Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Walker C. Smith in Courtroom as Sabotage Books Read at Tracy Trial

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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 March 19, 1917
Seattle, Washington – “Sabotage” Introduced into Tracy Trial

From The Seattle Star of March 16, 1917:

JUROR ASLEEP AS LAWYERS READ
OF SABOTAGE BOOKS
—–

Sabotage by Walker C Smith, first pub 1913

By admitting as exhibits all the articles from the Industrial Worker presented by the state which related to industrial and free speech troubles at Everett, and excluding all which related to California or other places, Judge Ronald settled the point which has been more bitterly contested than any other so far in the case in which Thomas H.Tracy and 74 other members of the Industrial Workers’ organization are charged with murder on account of the death of Jefferson Beard from shots fired when a crowd went from Seattle to Everett on the “Verona” November 5 last.

The jury, which had been excused while the articles were being discussed, was brought back, and the articles and other I. W. W. literature read to it Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Juror Sleeps

One of the jurors slept during much of the reading.

Walker C. Smith, author of the book in question, “Sabotage,” sat at the press table during the afternoon, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, speaker and author of another book on “Sabotage,” also was in the room, she chatted cheerfully with Tracy during the recess. She has just returned from a speaking trip in Oregon and will leave for California next week.

It is not yet certain whether she will be called as a witness when the defense puts on its case.

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Seattle Union Record: Charles Ashleigh Exposes Waterfront “Bomb Plot” Bunk

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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 February 22, 1917
Seattle, Washington – News from Everett Prisoners’ Defense

From the Seattle Union Record of February 17th:

TRIAL WILL BE HELD IN SEATTLE
—-
Change of Venue From Snohomish County Is Granted
-Waterfront “Bomb Plot” Blows Up
-Help Needed
—–

By CHARLES ASHLEIGH

Moore & Vanderveer, Attorneys Everett Defense

The application of our attorneys for a change of venue from Snohomish County was heard February 9, in Everett, before Judge Ronald. Moore and Vanderveer had filed a mass of evidence showing great prejudice in the county against the defendants and the working-class movement generally. The prosecution did not attempt to rebut the dozens of affidavits of prejudice submitted by the defense and the judge thereupon granted a change of venue to King County, of which Seattle is the county seat.

There is a certain amount of advantage accruing to the change of venue to Seattle, according to most comment. Upon the list of the prosecution’s witnesses are Everett bank managers, cashiers, the most prominent money-lender of the town, and others of financial importance. This means that the jury would be chary of rendering a decision which would discredit the statements of persons to whom probably a number or the jurors would owe money or to whom they would be in some manner obligated. But that does not hold good in a city such as Seattle. A little Everett bank manager would cut merely an inconsiderable figure there. In Everett he would be a large toad in a small puddle, in Seattle, he would be a very little toad in a big puddle.

Press Tries to Arouse Prejudice

The same day as the change of venue was granted, the Post-Intelligencer and The Times of Seattle came out with a frothy story about a “bomb outrage” which, they alleged, was the work of the I. W. W. A little explosion was noted on the roof of the building in which is the office of the Waterfront Employers’ Union, an Open-Shop organization on the water-front. It seems that the “explosion” was probably caused by a fire-cracker thrown out of the window of a neighboring building. The papers reported Mr. Wollen, assistant-manager of the Employers’ Union, and the police, as attributing the affair to the I. W. W. and other “disgruntled”-by which they mean class-conscious-water-front workers.

A representative of the labor press was immediately sent out to investigate the truth of the matter and it turned out that the bosses’ sheets of Seattle had been spinning some of their usual wholecloth. Manager Becker, of the waterfront Employers, said, referring to the press stories: “You may quote me as saying the stories are bunk!” Assistant-Manager Wollen, whom the papers credit with the statement that the “outrage” was perpetrated by the Industrial Workers, said: “I never said anything about an attempt on my life. I said the whole thing was a Chinese New Year’s joke and laughed it off.” Chief of Police Beckingham said he knew nothing about any police theory connecting it with the workers. “The papers will say anything to arouse prejudice against the I. W. W.,” said the chief.

