Tag: UMW District 12

Hellraisers Journal: Police and Militia in Lawrence Seize Babies, Prevent Strikers from Sending Children to Philadelphia

Janet RayeBread and Roses Strike of 1912
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Quote EGF, Heaven n Hell, ISR p617, Jan 1910—————

Hellraisers Journal – Monday February 26, 1912
Lawrence, Massachusetts – Mothers and Children Attacked by Militia

From The Kansas City Star of February 24, 1912:

 Lawrence, Mass., Feb. 24.-Heads  were broken today in a riot which resulted from an attempt to send thirty children of striking textile workers to Philadelphia, contrary to orders from the authorities. Police and military took the children into custody and arrested several persons.

Anticipating a possible attempt to rescue the children four companies of infantry and a squad of cavalry surrounded the railroad station when they were taken into custody.

The action was taken as a result of the order issued last Saturday by Colonel Sweetser, commander of the militia doing patrol duty here, forbidding the exportation by the strike committee of the Industrial Workers of the World of additional parties of children to other cities in an endeavor to create sympathy in the cause of the strikers without permission of the parents.

When they learned that their children had been taken into custody the parents rushed to the police station to rescue them, but a big squad of special policemen was thrown about the building and the parents were arrested when they entered the station.

—————

DASTARDLY, UNION MEN SAY.
[United Mine Workers of America, District 12]
———-
Resolutions Adopted Regarding the
Actions Of Soldiers at Lawrence

SPRINGFIELD, ILL., Feb. 24.–Announcement of the action of the Lawrence, Mass., authorities in preventing children of the textile strikers from leaving the city brought a storm of protest from the convention of the Illinois mine workers here today. Resolutions were adopted denouncing the authorities for what the resolutions termed “a most dastardly outrage.”

“By such acts as these are the McNamara outrages prompted, and those in charge of the affairs, as well as the mill owners, should be charged with the most contemptible of crimes, which will hasten the day of the torch and the bomb, if an enlightened people do not at once rise up in their might and once and for all put an end to these Russianized methods.” the resolution says.

—————

[Emphasis added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Luella Twining Reports for Appeal to Reason from the Scene of Cherry Mine-Fire Disaster

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Wake fr Slumber, AtR p2, Oct 23, 1909———-

Hellraisers Journal – Monday November 29, 1909
Cherry, Illinois – Heartbreaking Scenes Described by Luella Twining

From the Appeal to Reason of November 27, 1909:

From page 5:

MINERS MURDERED.
—–
Owners of St. Paul Mine Guilty of Manslaughter.
-Cherry Under Martial Law.
—–

BY [LUELLA] TWINING
Special Correspondence to the Appeal.

Cherry MnDs, Thanksgiving Day, Spk Prs p1, Nov 25, 1909

Cherry, Ill., Nov. 17.-To stay in Cherry, Ill., one half an hour is to be convinced that the miners entombed there were murdered as surely as though the mine owners had taken them into the road and shot them down one by one.

“Why were the miners kept at work two hours after the fire had broken out in the mine?” is the question asked by the bereaved widows. It is not put in that form. I heard it asked in many different ways. A German woman looked at me wildly and asked, “What for they no tell my man? He work two hours by the fire. Now he die. They murder my man.” These poor women do not wait for the mine owners to answer. “They care for mine and no for man,” a Lithuanian said to me and indeed one is forced to believe it. They do not state the question as clearly as Karl Marx’s exposition of the profit system, but it is equally as illuminating. If the United Mine Workers should murder 500 mine owners would they not be punished?

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Social Democratic Herald: Eugene Debs on Current Events: So-Called Miners’ Victories & Patriotism at $13 per Month

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Quote EVD, SDP Revolutionary, Sc Dem Hld p1, July 1, 1899———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday September 5, 1899
Eugene V. Debs on Current Events: Miners of Girard, Illinois, Appeal for Aid

From the Social Democratic Herald of September 2, 1899:

CURRENT EVENTS PASSED IN REVIEW
—–

MINERS’ “VICTORIES” SO-CALLED
—–
Thirteen-Dollars-a-Month Patriotism
-“Bull Pens” and Socialism-Justice in France
in Spite of Hell and the French Army
-Cleveland Boycott
—–

By Eugene V. Debs, Terre Haute, Ind.

[Part I of II.]

