Hellraisers Journal: The Liberator: “Is Civil Liberty Dead?” -on the Department of Justice & the Persecution of the IWW

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Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little
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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday November 13, 1918
Legal Defense of Industrial Workers of the World Sabotaged

From The Liberator of November 1918:

Is Civil Liberty Dead? Liberator, Nov 1918

WWIR IWW Remember the Boys in Jail, OH Sc p3, Aug 21, 1918

IN the midst of our rejoicing over the second disagreement in the Masses case, comes news of continued persecution of the I. W. W. Not content with its power to arrest and hold in prison for months under outrageous bail, workingmen known to be penniless, agents of the Department of Justice, aided by Post Office officials, deliberately prevent the friends of these men from collecting the funds which are absolutely necessary to ensure them a fair hearing. This discrimination against men “presumed to be innocent” was notorious in the Chicago case. We learn from the Civil Liberties Bureau that the same methods are being employed to weaken the defense in the remaining I. W. W. cases. And we know from our own experience that letters to I. W. W. branches are returned as “unmailable” under the supreme power exercised by Mr. Burleson under the second Espionage Act. Words cannot be found to express the indignation that any real Democrat must feel at this continued reign of terror.

We print below a memorandum recently sent to the President by the National Civil Liberties Bureau.

I. Interference by Agents of the Department of Justice

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Hellraisers Journal: The Rebel of Hallettsville, Texas, Suppressed & Socialist Editor Red Tom Hickey Arrested

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Hallettsville, TX, The Rebel, Let Us Arise, June 2, 1917

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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday July 11, 1917
Hallettsville, Texas – The Rebel Suppressed

Tom Hickey, Texas Socialist, 1911

The campaign to destroy the Socialist press of the nation continues, and, in the case of The Rebel, Socialist newspaper of Texas, and a voice for the Farmers’ and Laborers’ Protective Association, authorities did not wait for passage of the Espionage Act before moving to destroy circulation.

From The Salt Lake Tribune of June 14, 1917:

Paper Confiscated.

WACO, Tex., June 13.-T. A. Hickey of Hallettsville, Tex., editor of The Rebel, a socialist paper, announced here today that the government suppressed the last issue of his paper and confiscated all copies, numbering 20,000. Hickey says he had written an account of his arrest by federal agents in west Texas a week or more ago during a raid on officials of the Farmers’ and Laborers’ Protective association, and this matter appeared in the suppressed issue.

[Photograph of Tom Hickey added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: The American Socialist Banned From the Mails, Issues Statement to Readers

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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday July 10, 1917
Chicago, Illinois – Official Organ of the Socialist Party Suppressed

From the American Socialist of July 7, 1917:

WWIR, American Socialist Statement, July 7, 1917

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A STATEMENT TO OUR READERS

WWIR, American Socialist Editor Engdahl, July 7, 1917

THE EDITION of June 30th, of THE AMERICAN SOCIALIST, our Liberty Edition, has been held up by the Solicitor General of the postal department at Washington as to whether it is mailable.

For this reason, many subscribers have not received their paper. We are still hoping to have this issue declared mailable and hope to have this and future issues, in regular form, go out as usual.

Our paper will be published regularly. Every effort will be made to comply with the law and at the same time issue a publication that will be a credit to the Socialist movement. There should be no let-up in getting subscriptions. We must continue to rely entirely on your efforts in increasing our army of readers, now as always.

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