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Hellraisers Journal: Everett Defense News Letter No. 12: Caroline A. Lowe Comes to Aid of Class-War Prisoners

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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, Tuesday February 20, 1917
Seattle, Washington – Caroline A. Lowe Joins Defense Team

From Charles Ashleigh for Defense News of February 17th:

Everett Massacre, Def News Letter 12, Feb 17, 1917

Seattle, Wash., Feb. 17th.

Caroline A. Lowe, Progressive Woman, Sept 1913

The panel of jurors, from which will be drawn the twelve to serve in the cases of the 74 men charged with murder, has been already published. There are 175 jurors on the list, of whom 71 are women.

MISS FLYNN HAS
SUCCESSFUL TOUR.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn has just returned from a speaking trip through Washington, Oregon, Idaho and part of Montana in the interests of the Defense of the 74 victims of Bloody Sunday. Every where the workers have heard eagerly the facts of the tragic and brutal massacre of November 5th and have given willingly of their time, energy and money to help set free our imprisoned fellow workers. Miss Flynn will now be engaged until the trial in the State of Washington and, more especially, in King County.

WELL KNOWN WOMAN VOLUNTEERS FOR DEFENSE.

The Defense has secured most valuable aid in the services of Miss Caroline A. Lowe, a woman of national prominence, who has entered into the campaign for the release of the 74 working men who are threatened with life-long imprisonment for their belief in Free Speech. Miss Lowe is an attorney-at law, practicing in Kansas and California and was formerly vice-president of the Kansas City Teachers’ Association. She was also National Lecturer for the Socialist Party. Miss Lowe addressed the U. S. Senate Committee on National Suffrage, during the Suffrage hearing in 1911. She was prominent in the fight for Free Speech in Kansas City, Mo., in the winter of 1913-14 when the workers won a clear-cut victory, securing the right to use the streets as a public forum.

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Hellraisers Journal: The Resolution on War and Class Solidarity from IWW Convention of 1916

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IWWC on War and Class Solidarity, Dec 1, 1916

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday February 9, 1917
Chicago, Illinois – I.W. W. Opposes War, Advocates Class Solidarity

IWWC 1916, Delg Little, ISR Jan 1917

In the dark shadow of War, now looming over the nation’s working class men and women, we have concluded that now is a good time to consider the Resolution on War and Class Solidarity passed at Tenth Convention of the Industrial Workers of the World. The delegates gathered together in Chicago for ten days last fall, from November 20th to December 1st of 1916. Resolution #112 was passed during the afternoon session on the last day of the convention:

No. 112—A DECLARATION:

We, the Industrial Workers of the World, in convention assembled, hereby reaffirm our adherence to the principle of Industrial Unionism, and rededicate ourselves to the unflinching, unfaltering prosecution of the struggle for the abolition of wage slavery and the realization of our ideals in Industrial Democracy. With the European war for conquest and exploitation raging and destroying the lives, class consciousness and unity of the workers, and the ever growing agitation for military preparedness clouding the main issues and delaying the realization of our ultimate aim with patriotic and, therefore, capitalistic aspirations, we openly declare ourselves the determined opponents of all nationalistic sectionalism, or patriotism, and the militarism preached and supported by our one enemy, the capitalist class. We condemn all wars and, for the prevention of such, we proclaim the anti-militarist propaganda in time of peace, thus promoting Class Solidarity among the workers of the entire world, and, in time of war, the General Strike in all industries. We extend assurances of both moral and material support to all the workers who suffer at the hands of the capitalist class for their adhesion to these principles and call on all workers to unite themselves with us, that the reign of the exploiters may cease and this earth be made fair through the establishment of the Industrial Democracy.

F. H. LITTLE,
W. E. MATTINGLY,
FRANCIS MILLER,
WM. D. HAYWOOD.

National Organizer McGuckin suggested that every effort should be made to get this published in the capitalist press, and that it should also be printed in leaflet form and widely distributed. Motion made and seconded that this be adopted unanimously, and published in the presses throughout the United States of America and the world. Unanimously carried.

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Hellraisers Journal: Carlo Tresca Welcomed Home to New York City with Mass Meeting and Kisses to Both Cheeks

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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, Tuesday December 26, 1916
New York City – Carlo Tresca Welcomed Home at Mass Meeting

From the New York Sun of December 25, 1916:

TRESCA WELCOMED BCK.
—–
I. W. W. Leader Kissed on Both
Cheeks at Public Meeting.