EVD, Houston Daily Post p6, May 22, 1899

We have heard a great deal about the “glorious victories” won for miners during the last two yeas. It is a ghastly lie. The only victory I know of is the $3,600.00 job snatched from the enemy by Ratchford [Michael D. Ratchford, former President of the United Mine Workers’ Union], the understudy of [U. S. Senator] Mark Hanna.

Here in Indiana hundreds of them are idle and suffering. In Illinois, according to the official report of [U. M. W. District 12] State Secretary Ryan, they are on strike at 14 different points. At Girard [Illinois] the other day they issued an appeal for charity, declaring that they were homeless and hungry. The “glorious victories” have reduced them to common beggars—and they belong to the union to a man.

Oh, miners, will you not open your eyes and will you not use your brains and see and think for yourselves?

You have won no victories worthy the name. You are slaves, every last one of you, the victims of the wage system, and as long as the mines you work in are privately owned you will be robbed while at work and clubbed and shot like dogs when you quit.

Arouse from your slavery, join the Social Democratic Party and vote with us to take possession of the mines of the country and operate them in the interest of the people, as well as the railroads, factories, and all the means of production and distribution, and then, and only then, will “glorious victories” have been achieved and you and your comrades be free and our families happy.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for December 1908; Found in Springfield, Illinois, Speaking to UMW Locals

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Spgfld IL Jr, Dec 20, 1908

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday January 12, 1909
-Mother Jones News Round-Up for December 1908
Found with Locals of U. M. W. in Springfield, Illinois

Mother Jones, Dnv Pst p2, July 19, 1908

During the month of December 1908, we found Mother Jones in Springfield, Illinois, where it was reported by the December 17th edition of the Illinois State Register that:

“Mother” Jones, a noted leader among the miners’ organization of the country, addressed the Springfield sub-district quarterly meeting [U. M. W.] at Arion hall yesterday afternoon [December 16th], and in consequence the meeting was very largely attended. “Mother” Jones is engaged in soliciting assistance for Mexican workingmen who are engaged in a struggle against the despotism of the Mexican government, and who, when their plans became apparent to that government escaped to the United States, their extradition now being sought. The efforts of “Mother” Jones has the endorsement of the Illinois executive board of the United Mine Workers of America [John H. Walker, President], and it is her intention to make a tour of the state visiting the miners’ locals in behalf of these men.

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Hellraisers Journal: Charles Moyer at Laredo Labor Conference: Half-Truths & Untruths re IWW & Big Bill Haywood

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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BBH Quote re May Day, AtR p2, Apr 27, 1907
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday November 20, 1918
Laredo, Texas – Charles Moyer Spews Bitter Venom at Bill Haywood

With great sadness we report and correct the half-truths and untruths spewed by Charles Moyer at Big Bill Haywood during the recent Pan American Labor Conference held at Laredo, Texas. Charles Moyer knows what it is to face the persecutions of the ruling class. He nearly lost his life in the 1913 Michigan Copper Miners strike when he was kidnapped, shot, and deported from the strike zone by company gunthugs.

From the Chicago Day Book of December 29, 1913:

M13, Moyer in Hospital, Day Book p29, Dec 29, 1913

He nevertheless returned to the strike zone after his release from the hospital, and was greeted by thousands of cheering strikers and their families. That this hero would now turn on his fellow workers brings deep disappointment and sadness.

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Hellraisers Journal: Mine Operators Meet Demands of Virden Miners; Formal Agreement Ends Bitter Coal Strike

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones re Virden Martyrs, Daily Worker, Oct 22, 1925~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Friday November 18, 1898
Bitter Strike of Miners at Virden Ends in Victory

From the Chicago Daily Inter Ocean of November 16, 1898:

VIRDEN STRIKE ENDS
—–
Mine Operators Agree to
Meet Demands of Men.
—–

TO PAY UNION WAGES
—–
Conference Is Held at Company’s
Chicago Offices.
—–

Leaders of Coal Miner’s Organization
Rejoice at the Outcome of
the Bitter Fight.
—–

WNF Virden, O'Neill House, Chg Intr Ocn p2, Oct 15, 1898
Striking Miners Gather at O’Neill House after Battle of Virden

The conference between the representatives of the Chicago-Virden Coal company and the striking miners, held yesterday, resulted in an agreement which ends the Virden strike. The demands to the miners have been acceded to in full. The scale agreed upon is 40 cents per ton for hand mining and 33 cents for machine mining.

A formal agreement will be drawn up this morning, which will be signed by President Loucks of the coal company and President Hunter of the Illinois Mine-Workers’ union. The men who have been idle at Virden since April will return to work immediately.

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