fields of West Virginia. Since the introduction of the Baldwin detective agency into the New River and Cabin Creek coal fields, crime has increased instead of being suppressed. More crimes have been committed in Thurmond, Fayette Co. since the Baldwin Feltz detective agency have made it their headquarters than were ever know before, and all of these crimes are traceable to the detectives themselves. This Baldwin Detective Agency is nothing more than a legalized band of Molly-McGuires, commissioned by the Governor of the State and allowed to brutalize, rob and murder the unprotected citizen.
The murder of six or seven miners at Standford City [Stanaford Coal Camp], on Piney, in 1902 [February 25, 1903] by a posse of coal operators and thugs lead by United States deputy marshals was one of the most revolting and cold blooded murders of innocent working men that was ever committed. These poor miners were guilty of no crime; their only offence was they had dared to strike against conditions. The posse lead by deputy marshalls, went to Stanford City in the night arriving just before day light. The first, warning the miners had of their presence came when they were awaken from their sleep by the bullits fired through their thin board houses, by the cowardly posse, bent on murder. Men were shot down like dogs as they ran from the houses in their night clothes; several being killed outright and many more wounded.
An active union miner named Harless [Joe Hiser?] realized that it was death to leave shelter during the firing and remained in the house until after day light, but when he attempted to leave he was shot dead from ambush. Was anything done about this wholesale murder of the innocent? No, it was done in the name of the law. The authorities took the words of the men who did the murdering. But that was just, a beginning of the tyrannical rule of the outlaws.
[There follows a long “partial list of men who have been slugged, beat, robbed and murdered” by coal-company gunthugs.]
These are not all the crimes directly traceable to the detectives, as some will never be known and space will not permit us to enumerate them all. When these guards spot a man they wish to assault, they always try to pick a quarrel, or get into a controversy of some kind. An old trick of theirs is to slip an old pistol into their victims pocket, and arrest them for carrying concealed weapons, beat them up and take them before one of the fixed Justice’s and have the poor victim sent to jail for six months and fined all the money on his person.
All the crimes we have listed have been committed; we can name the guards guilty of the assaults and murders in many cases, but what have our authorities done to protect the life and liberties of these working men? Nothing. Not a man has been brought to account for any of these crimes.
The strong arm of the law is paralyzed and palsied when it comes to protecting the rights and lives of the working class, but let the property of the masters be endangered and you can see how quick the powerful arm of the law will be put into action.
Are conditions any worse than those pictured here in Russia or barborous Mexico? The coal baron rules West Virginia and our officials are but puppets to jump and do the bidding of their masters.
How much longer, Oh! patient and long suffering people are you going to submit to these damnable conditions? Have you and yours not suffered enough already? Then go to the polls next year and vote these conditions out of existence by voting the Socialist ticket. Elect the Socialist to office in Kanawha county in 1912 and it will be moving day with the guards.
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[Emphasis added.]
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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday October 1, 1911
Behold: Babies Born into Child Slavery and Poverty in America
From the Spokane Industrial Worker of September 28, 1911:
There is little hope for the child of today, born of working parents, but a life of unceasing toil in the master’s profit-grinding hell pens. The child has supplanted the mother and father, because it works cheaper. Child slavery in America is openly carried on and many thousands of little tots are wearing their little lives away in order to make wealth for a fat profit-monger. If nothing else would rouse the great army of men toilers to action, the very thought of the thousands of little children working in the mills, should stir them to action. Child slavery is a greater blot on civilization than prostitution, as it is a forerunner of prostitution, disease and misery. Let us unite industrially and free every child from the greedy grasp of the gold-crazed glutton that fattens from their toil. Ninety percent of the child slaves of the cotton factories of the south are absolutely illiterate. Be a man and fight. Organize and save he children and then yourselves.
[Emphasis added.]
