No more loyal, courageous men could be found than those southern miners,
scornfully referred to by “citizens’ alliances” as “foreigners.”
Italians and Mexicans endured to the end.
They were defeated on the industrial field but theirs was the victory of the spirit.
-Mother Jones
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Thursday February 12, 2015
Wherever a fight is on-Mother Jones, Oct 1903-Feb 1905, Part II
A yearly summary of the activities of Mother Jones will be a feature of
Hellraisers Journal. This is the summary for the year 1904. The fall of 1903 has been included in order to bring more clarity to her role in the
Colorado Coalfield Strike of 1903-04. January and February 1905 are included to help us figure out exactly when and how the break with
John Mitchell occurred. How, exactly, she left her employment with the United Mine Workers of America is a subject that needs more research. I am hoping that others can use what I have provided and carry on from there. I think the abbreviations are self-explanatory, but if anyone has problems with them, please let me know.
Important note: the date given for "HJ" is the date that the event was reported by Hellraisers, and not necessarily the date that the event occurred. To find the diary associated with the date, use the date and subtract 110 years. (Example: Oct 26, 1903 is found at Hellraisers Journal for Oct 26, 2013.)
This is Part II of the 1904 summary, Part I was published in yesterday's Hellraiesers.
Hellraisers will spend one more day on the subject of Mother Jones and the ending of her employment as an organizer for the United Mine Workers of America under President John Mitchell. Hellraisers moves relentless forward in time. And thus, I have to leave the subject as it is, without a firm knowledge of exactly when or where her employment ended. This is frustrating, but my hope is that others can use what I have provided and build upon it for further research.
June 1904
HJ: June 10-Heading back East-MJ will speak at Kansas City on Sunday
HJ: June 22-Chicago-MJ joins the "radicals" of the Chicago FofL in supporting
amendment, brought before that body by a delegate from the Colored Waiters' Union,
that all contracts should expire in May, floor fight with "conservatives" described as
"bitter"
HJ: June 30-Chicago-MJ speaks at mass meetings for 1904 Socialist Campaign
Note: since she came east, I have found no evidence that she has
met with JM as she was instructed to do before she went to San Francisco.
July 1904
HJ: July 10-from Pittsburg, KS-letter to the Appeal to Reason: Courageous UMW
Organizer Wardjon has survived serious head wound after being beaten in Southern
Colorado strike zone, vows to return
HJ: July13-Cleveland-MJ speaks on Colorado situation: "there is more freedom in Siberia"
HJ: July 14-Ipls, IN-UMWA withdraws financial support from Colorado Coal Strike, JM is
touring Europe
HJ: July 16-Appeal to Reason advertises Unionism and Socialism
by Eugene Debs, (MJ will soon be selling the book at her appearances)
HJ: July 19-Joliet, IL-while on a visit to this city from his home in Chicago, C. O. Sherman
of the Metal Workers states that MJ has said that Denver will burn if Gen Bell attempts
to deport union men from that city
Note: there continues to be no evidence found that MJ has met with JM
Aug 1904
HJ: Aug 8-New York City-MJ addresses Central Federated Union, praises Italian miners,
sells book by Debs
HJ: Aug 18-New York City-MJ will speak to striking meat cutters
HJ: Aug 20-New York City-MJ speaks to striking Butchers and Meat Cutters
HJ: Aug 22-New York City-MJ cheered at dinner mtg of Central Labor Unions
Note: still no evidence of mtg with JM
Sept 1904
HJ: Sept 11-Boston Herald-a reporter recalls traveling in WV with MJ during "first
great anthracite strike" (most likely 1897), gives dramatic description of
speech given by MJ to miners and their families that left most in tears
Oct 1904
HJ: Oct 5-New Castle, PA-MJ speaks at Trades and Labor Assembly Hall, tells of strikes in
Colorado
HJ: Oct 7-The Union of PA: Dem VP candidate Henry G Davis, mine operator
of WV, authored injunction that was used by Judge Jackson to jail MJ in WV in 1902
HJ: Oct 12-Trinidad, CO-striking miners continue fight without support of national UMWA
HJ: Oct 13-Pittsburg, KS-circular sent out by Italian miners of Trinidad being passed
around locally by miners of Pittsburg area, calls Mitchell a traitor and seeks donations
for Colorado Coal strikers
HJ: Oct 18-Southern Colorado Coalfield Strike-Strikers closing up tent colonies, returning
to work
HJ: Oct 19-Miners Defeated in Southern Colorado Coalfields
HJ: Oct 27-Deseret Evening News of UT reports: Carlo Demolli, editor of Il Lavatore, a
local Italian language journal of the UMW, was sentenced to 2 yrs in federal prison.
