Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for December 1917: Found in Indiana and West Virginia

Share

The devil might possibly scare [Mother Jones],
but a machine gun can’t.
-Claude G. Bowers

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday January 18, 1918
Mother Jones News for December 1917: Visits with Claude G. Bowers in Fort Wayne

Mother Jones, NY Sun, Dec 2, 1917

During the month of December of last year, Mother was found in Fort Wayne, Indiana, visiting with Claude G. Bowers who is writing a biography on the late Senator John W. Kern. Mother Jones has often praised Senator Kern for the role he played in freeing her from the Military Bastile of West Virginia during the Coal Mine strike there in 1912 and ’13. (See story below at Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.)

We also found her praised for her patriotism due to her call to “lick the kaiser,” and, at the end of the month, we found her in Charleston, West Virginia, “taking part in the street car strike.”

An article by Peggy Dwyer in the United Mine Workers Journal reminds us that the gunthug who recently murdered a union miner is still at large. This is the same thug who pointed a gun at Mother Jones and threatened to blow her head off. Such is the life of a union organizer brave enough to work in the state of West Virginia.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for December 1917: Found in Indiana and West Virginia”

Hellraisers Journal: Poems for Our Boys in France from the United Mine Workers Journal

Share

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday December 28, 1917
“In Flanders fields the poppies grow…”

From the United Mine Workers Journal of December 27, 1917:

“In Flanders Fields” by John McRae-

UMWJ Cover, Poem Flanders Field, Dec 27, 1917

———-

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Poems for Our Boys in France from the United Mine Workers Journal”

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for October 1917, Part II: Claude G. Bowers, “She is not afraid of man or devil.”

Share

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday November 23, 1917
Mother Jones News for October, Part II: Claude G. Bowers on Mother Jones

Mother Jones, Colorado Military Bastile, March 1914

Claude G. Bowers, journalists, spent a few hours with Mother Jones while she was traveling from Colorado to Indianapolis sometime around October 19th (see Mother Jones News for October, part 1), and writes about that meeting for his column, “Kabbages and Kings.” Bowers notes that Mother “is not afraid of man or devil,” and as an example tells of her experiences in Colorado during the Colorado Coalfield Strike of 1913-1914. During that struggle, Mother was held for almost one month in the “Military Bastile,” a cold cellar cell which had already claimed the life of a miner held prisoner there. She counseled “her boys” not to attempt a rescue, “Maybe I can do some good in the bull pen,” she said.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for October 1917, Part II: Claude G. Bowers, “She is not afraid of man or devil.””

Hellraisers Journal: From Behind the Bars of Cook County Jail, Big Bill Haywood Interviewed by Carl Sandburg

Share

If one man has a dollar he didn’t work for,
some other man worked for a dollar he didn’t get.
-Big Bill Haywood

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday November 3, 1917
Cook County Jail, Illinois – Big Bill Haywood Speaks

From the International Socialist Review of November 1917:

HAYWOOD LONGS FOR “OTHER BOYS” IN JAIL
—–
Wants All I. W. W. Prisoners Brought Here—
“It Will Be so Homelike”
—–
By Carl Sandburg

Big Bill Haywood, ISR, Nov 1917

Thru a steel cage door of the Cook county jail, Big Bill Haywood today spoke the defiance of the Industrial Workers of the World to its enemies and captors.

Bill didn’t pound on the door, shake the iron clamps nor ask for pity nor make any kind of a play as a hero. He peered thru the square holes of the steel slats and talked in the even voice of a poker player who may or may not hold a winning hand. It was the voice of a man who sleeps well, digests what he eats, and requires neither sedatives to soothe him nor stimulants to stir him up.

 

The man accused of participation in 10,000 separate and distinct crimes lifted a face checkered by the steel lattice work and said with a slow smile:

Hello, I’m glad to see you. Do you know when they’re going to bring the rest of the boys here? We’d like to have them from all over the country together here. It would be homelike for us all to be together. Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From Behind the Bars of Cook County Jail, Big Bill Haywood Interviewed by Carl Sandburg”

Hellraisers Journal: “The slaves are given arms to bear, some other slaves to kill.” -Ralph Chaplin

Share

He leaves his wife or mother,
He learns to march and drill,
For wise men say, “Ah, haste the day
When you can stab and shoot and slay-
God bless you while-YOU KILL!”
-Ralph Chaplin

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday October 31, 1917
A Rebel Verse from Ralph Chaplin

WWI, Ralph Chaplin, Slaves to SlaughterWWI, Ralph Chaplin, Slaves to Slaughter, 2

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: “The slaves are given arms to bear, some other slaves to kill.” -Ralph Chaplin”

Hellraisers Journal: From The Masses: Art Young Pens Opinion on Wartime Profiteering

Share

I have no country to fight for;
my country is the earth,
and I am a citizen of the world.
-Eugene V. Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday October 24, 1917
From The Masses: “Control of Industrial Profits” by Art Young

WWI, War Profits by Art Young, Masses, Oct 1917

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Masses: Art Young Pens Opinion on Wartime Profiteering”

Hellraisers Journal: Conditions of “Economic Indecency” Commonplace Today in Nation’s Capital

Share

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday October 23, 1917
Washington, D. C. – Report on Poverty from U. S. Department of Labor

Bitter Cry, Spargo, Little Tenement Toilers, Feb 1906

—–

The nation was shocked in 1906 when John Spargo’s Bitter Cry of the Children revealed shocking details of the lives of millions of American children who then lived in conditions of abject poverty (such as those pictured above). A recent report from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, demonstrates that conditions of “economic indecency” are yet commonplace among the American working class.