MN16, Parade for Tresca etc, NYC, Dec 2, 1916

Nearly a thousand anarchists and Industrial Workers of the World expressed in a variety of ways yesterday their happiness at the return to New York of their fiery leader, Carlo Tresca, who has been on trial* in Minnesota as a result of his activities in the Mesaba iron range strike.

A meeting of welcome was held in Manhattan Lyceum, 66 East Fourth street. In his exuberance William Shatoff kissed the protesting Carlo first on one cheek and then on the other, while the crowd yelled its appreciation of the scene Shatoff afterward made a speech, but as it was in Russian it will not be reported. Hundreds of his compatriots gathered around Carlo and kept him busy shaking hands for half an hour. Then the meeting began. Tresca said the Minnesota iron miners were ready for another strike “when the gong rings.”

[*Note-Tresca did not stand trial, but was released as part of a plea agreement.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Biwabik Times Advocates Everett-Style Murder for the Miners of Mesabi Should They Dare to Strike Again

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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, Tuesday December 5, 1916
Minnesota Mesabi Iron Range – Bullets for Striking Miners?

The Duluth Labor World recently addressed the grave concern displayed by the Biwabik Times for the poor picked-upon Steel Trust. The Times believes that the Lumber Trust of Washington set a good example on the care and treatment of labor agitators when their deputized company gunthugs committed mass murder on Everett’s Bloody Sunday.

From The Labor World of December 2, 1916:

BIWABIK TIMES ADVOCATES MURDER!

MN Miners Strike, Get Out IWW, Cartoon

The Biwabik Times in its issue of Nov. 24 openly
advocates murder!

Think of it! That staunch defender of the poor unprotected steel trust!

It, advocates and even urges the citizens of Biwabik to take human life!

The Times is really worried over the plight of the poor unprotected steel trust. It isn’t fair to call another strike. So naturally the Times has its first convulsion when it learns that a strike of miners will be called on April 1, 1917.

Here is their recommendation:

“To the Times there is apparently but one way to stop this outrage, and that is to just as did the citizens of Everett, Washington.”

The Everett tragedy, contrary to the statements made by the Biwabik Times, is a sad commentary upon the characters and names of the Everett business men who promoted it.

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Hellraisers Journal: The Agricultural Workers Organization (IWW) Is Coming Back to Stay

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SABOTAGE
-the conscious withdrawal of
the workers’ industrial efficiency.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday October 1, 1916
From Solidarity: The A. W. O. Marches on to Industrial Freedom

AWO & Black Cat, Ralph Chaplin, Bingo, Solidarity, Sept 30, 1916

Solidarity, organ of the Industrial Workers of the World, in this week’s edition, published the above cartoon by “Bingo” along with the good news that 1916 has been a year of great success for the army of organizers sent out into the harvest fields by the Agricultural Workers Organization. In August the A. W. O. gained over 800 members and in in the first three week of September 2000 more were issued their red cards.
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Hellraisers Journal: Report from the Harvest Fields by W. T. Nef of the Agricultural Workers Organization

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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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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones in Evansville, Indiana, for Labor Day Celebration, Comes Out for Wilson

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When there’s a fight on, I go.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday September 5, 1916
Evansville, Indiana – Two Interviews with Mother Jones

The people of Evansville were fortunate enough to enjoy the presence of Mother Jones at their Labor Day celebration yesterday. While in Evansville, Mother was interviewed by two of the town’s newspapers-which interviews we are pleased to offer in full.

From the Evansville Press of September 4, 1916:

Mother Jones, Evansville (IN) Press, Labor Day Sept 4, 1916

MOTHER JONES DEMANDS 6-HOUR DAY;
WANTS WILSON
—–

Eight-hour day! Huh!

Mother Jones, in Evansville Monday to speak at the Labor day picnic, thinks that six hours a day is enough.

(White-haired, she has, at 86, a complexion 16 might envy-rose and snow she is!)
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Hellraisers Journal: From The Masses: The God of War by Boardman Robinson

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In peace they starve you to your loathsome toil,
In war they drive you to the teeth of Death;
And when your life-blood soaks into their soil
They give you lies to choke your dying breath.
-Ralph Chaplin

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 24, 1916
From The Masses: War & God by Boardman Robinson

From this month’s edition of The Masses:

Masses, God of War, Boardman Robinson, Aug 1916
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