You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Saturday September 26, 1914
From the Appeal to Reason: "Mother of the Miners" Visits Her Boys in Trinidad Bastile
In today's
Appeal to Reason, corespondent John Murray describes a visit made by Mother Jones to the miners imprisoned in the Trinidad Bastile. Mother was not allowed to meet with them, but was forced to speak with them one-by-one as they filed by the door to the cell. She could see only their faces through "the little wicket in the steel door." Yet, she was able to speak a few words of encouragement to each of the men.
Mother was in Trinidad last week to speak at the Special Convention of District 15 of the United Mine Workers. The convention took up the matter of President Wilson's proposal for a three-year truce in the southern Colorado coal strike. John Murray describes reactions to the Wilson Plan from some of the delegates at the convention. The Plan was accepted by the miners, but has since been rejected by Rockefeller's Colorado Fuel and Iron Company.
From the Appeal to Reason of September 26, 1914:
Braving Arrest, Mother Jones Visits Men in
Trinidad Bastile
BY JOHN MURRAY.
Staff Correspondent Appeal to Reason.
Trinidad, Colo.-Mother Jones was up early in the morning to visit Bob Uhlich and the seventy-and odd other miners held behind the steel bars of the Trinidad county jail. The white-haired old lady had come in on the night train to attend the special convention called by the miners of District 15 to consider President Wilson's proposed settlement of coal strike.
She had her bite of toast and cup of coffee and then hurried to the jail. The little wicket in the steel door was opened and Bob's kindly voice called a greeting to the Mother of the Miners. A jailer stood between them and refused to allow the old lady to shake hands with the imprisoned man. Word was passed to all the prisoners in the pen and in a long line, one-by-one, they marched before the tiny wicket so that all could catch a glimpse of Mother Jones on the outside and hear her cheery voice.
Mother Jones in the Cold Cellar Cell of Walsenburg
"Never give up, boys. We'll get you out," was what she kept repeating to most of them. In accents Italian, Greek, Slavonic, German, French, Spanish and a score of other tongues, the constantly changing faces at the jail door wicket called to Mother Jones. A miner would ask after his wife and Mother would tell him "not to worry" for "Molly and the children" were being taken care of. Another would plead for bail and release, and Mother would remind him that she had been in jail for three months, herself.
John Lawson came down on the train with Mother only to be immediately arrested and charged with 12 murders and three assaults to murder. He gave bail and was released.
Visits City Bastile.
Next Mother visited the city jail where there is an overflow of imprisoned miners that could not find standing room in the county bastile. On the way she bought a watermelon for the prisoners. "It is as hot as the blazes in these prisons," commented the old lady, "and I'm thinking they'll relish a taste of something cool."
From the prisons she went to the convention to be greeted by a storm of applause when the packed hall learned of her appearance.
John McLennan, President of District 15
E L Doyle, Secretary-Treasurer of District 15
John Lawson, International Board Member from District 15
Frank Hayes, Vice-President of UMWA
Red-headed Frank Hayes, Black-headed John McLennan, gray-headed, tall John Lawson, and yet-taller, boyish-faced Ed Doyle sat on the platform as members of the policy committee of District 15, United Mine Workers of America. They had a task before them-to persuade the miners assembled that it was best to agree to President Wilson's plans-a task much harder than the calling of the strike which had taken place just one year ago in this self same hall.
All the delegates acknowledged that clause five of the proposed agreement was a blow below the belt, for it says, in relation to the election of a grievance committee, that "members of said committee must be employed at least six months at the individual mine before being eligible."
This would mean that only the scabs now at work in the mines could be elected on grievance committees.
Rockefeller or the Men?
"Is Wilson trying to protect us or Rockefeller?" asks a miner delegate from Huerfano county.
Another delegate points to the fact that President Wilson's soldiers have been the best protection that the scabs ever had in the state of Colorado-"Better even than Chase's militia," he adds, spitting with disgust at the mere mention of the general that led the charge upon the women.
Still another delegate points to clause "b," which states that "No mine guards shall be employed, but this does not preclude the employment of necessary watchmen."
"Look-a-here," he says, "I can show you a list of game wardens, specially deputized by the state of Colorado, that numbers over two thousand-two thousand, mind you! Now who can tell just how many "watchmen" these coal companies may need in their business?"
A miner with a limp, that dates from the fight at Bull Hill, grimly puts this question to the group: "What's the difference between game wardens and watchmen, guards and gunmen, militia and regulars; they've all got their guns pointed away from the mine owners and towards us-ain't they?"
Clause "d" is considered a club in the hands of the mine superintendents which will give them the power to stop all meetings or even conferences between union men at work in the mines. It reads as follows:
There shall be no picketing, patrolling, colonizing, or mass campaigning by representatives of any labor organizations of miners that are parties to this truce, which will interfere with the working operators of any mine during the said period of three years.
A Pointed Question.
"Suppose," questions a doubting delegate, "that there is some trouble in a mine and the men want to get together to discuss it-it may be a matter of protection to lives-will not the superintendent call such a meeting a 'mass campaigning by representatives of organized labor' and declare that we are breaking the truce?"
In short, to put it in the words of a delegate from Bowen. "The Wilson settlement is as full of holes as a cullender. And through every hole the mine owners can slip a guard or a gunman."
Still the delegates agree that Wilson will have his way-that the settlement will be adopted-that threatening winter and threatening troopers have forced them to agree to try this "peace that passeth all understanding."
"After all," says one, "if the federals only leave we may have a chance. Better militia than Wilson's soldiers; better Baldwin-Felts detectives than deputies; better the lawless gunmen than those that walk under the shadow of capitalist-made law, the law made for Rockefeller and by Rockefeller, the law enforced throughout the state of Colorado."
Nevertheless, and in spite of President Woodrow Wilson, the Colorado union miner is seeing daylight.
The federal troops will go, for the good of the country.
The militia will stay away, for the good of its health.
The gunmen will go where life is longer.
And the scabs-the scabs will join the union.
For without gunmen there can be no scabs.
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[photographs added]
SOURCE
Appeal to Reason
(Girard, Kansas)
of Sept 26, 1914
http://www.newspapers.com/...
See also:
Hellraisers+Mother Jones+special convention
http://www.dailykos.com/...
IMAGES
Mother Jones
http://www.greatthoughtstreasury.com/...
Mother Jones in Walsenburg Bastile
https://archive.org/...
District 15 Policy Committee
https://archive.org/...
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Battle Cry of Union!
We are fighting for our rights, boys,
We are fighting for our homes,
Shouting the battle cry of union;
Men have died to win the struggle;
They've died to set us free,
Shouting the battle cry of union.
The Union forever, hurrah, boys, hurrah.
Down with the gunthugs and up with the law.
For we're coming Colorado, we're coming all the way,
Shouting the Battle Cry of Union.
-Frank Hayes, 1913
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