From the Appeal to Reason of October 20, 1917:

Bad Living Conditions In the
Nation’s Capital

Everybody knows-and mostly from painful personal experience-that living conditions are shockingly miserable as a result of high prices. But when confronted with the cold facts and figures, such as the Appeal has been running regularly for several weeks past, one realizes the truth even more terribly. We do not believe any one can read the following report of the federal bureau of labor statistics on living conditions in the city of Washington, which appears in the Weekly News Letter of the American Federation of Labor, without agreeing that it affords “a shocking example of economic indecency”:

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Conditions of “Economic Indecency” Commonplace Today in Nation’s Capital”

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for September 1917, Part II: Found in Illinois & Washington D. C.

Share

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday October 19, 1917
Mother Jones News for September, Part II: Attends Root-Gompers Meeting

After her speech supporting the street car strikers in Springfield, Illinois, Mother Jones was blamed for a “riot” in that city. On September 15th, Mother attended a pro-war mass meeting in Chicago where the featured speakers were Elihu Root and Samuel Gompers.

From The Decatur Herald of September 5, 1917:

SPRINGFIELD IS CAUTIOUS AFTER RIOT
—–
People Warned, Troops Ready,
“Mother” Jones, Boose and Burnette Blamed.
—–

Mother Jones, IL State Rgstr p2, Springfield, Sept 1, 1917

SPRINGFIELD, Sept. 5-As a result of rioting here Monday night [September 3rd], which resulted in the wrecking of 6 street cars, the riddling with bricks of the front of the car companies office building and the arresting of 20 rioters, Mayor C. T. Baumann last night following a conference of city, county and military officials with assistance of Ajt. Gen. Richings J. Shand at the state house, issued a proclamation ordering all citizens of Springfield to keep off the streets as much as possible and forbidding all gatherings in the streets or public places under penalty of arrest and imprisonment. Mayor Baumann’s action was a direct result of Monday night’s trouble and reports that there would be further organized out breaks, with possible attacks in force on street car company property.

Soldiers On Guard.

Although there have been only isolated instances of trouble, last night, such as the stoning of cars in remote sections of the city, soldiers with fixed bayonets patrolled the main business streets with sentries on every corner keeping the people moving and breaking up gatherings. Additional forces were held at the court house and state arsenal, with automobiles in readiness to rush them to any danger point.

Men arrested by the soldiers Monday night are being held at the county jail, which is guarded by soldiers. It is said that they will be turned over to the civil authorities Wednesday.

Mackie Assigns Cause.

“Mother Jones, Burnette and Bloomington booze” were the three causes of the Springfield riots of Monday night as assigned by general Manager Mackie of the Springfield Utilities company Tuesday.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for September 1917, Part II: Found in Illinois & Washington D. C.”

Hellraisers Journal: Red Doran Has Seen Warrant & Warns Editor Watts of Northwest Worker; Wells Jury Hung

Share

True patriotism hates injustice
in its own land
more than anywhere else.
-Clarence Darrow

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday September 28, 1917
Everett, Washington – Editor Watts Warned of Warrant

From The Northwest Worker of September 27, 1917:

HOW THEY LOVE US

Northwest Worker, ed HW Watts, Sept 27, 1917

We are informed by “Red” Doran I. W. W. organizer, that he has seen a warrant that has been issued for the arrest of ye editor [H. W. Watts], three other Socialists and four I. W. W. It seems too bad that the authorities will persist in disturbing us from our peaceful pursuits. We have been in jail four times already and if they keep it up it will soon be like home to us. Guess we must be too autocratic and they want to get us out of the way in order that America might be “made safe for Democracy.” We know, dear reader, that you are sick and tired of hearing that term, but it is the only string the jingoes have on their fiddle and we want to help them fiddle it so that it will wear out.

———-

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Red Doran Has Seen Warrant & Warns Editor Watts of Northwest Worker; Wells Jury Hung”

Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for August 1917, Part I: Found in Illinois & Indiana

Share

There can be no democracy in this world
so long as industrial workers have to beg to live.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday September 20, 1917
Mother Jones News for August, Part I: “Fire Eater” Speaks

From the The St. Louis Star of August 23, 1917:

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

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for August 1917, Part I: Found in Illinois & Indiana”