Hellraisers Journal: An Interview with Elizabeth Gurley Flynn on First Speech: “Women Under Socialism.”

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The barter and sale that goes on to-day
in the name of love
is highly obnoxious to me.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, age 15

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday January 3, 1907
From the New York Sun: Interview with Miss Elizabeth Flynn

From The Sun of April 8, 1906:

A GIRL STIRS UP SOCIALISTS.
—–

COMRADE ELIZABETH FLYNN
A LEADER AT 15.
—–

“The Daughter of the Reds.” They Call Her, and Maybe They’ll Elect Her President Yet-Not Yet Out of School, She Captures Meetings With Her Oratory Has Radical Theories and Doesn’t Care for Love, Clothes or Matinees.

EGF, Girl Socialist at 15, NYS Apr 8, 1906

Within the last few weeks there has appeared at various social reform meetings a young girl-she is said to be only 15-with the high, broad forehead and the dream filled, far gazing eyes of the idealist; a skin of almost infantile pinkness and whiteness and a mass of flyaway black hair, tied loosely in schoolgirl fashion at the back of her neck who has electrified the audiences by joining in the debate with a certainty of manner, an eloquence of expression and a lucidity of thought that have surprised experienced speakers and even professional radicals.

Her speeches have been the more impressive because she is good to look upon. Added to the charm of her youth and her unusual gifts in line and color harmonies her face is bright and expressive. Her deep blue eyes are of unusual size and purity of color. The delicate, sensitive mouth has a queer little quivering twist of the upper lip. The nostrils of the clear cut, high bridged nose are thin and vibrant. The chin is small, pointed, delicately modelled.

She has always been simply dressed in the regulation schoolgirl shirtwaist and short skirt. Her attire shows a certain inattention to details that betrays a lack of interest in the whole subject of clothes. She is the average height of girls of 15, slender and girlishly immature.

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Hellraisers Journal: Miss Elizabeth Flynn-“The Daughter of the Reds!”-Socialist Schoolgirl Orator Creates Sensation in 1906

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Prison bars do not frighten when
one has truth and right
deep in the heart.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday January 2, 1907
New York, New York – Miss Elizabeth Flynn, “Daughter of the Reds”

The story of the amazing schoolgirl orator, arrested last August for street speaking beneath the Red Flag, was published in newspapers across the nation in the days folowing her arrest and for months thereafter. The following article was published in several newspapers from New Jersey to Kansas and even down south in Louisiana.

From Pennsylvania’s Cameron County Press of October 25, 1906:

EGF, Socialist Schoolgirl, Article Cameron Co Press PA, Oct 25, 1916

From the New York Evening World of August 23, 1906:

EGF, In court for street speaking, NY Eve Wld, Aug 23, 1906

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Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Speaks in New York City: “Girl Socialist Amazes Hearers.”

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Prison bars do not frighten when
one has truth and right
deep in the heart.
-Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday January 1, 1907
New York, New York – Miss Flynn Lectures on Socialism

From the New York Sun of December 31, 1906:

HYPATIA INSTEAD OF HOPP.
—–

Bread and Butter, Not Sentiment, Is the Universal Solvent of the Industrial Problem, in the Opinion of the Young Eyed Cherub-But Mr. Hopp Hangs On.

EGF NY arrest Aug 22, Union Leader W-B PA, Sep 7, 1906

Sandwiched between sentiments by Julius Hopp on what the real drama ought to be an audience that half filled the orchestra of the Berkeley Lyceum Theatre yesterday afternoon listened to a lecture by Miss Elizabeth Flynn, aged 17 schoolgirl Socialist.

Mis Flynn is pretty, is not addicted to laughter and is self-possessed, as one might expect a girl to be who nonchalantly submitted to arrest for carttail talking without a license. Her remarks were on lines familiar to most Socialists, but she declared that they were unfamiliar to most capitalistic editors, who appeared to have room enough in their heads for only one idea at a time.

She said that she was a materialistic Socialist and advocated socialism purely on scientific grounds. It was a problem of bread and butter and not of sentimentalism. Mr. Stokes could not feel about the subject as the workingman could because he was not in the workingmen’s class.

The idea of the Socialist was the cooperative commonwealth. That could be attained only through a process of evolution that had first caused the destruction of slave labor and later the disappearance of the feudal system. The next step in the evolutionary plan would be the vanishing of the capitalistic system. All methods of production that capitalism had used would be used by the working folk in more enlightened fashion for the benefit of all. Production, transportation and distribution would all be done by the people themselves.

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Hellraisers Journal: Report from Everett Defense Committee: Mrs. Edith Frenette Faces Charges of First Degree Assault

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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 12, 1916
From Everett Defense News Letter No. 2: “Latest Developments”

Everett Massacre, Def News Letter 2, ab Dec 9, 1916

IWW, emblem, libcom, Sioux City FSF of 1915

The preliminary hearing of Mrs. Edith Frenette, Free Speech advocate, who was arrested on Nov. 6th and charged with first degree assault, took place on Wednesday, the 6th, in Everett. Mrs. Frenette is supposed to have drawn a gun and leveled the weapon at Sheriff McRae when he was being carried to the hospital after having been wounded in the affray at the docks. The state had only two witnesses: Sheriff McRae, himself, and an ex-special-policeman, named John Moline. The contradiction between the testimony of the two witnesses was laughable. The Sheriff said that he was looking at Mrs. Frenette closely enough to see that her lips were moving; and this at a distance of only a few feet. Yet he did not see any gun in her hand. The ex-policeman said that he saw a gun in her hand, that he followed her on the street looking for an officer to have her arrested! He did not dare denounce her then and there, it seems, although the streets were crowded with deputies! It appears as though he only realized, after a good deal of thought, that she ought to be arrested! This is one of the crudest frame-ups which the hysteria of the authorities has as yet produced. Mrs. Frenette was bound over to the superior court on bonds of $2,500.

