Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for April 1918, Part II: Found in San Francisco, Speaking on Behalf of Tom Mooney

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Quote Mother Jones re Tom Mooney and Courts, Dec 16, 1918~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday May 18, 1918
Mother Jones News for April 1918, Part II: Found in San Francisco

Mother Jones was the featured speaker at a mass meeting held at the Auditorium in San Francisco on Tuesday evening, April 16th. The next day the following telegram was sent to the Machinists’ Union headquarters in Washington, D. C.:

Re Tom Mooney Apr 17, fr San Francisco by Beckmeyer to Machinist Jr, pbd May 1918

From the San Francisco Chronicle of April 17, 1918:

Mass Meeting Is Held by Partisans
Of “Tom” Mooney
—–

President to Be Told New Trial Is
Favored by Large Audience
—–

Mother Jones, Ft Wy Jr Gz p3, Dec 17, 1917

Thousands of Thomas J. Mooney sympathizers gathered in the Auditorium last night to hear Mrs. Rena Mooney, Mrs. Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington, Israel Weinberg, Mother Jones and others discuss the Preparedness day bomb cases.

“Ten thousand persons in mass meeting in San Francisco favor unanimously a new trial for Mooney,” is the effect of a message they voted to send to President Wilson.

Many of the people left when they found they couldn’t hear Mother Jones, the first speaker, whose voice did not carry far enough to be of value to those in the back of the Auditorium. A burst of applause at a time when applause scarcely was necessary apprised Mother Jones of her audience’s difficulties, and she quit speaking shortly after 10 o’clock.

The meeting was opened with the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Everybody stood up except a man in the audience and Mrs. Sheehy-Skeffington. The man arose under pressure, but the woman on the speakers’ platform remained seated.

After Mother Jones spoke a collection was taken. John P. [H.] Beckmeyer of the machinists’ union presided. A large number of Mooney sympathizers from Alameda county marched to the Auditorium from the Ferry building.

In an open letter Mooney told his friends “organized labor is the one weapon that will bring us speedy justice.”

———-

[Photograph added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for April 1918, Part I: Found in West Virginia; Will Speak at Mooney Meeting in San Francisco

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Quote Mother Jones re Tom Mooney and Courts, Dec 16, 1918~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday May 17, 1918
Mother Jones News for April 1918, Part I: Found in West Virginia

From The Wheeling Intelligencer of April 1, 1918:

Mother Jones Fire Eater, Lg Crpd, St L Str, Aug 23, 1917

MOUNDSVILLE
—–
Miners Here Today.

Miners from the mines in this section of the Ohio valley gather here today to participate in the miners’ convention, which is to be held in commemoration of the eight hour day for miners. The session will be held on the campground and the speaking in the camp ground auditorium Hon. James D. Parriott will preside. Two hands have been hired for the occasion and a street parade will held this morning previous to going to the camp grounds. Congressman M. M. Neely, Mother Jones, John Moore and William Roy are among the speakers. The Red Cross will have charge of the refreshments.

———-

[Photograph added.]

From The Wheeling Intelligencer of April 2, 1918:

BIG CELEBRATION BY MINERS
—–

With the speaking of “Mother” Jones, Congressman M. N. Neely, President William E. Roy of the district, members Fifth district coal miners, held their observance of the twenty-eighth anniversary of the “Eight hour law” yesterday at the Moundsville camp ground. The occasion was the largest celebration ever staged in the Mound City, and there were more than a thousand workers from all parts of Ohio and this state present.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for March 1918, Part III: Found Speaking at Evansville, Indiana, on Behalf of Tom Mooney

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Quote Mother Jones, Flag Organize, Evle IN Prs, Mar 29, 1918

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday April 23, 1918
Mother Jones News for March 1918, Part III: Found in Evansville, Indiana

On Thursday evening March 28th, Mother Jones spoke before a meeting organized by the local labor leaders of Evansville, Indiana. She was there to speak on behalf of Tom Mooney now facing the gallows in San Francisco. The Evansville Press of March 29th described her speech:

URGES MOONEY BE SAVED FOR SAMMIES’ SAKE

Mother Jones Fire Eater, Lg Crpd, St L Str, Aug 23, 1917

Altho she’d much rather be in Europe “cleaning up on the kaiser,” Mother Jones told an audience of workers Thursday night that the business of the people at home was to fight for the Sammies here.

She said the way to do this was to save the life of Thomas Mooney, the labor leader who is being railroaded to the gallows in San Francisco at the behest of labor-crushing interests.

[She said:]

Sometimes I feel almost ashamed that I’m not over there, putting heart into those boys, so they can give the kaiser hell.