He was convicted of sending obscene matter thru the US mails. His actual crime being
that he attempted to defend MJ from the lies pub'd about her in the Polly Pry
HJ: Oct 28-PA Coal Towns-MJ tours and speaks, advises wives to kill their husbands if
they are over age of 35 as Carnegie believes they are no longer employable once
they reach that ripe old age
H/T to mj30 (see comments below): Oct 30-The Scranton Republican (Pennsylvania) of
Sun, Oct 30, 1904, Page 1:
Mahonoy City, PA--Mitchell Day observed
--Mitchell given greatest ovation in the history of this city....
Mother Jones, the noted female agitator, was present but not allowed to speak on the ground, it is claimed, that Mitchell does not approve of her socialistic doctrines
Nov 1904
I could find no information on MJ for this month. And just to make sure, I rechecked at newspaper.com and at ChroniclingAmerica. Nothing but a few late reports about Mother advising women to kill their husbands. Seems the kept press thought she was serious!
Dec 1904
HJ: Dec 10-Chicago-MJ speaks to striking garment workers, praises Chicago workers
for making that city a "mighty uncomfortable" place for employers
HJ: Dec 22-The Catholic Citizen opines on the spiritual peril of Socialism & HJ points out
that MJ is both a Catholic, a Unionist, and a Socialist & does not seem to worry that
her soul is in any sort of eternal peril. A few quotes from MJ on the subject of
Christianity, Socialism, and Unionism. Our favorite:
One hour of justice is worth an age of praying.
Jan 1905
*IWW-Jan 3-Chicago-MJ arrived at 12:30 pm on the second day of the secret Conference
of Industrial Unionists. The Conference issued a
Manifesto which she signed, and a
call for a convention of Industrial Unionist to be held in Chicago in June of 1905
*SC-Jan 4-from Canton, IL-MJ writes to
JHW on her employment situation, states she
"resigned" from UMWA and gives reasons for same
HJ: Jan 12-article from Chicago newspaper on the secret conference and the call
for June Convention
*From mj30: Jan 13-
Rock Island Argus (IL)-MJ speaks
HJ:-Jan 24-Ipls, IN- at UMWA Conv delegate attacks JM, accuses him of driving MJ out of
organization "she labored so faithfully to upbuild," calls JM a traitor for forcing thru
separate agreement in Colorado. JM states that he had told MJ that she must
carry out the orders of the National Board, but that she would still be employed
by the UMWA if she wanted to be. The protesting delegate was expelled from the
miners' union.
HJ: Jan 28-Appeal to Reason: "Manifesto of the New Trades Unionism,"
the name of MJ appears as signer #15: Mother Jones, Chicago. Convention Call
was included in the article.
Feb 1905
HJ: Feb 10-Jacksonville, IL-MJ Speaks to local Socialist organization, &:
a collection was taken up for the speaker with the explanation that her sole recompense was the voluntary contributions of her friends.
Note: there are several newspaper accounts of upcoming events in various Illinois towns where Mother Jones will be speaking. Some of her biographers indicate that she is now working as a speaker for the Illinois State Socialist Party, but I have yet to find a definitive source for this assertion. More research needed.
---------------
SOURCES
Hellraisers Journal
June 1904-February 1905
*IWW=The Founding Convention of the IWW, Proceedings
Merit Pub, 1969,
(This is a reprint of the edition published by the
New York Labor News Company, 1905)
(The Manifesto and the minutes of the January Conference
where read into the record of the Founding Convention)
https://books.google.com/...
*SC=The Correspondence of Mother Jones
-ed by Edward M Steel
U of Pittsburgh Press, 1985
*from mj30=big H/T to motherjones1930
IMAGE
Mother Jones
http://www.biography.com/...
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The Children of Mother Jones by Pete Duffy