The counsel for the defense asked that the case be dismissed on the ground of insufficient evidence of criminality. But the judge, in refusing to dismiss the case, indicated so clearly his prejudice and that he had not the moral courage to decide for himself but would shift it over to the jury anyway, that our attorneys decided not to wet their powder by introducing the witnesses for the defense prematurely, at the preliminary hearing.

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Hellraisers Journal: Comrade Wins Car from the Review; AWO Raises Funds for IWWs Charged with Murder on Mesabi

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Their only crime consisted of opposing
the U. S. Steel trust on the Mesaba Range
in an effort to better the condition of the toilers.
-Local 65, I. W. W., Bisbee, Ariz.

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday December 3, 1916
From the International Socialist Review: News and View

From the “News and Views” section of this month’s Review, we found a few interesting stories: A Comrade in Oklahoma wins a new car by selling subscriptions to the Review.  And Fellow Workers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Bisbee, Arizona, support the Mesabi Range miners and I. W. W. organizers who are charged with first degree murder-their only crime being loyalty to the working class.

Comrade Clark Wins a Car, ISR Dec 1916

How I Won the Ford.— The best way to get subscribers is to “get them.” I believe it was about the 15th of September that I mailed in my first remittance to the REVIEW for subscribers with the thought of winning the Ford. The victory is a collective one and the car the collective property of myself and Comrade Dorothy Merts, she having secured something over two hundred subscribers on the car. Comrade W. J. Loe was the next highest among many who assisted us. The most effective way to get the subscribers is to talk REVIEW.

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Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Speaks to Striking Miners on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range

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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 August 14, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota – Miss Flynn Fights for Miners
From the Duluth News Tribune of July 12, 1916:

GURLEY FLYNN IS SORRY SHE WASN’T
ON RANGE EARLIER
—–

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Reno Gz-Jr, July 12, 1916

GILBERT, Aug. 12.-“I wish that I had been in charge of this strike at the start. The demands of the miners would have been higher that $3 per day,” was the statement of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, strike agitator, speaking to a crowd at the Socialist hall here.

Joseph J. Ettor, Miss Flynn and other I. W. W.s have been addressing crowds on all parts of the range during the week. All of the meetings are almost the same, the press, the mining companies and the government being flayed on each occasion.

At each meeting strikers are asked to make out affidavits of abuse at the hands of mining companies or the captains and these are being present to the federal investigators.
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Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Urges Miners to Leave the Mesabi and Head Out to Harvest Fields

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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday July 29, 1916
Mesabi Range, Minnesota: Miss Flynn Speaks to Striking Miners

EGF, Tresca, MN Iron Miners Strike, Logansport (IN) Daily Tb, July 29, 1916


From The Duluth News Tribune of
July 24, 1916:

I. W. W. LEADER GOES BACK TO STRIKE ZONE
—–
Elizabeth G. Flynn’s Departure Causes
Postponement of Rallies in Duluth.
—–

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, I. W. W. leader, returned to the range yesterday, forcing the postponement of last night’s meetings here, at which she was scheduled to appear to renew her local efforts for funds with which to continue the strike.

It was announced at local I. W. W. headquarters that Miss Flynn, after arriving in the city Saturday night to fill Sunday’s speech-making engagements, received orders to return immediately to the range. Louis Meles, secretary of the local branch of the organization, professed ignorance of the contingency requiring her presence in the strike zone.

J. S. Randolph substituted for Miss Flynn at a street meeting last night at Sixth avenue West and Michigan street. A few dollars was collected from the throng who heard his plea for financial assistance in behalf of the miners.

“Conditions on the Range” were discussed by Einar Ljungberg, Socialist orator, in an address last night before 300 Duluth Scandinavians at the Woodman hall. It was Ljungberg’s last speech in this country before returning to his home in Stockholm, Sweden.

—–

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Hellraisers Journal: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Arrives in Duluth to Assist Striking Miners of Mesabi Iron Range

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It’s great to fight for freedom
with a Rebel Girl.
-Joe Hill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday July 13, 1916
Duluth, Minnesota – I. W. W. Sends in Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

From the Reno Evening Gazette of July 12, 1916:

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Reno Gz-Jr, July 12, 1916
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Hellraisers Journal: Thousands Gather in Chicago to Honor FW Joe Hill and Sing His Rebel Songs

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I. W. W. movement has been sealed in
the sweet blood of this poet-radical.
-Jim Larkin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday November 27, 1915
Chicago, Illinois-
I. W. W. Gives FW Joe Hill a Grand Send-Off, Thousands March

Joe Hill's Funeral, Chicago, Nov 25, 1915-2, ISR of Jan 1916

A grand funeral hosted by the Industrial Workers of the World was provided for Fellow Worker Joe Hill, Working Class Martyr. Thousands gathered in the West Side Auditorium on Thanksgiving morning, November 25th. The windows of the auditorium were open and the singing within could be heard by the the thousands who filled the streets outside, extending for blocks in every direction.

After the morning’s orations were completed, a great throng of mourners followed the casket to the train which bore the remains of FW Joe Hill to Graceland Cemetery. Another funeral service took place there followed by singing which lasted late into the night.

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