But my place is here, fight ing for them while they’re gone. When those boys come back, after having fought your battles across the sea for democracy, you’ll be able to say: “Boys, while you’ve been gone we haven’t shirked; we’ve fought and won your battles here for industrial democracy.”

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Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: “The Peril of Tom Mooney” by Robert Minor -“Will You Let Them Do It?”

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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 March 10, 1918
From San Francisco to Petrograd, Workers Fight for Life of Tom Mooney

From The Liberator of March 1918:

The Peril of Tom Mooney

By Robert Minor

Tom Mooney Hanging by Robert Minor, Liberator, Mar 1918

THE story of the manner in which Tom Mooney’s death sentence was procured is stock conversation in American working-class homes. It has gone as far as the trenches of the European armies. There is hardly a Russian village where the name of “Tom Muni” has not been heard. Actually, the names of the witnesses in the case are spoken in Siberian villages, and a certain California district attorney is regularly cursed around the samovar.

The only evidence against Tom Mooney that a sensible man would listen to, was that of an Oregon cattleman, Frank C. Oxman, who came into the trial at the last moment, took the stand like a breeze from the prairie, swore that he was a country gentleman, loved his wife, and had seen Israel Weinberg drive Tom Mooney, Mrs. Mooney, Billings and an unidentified man to the scene of the crime in Israel Weinberg’s jitney bus, of the number of which car he had made a note on a telegraph envelope which he had in his pocket at that moment. He never made a mistake in his life in the identity of a person, as he was used to identifying cattle on the range….Mooney was condemned to die on the gallows.

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Hellraisers Journal: From the United Mine Workers Journal: Corrupt Powers in San Francisco Demand Labor Victims

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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 September 25, 1917
San Francisco, California – Powerful Coterie Determined to Crush Labor

From the United Mine Workers Journal of September 20, 1917:

Victims Demanded

Mooney Tom Rena, Billings Weinberg Nolan, 1916, EN 1917

—–

A community shocked and enraged because of the perpetration of a heinous crime; a powerful coterie determined to crush organized labor; a venal district attorney, and newspapers owned and their news columns and editorial policy controlled by those interested in destroying organized labor as an economic and political power; that is the present situation in San Francisco and the other cities on the Pacific coast.

The terrible crime committed by some deranged alien enemy served as an opportunity. Tom Mooney, Rena Mooney, Billings, Weinberg and Nolan were selected as the readiest victims at hand. The order is, “Condemn those people, and through them the organized labor movement.”

In the case of Tom Mooney the main witness, upon the strength of whose evidence the verdict of guilty is based, it is generally conceded is a perjurer for price; also that the prosecuting attorney instructed this witness and attempted to suborn another and instruct him as to what evidence would best serve to convict.

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Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: Ruling Class Violence & the Lawless Month of August 1917

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Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 9, 1917
From the International Socialist Review – Month of Lawlessness

During the month of August of this year, the Ruling Class was particularly violent in its drive to keep the Working Class under its firm control. The latest edition of the Review makes plain that there is one law for rulers of industry and another for those they rule.

Cover: International Socialist Review, September 1917:

Bisbee Deportation, 1164 Columbus NM, ISR Cover Sept 1917

———-

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Hellraisers Journal: International Socialist Review on Mooney Case: “They Are Building the Gallows”

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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 July 3, 1917
San Francisco, California – Report on Tom Mooney Frame-Up

From the International Socialist Review:

Building Gallows Mooney by Minor, ISR, July 1917

—–

IT HAS been proven that Tom Mooney was framed up. We who are interesting ourselves in his case were glad, after our long and terrible struggle, when we were able to offer the public the absolute and unquestioned proof that Mooney’s conviction was the result of perjury bought and paid for. We were glad to be able to silence arguments with actual letters in the handwriting of the chief perjury conspirator, which letters tell in black and white that Mooney’s death is sought by false testimony. We have silenced argument.

Franklin A. Griffin, the judge who pronounced the death sentence upon Mooney, has angrily demanded that Mooney be given another trial, free of perjury. The newspapers which formerly demanded his blood have now ceased to call for Mooney’s death, and two of them are demanding that the disgraceful conviction be undone.

All of California and American Labor has ceased to discuss personal differences and has demanded in one tremendous voice that Mooney, Mrs. Mooney, Billings, Weinberg and Nolan be freed. Every national figure in the labor movement of the United States is active now in behalf of the humble labor unionists in the jail of San Francisco.

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Hellraisers Journal: “To the Shame of Labor” by Robert Minor, “Mooney Plot Exposed!”

