You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Sunday September 6, 1903
From the Appeal To Reason: Socialist Party Report from Pennsylvania
The Appeal recently published this report from Franklin H. Slick, Secretarty of the Socialist Party in Pennsylvania:
In no state in the union is there a more fertile field for Socialism than in the Keystone state. Here the trusts, corporations and corrupt capitalist politicians hold sway. The Socialist party is the only organized political force arrayed against these powers of greed, corruption and oppression. Previous to the anthracite coal strike it was almost impossible to convince the workers to join our party. The arrogance of the coal trust, Baer's declaration that he and his class were divinely appointed to take care of the working people, opened the eyes of the wealth producers and they showed their recognition of the class struggle by increasing our votes from 4,861 to 21,910 in the November election of 1902...
A strike of 100,000 textile workers is now on in Philadelphia. They asked for a reduction of the hours of work from sixty to fifty-five. The manufacturers have combined to starve them until they give up the strike. Our speakers are calling attention to what tariff laws have done to enrich the manufacturers and the prospects are good that thousands of workingmen who voted the old parties' tickets will vote for Socialism this fall.
SOURCE
"Yours for the Revolution"
The Appeal To Reason, 1895-1922
-ed by John Graham
U of NE Press, 1990
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Saturday September 6, 1913
Washington, D.C. - Senate Committee Investigating West Virginia Strike Reconvenes
Testimony before the Senate Committee Investigating the coal strike in West Virginia was heard on Thursday. W. W. Phaup, a mine guard supervisor, testified regarding a battle between mine guards and coal miners which occurred on July 25, 1912. He reported being shot in the battle, and dragging himself to the hospital:
I lost my coat on the way to the hospital, and the next Sunday, when Mother Jones made a speech to the miners, she exhibited it and said it was decorated to suit her. The miners hung it up on a fence, and then cut it up into little pieces to wear on their coats as souvenirs.
The New York Times
-of Sept 5, 1913
http://select.nytimes.com/...
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Friday September 6, 2013
Across the USA: #WalmartStrikers and Supporters Stand Up to #Walmart!
Today I want to thank everyone for their response to this diary and will try to answer a few questions raised by the diary.
AoT pointed out that the police who arrested our fellow workers at the Renton, WA, Walmart were riot police and not a SWAT Team. I appreciate this sort of feedback, especially in a breaking news story where information is difficult to get.
Those are riot police, not SWAT (38+ / 0-)
You can tell because the guy in front has a grenade launcher for gas grenades.
Which raises the same issues as far as I'm concerned.
by AoT on Thu Sep 05, 2013 at 02:02:33 PM PDT
[ Reply to This | Recommend Hide ]
RosyFinch left this link to the
Renton Reporter which gives a good account of the arrests in Renton:
UPDATE: Renton Police confirm that eleven people were arrested, cited and released on the scene at Thursday's protests at the Renton Walmart.
About a dozen protesters were arrested on Rainier Avenue South, in front of the Renton Walmart Thursday morning, after a peaceful rally for workers rights.
The story links to this
slideshow of the day's protests at the Renton Walmart.
Thank you, RosyFinch!
And just had to send this comment by Sura 109 to Top Comments (not sure if we can do that from our own diaries, but worth a try). The comment is called "How to spot class warfare," with two pictures worth a few thousand words. Thanks Sura!
More tweets at #WalmartStrikers!
https://twitter.com/...
OUR Walmart
http://forrespect.org/
Making Change at Walmart
http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
This Land Is Your Land-Woody Guthrie
Dedicated to the #WalmartStrikers
Who are standing up for the whole country.
They are proving that this land is our land;
We do not belong to Walmart!
As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on that sign there was "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothin'
That side was made for you and me.
12:29 PM PT: From Teamster Nation it looks like there were about 100 arrests in 11 cities:
http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/...
Will try to provide more details in tomorrow's Hellraisers.