You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Friday June 5, 1914
Seattle, Washington - Mother Jones, Barred from Canada: "I'll go in spite of you."
From today's edition of The Winnipeg Tribune:
Vancouver, June 5.-"I'll go in spite of you," declared "Mother" Mary Jones, organizer for the United Mine Workers, who was prevented from boarding a steamer for Vancouver by the Canadian authorities.
"Mother" Jones has been a picturesque figure in a dozen wars of organized labor. She is billed to speak at Nanaimo at a mass meeting next Sunday. The police think they have enough trouble in the Vancouver Island coal strike district, and have decided, if possible, to keep out American agitators.
The coal miners of Nanaimo, British Columbia have put out a call to Mother Jones to come and assist them with their strike. They are members of the United Mine Workers of America who have been on strike since August of last year. They have suffered all the usual consequence of the striking coal miner: military despotism and mass arrests. In March, many of those arrested were sentenced, some to six months, and some to four years in prison.
Mother Jones has been labeled a "disturbing element" by the chief of the provincial police of British Columbia and was prevented, yesterday, from boarding a steamer for Victoria by Canadian immigration officers and told that she was barred from Canada.
Labor Secretary William B. Wilson, former official of the U. M. W. of A., has been contacted by Frank Farrington, western representative of the mine worker's union, and a message was sent requesting that Mother Jones "be accorded every right she is entitled to as an American citizen."
Mother Jones made this statement regarding her status as a "disturbing element" threatening the peace of the citizens of Canada:
I am past 80 years and have never been charged with a crime, and so I cannot understand why I am prevented from entering a friendly nation. I never quarrel and I believe in law and order, and I do not blame the man who stopped me, for he had his order from higher up. It is merely carrying out a policy that means "You shall not educate my slaves," but it is a mistaken view and is bound to fall finally. I had been invited to go to British Columbia and did not know that I was committing any wrong in accepting the invitation of the mine workers there.
Efforts continue on behalf of Mother Jones to enable her to go to the aid of her boys in Nanaimo.
Everett Theater
MOTHER JONES SPEAKS WITH VIGOR IN EVERETT
From today's edition of the Everett Labor Journal:
"Mother" Jones addressed an audience at the People's theatre Wednesday night that filled every available foot of space. Crowds stood in the aisles and everywhere they could press in, and many had to go away because they were unable to get near enough to hear. This most militant of the champions of labor stood erect and addressed her audience with vigor although she is 82 years of age, and her hold upon her hearers was so strong that she held them in any mood she chose. Every minute a burst of applause expressed approval of what she said, and she said again all the things she has many times asserted regarding the methods of employers in the mining camps in which she has been a factor in times of strikes. With a few exceptions her statements were made calmly, but in times when she related some of her experiences with the "armed murderers," as she terms the militia, she became excited and raised her voice to shrillness. Her audience frequently manifested its regard for her as well as its interest in her talk.
Naturally she dwelt most upon the recent strife in Colorado, asserting that the influence of Rockefeller is so great that courts and the militia are his servants and any appeal for justice is consequently futile. The seat of government, she said, was at 26 Broadway (Rockefeller's office) instead of at Washington. She said she had always worked to bring employers and employes together, realizing that the longer they stood apart in antagonism the farther apart they would get. But results had not been encouraging. Capitalism has gone mad, she said, and when she saw the misery of men and women and children in the mining camps she was impelled to do what she could to lead them to fight for better treatment.
"Mother" Jones has a rather poor opinion of women who, as she put it, "work for Jesus and every auxiliary of capital" and neglect humanity. She counseled women to be careful in voting for "good fellows," saying they were "good fellows before election but
damn bad ones afterwards."
According to today's edition of the Everett
Daily Herald, a parade had been planned in Everett to honor Mother Jones, but was cancelled due to rain. The speech of Mother Jones had been planned as an ope-air event in City Park, but was moved to the People's theatre which sadly was "all to small to accommodate the hundreds who wanted to see and hear the well-known woman." The
Herald describe the speech of Mother Jones:
Her voice seldom rose above a calm pitch, though occasionally when the scenes she described were of unusual order, the old lady's tones rang shrilly through the theater as she told of the deeds of "armed murderers," as she termed the militia...
The
Herald reported that Mother referred to 26 Broadway in New York City, the headquarters of the Rockefeller interests, as the "seat of government, the real working head of the nation which some people supposed to be located in Washington, D.C." The
Herald further noted this statement made by Mother Jones during her speech:
The Rockefellers and others of the plutocrats were the men really responsible for the horrors of West Virginia, Calumet and Colorado, while the government and soldiers who enforce their laws are more to be pitied than blamed. No gunman or soldier ever lived who had not had a mother, and the mothers of the future must do a better job of educating their boys so they do not grow up to be soldiers or company gunmen.
Not all of the militia in Colorado or in other states where I have fought were inhuman. I fact, I met some real nice boys among them, and they told me that they saw how they had been misled. But the gunmen are the hounds of the system.
SOURCES
The Labor Journal
(Everett, Washington)
-June 5, 1914
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...
The Winnipeg Tribune
(Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
-of June 5, 1914
Behind paywall! http://www.newspapers.com/...
Note: Haven't posted these links before, afraid of spambots,
we'll see what happens...but figure some might appreciate having the link!
Mother Jones Speaks
-ed by Philip S Foner
NY, 1983
Images
1). "Mother" Jones Is Barred From Canada
-from Winnipeg Tribune of June 5, 1914
-see link above
2). Everett Theater, completed 1901
http://www.downtowneverett.com/...
Note: not sure if this is the Everett People's Theater, perhaps someone
from Everett could inform us. For now, it stands here to represent
the Everett People's Theater.
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The Death of Mother Jones-Gene Autry
O'er the hills and through the valley
In ev'ry mining town;
Mother Jones was ready to help them,
She never turned them down.
On front with the striking miners
She always could be found;
And received a hearty welcome
In ev'ry mining town.
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