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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 May 8, 1917
From the International Socialist Review: The Mooney Case

Mooney Billings, Minor, ISR, May 1917

TO THE SHAME OF LABOR

By ROBERT MINOR

Mooney Plot Exposed, Minor, ISR, May 1917

W. Bourke Cockran is a democratic leader, as well as the most noted lay orator in expounding the doctrines of the Catholic Church. Bourke Cockran is known internationally for his remarkable mentality and almost unequaled oratory in Congress and upon the democratic platform. He cannot be accused of being prejudiced in favor of violent overturners of society. Cockran spent six weeks in San Francisco as volunteer chief counsel for Tom Mooney, and at that time steeped himself in every detail, confidential or otherwise, of the entire story of the prosecution of Mooney, Billings, Nolan, Weinberg and Mrs. Mooney on the charge of blowing up the preparedness parade. One of the highest-priced attorneys in the world, he charged for his services—nothing.

When a cynical jury of twelve business men and retired derelicts sentenced Tom Mooney to hang, Cochran told me that he had never received so heavy a blow in his life. He said that if such things could be, the nation was rotting at its foundation.

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Hellraisers Journal: Eugene V. Debs Pleads with Organized Workers of America to Stand Up and Save Life of Tom Mooney

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Comrades, the red blood in you
must now prove itself.
I pledge myself to you
in this fight to its finish.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday April 13, 1917
From the International Socialist Review: Debs Fights for Life of Tom Mooney

Eugene Victor Debs, ISR, Oct 1916

TOM MOONEY SENTENCED TO DEATH

An Appeal to the Organized Workers of America!
By EUGENE V. DEBS

Tom and Rena Mooney, ISR, Dec 1916

A TELEGRAM just received from San Francisco announces the sentence of Tom Mooney. He is to hang by the neck until he is dead. The day set for his murder is May 17th. The capitalist jury and judge have done their foul work, and it is now up to us to do ours.

Tom Mooney is an absolutely innocent man and his conviction an infamous crime. We, the workers of America, are duty bound to challenge the verdict of the capitalists’ jury and set aside the sentence of the capitalist judge. We constitute a court, a jury and a judge of our own.

We sat thru this case from the hour the vile conspiracy was concocted and we knew beyond doubt that Mooney was framed and that he is to be murdered for no other reason than that the corporation criminals, the big capitalist thieves and their official highbinders could not buy him, or silence his agitation.

More than twenty reputable witnesses not only testified to Mooney’s innocence but proved it beyond even the shadow of a doubt. His alibi was without a flaw. He was miles away from the bomb when it exploded in the preparedness parade. He had absolutely no connection with and no knowledge of the affair. Bourke Cockran, the eminent New York lawyer who defended him, is positively convinced of this and so is every other man or woman who attended the trial and is not in the pay or under the influence of the United Railroads, the Manufacturers’ Association, and other red-handed bandits who have for years been plundering San Francisco and have now set themselves up as the autocratic rulers of the Pacific coast.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Abandons Her Neutrality; Says Kaiser Should Be “Kicked Off His Throne”

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Why should the workingmen fight for
the robbers of Wall street?
Let them fight their own battles.
-Mother Jones

That old blood sucker,
the kaiser, ought to
be kicked off his throne.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday April 4, 1917
Des Moines, Iowa – Mother Jones Speaks Out on European War

WWI Dead All On Our Side, Ryan Walker, Nw Wkr, Mar 22, 1917

Overnight, perhaps reacting to the War Resolution now before Congress upon the request of President Wilson for same, Mother reversed her stand regarding American involvement in the terrible slaughter now taking place between the waring nations of Europe. In an interview reported by the April 2nd edition of The Des Moines Register, Mother declared:

I hate war. We must not throw our American workingmen into olive drab uniforms, stick guns in their hands, and ship them over to France to be fresh slaughter for the cannons of the devilish kings of Europe.

If John D Rockefeller, Morgan, the Guggenheims, or Wall street wants to see Germany defeated, let them go over and fight in the allies’ trenches. Why should the workingmen fight for the robbers of Wall street? Let them fight their own battles, says I!

The next day, the Register reported that Mother had “abandoned her neutrality:”

That old blood sucker, the kaiser, ought to be kicked off his throne, and if he ever starts anything with this country we will lick hell out of him if I have to raise a regiment of 10,000 women myself.

Thus “Mother” Jones, firebrand speaker, abandoned her neutrality in a speech that held spellbound the miners of the thirteenth district, U. M. W. A., who were celebrating the nineteenth anniversary of the securing of the eight-hour day for miners at the Coliseum yesterday afternoon.

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