You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Tuesday December 1, 1903
The Northern Coalfield, Colorado - John Mitchell Gets His Victory Over Mother Jones
The coal miners of northern Colorado, having accepted a separate agreement, are returning to work. These miners who for the most part, speak English as their first language, have abandoned their brothers in southern Colorado who are mostly foreign-born Italians. Mother Jones and John Mitchell voiced strong differences on this question, and this difference of opinion has been made much of in newspapers across the land. But, in the end, John Mitchell has had the victory over Mother Jones whom the northern miners were, at first, inclined to follow. For now, it appears that Mother will remain with the miners of Southern Colorado, working on their behalf as best she can under difficult circumstances.
The New York Times must surely be relieved, for they hollered long and hard that the initial victory of Mother Jones in convincing the northern miners to stay out on strike was a victory for:
The Socialist wing in the union!
emphasis added
As if only Socialists care about standing in Solidarity and sacrificing financial gain for the sake of their union brothers, regardless of their nationality or ability to speak English.
SOURCES
Mother Jones Speaks
-ed by Philip S Foner
NY, 1983
The New York Times
(New York, New York)
-of Nov 22, 1903
http://select.nytimes.com/...
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Monday December 1, 1913
Denver, Colorado - State Auditor Roady Kenehan Finally Agrees to Pay Militia.
Today, after much intentional delay, Colorado State Auditor Roady Kenehan was forced to approve payment in scrip for the soldiers of the state militia. When he was informed that the banks had agreed to accept the scrip, Roady began pounding on desk and roared in rage:
The laws of this state say the governor has to come for this stuff, and by golly he'll have to do it in person as long as Roady Kenehan is auditor.
And, sure enough, Governor Ammons himself was forced to trek over to Roady's office and pick up the scrip.
Roady Kenehan has been a thorn in the side of Governor Ammons since the first day that troops were sent into the southern strike zone. He makes no secret disliking Ammons and the militia, as well, for their role in the strike zone. Roady is a union man, a member of the International Brotherhood of Blacksmiths, Drop Forgers, and Helpers. He worked at his bellows right up to within 30 minutes of being sworn in as auditor. He was respected as a powerhouse, both in his own union, and also within the Denver Trades and Labor Assembly. It is said, that he "took his hammer and anvil to the statehouse" with him. He was born in Queens County, Ireland, and relishes his reputation as a fighting man.
Every bill sent to Roady by the militia has been scrutinized minutely for evidence of padding especially as regards the bills for feeding mules and horses. He insisted on visiting Southern Colorado himself to see those horses and mules first hand. He forced the officers to point out brands and other markers on the livestock. All payments were held up until Roady's personal inspection was completed. He told the officers:
You can only buy your horses once if you don't want me to burn your backsides for you.
Before his arrival in Trinidad, militiamen angry at having their pay held up by Roady, hanged him in effigy and buried the effigy in a special grave near to their camp. Upon his arrival in Trinidad, Roady bellowed that he want to visit his grave. The militiamen watched as he stood atop his grave, hands stuffed into pockets, and roared:
Sure! and I am the only man is this world who ever stood on his own grave.
SOURCE
Out of the Depths
The Story of John R. Lawson, a Labor Leader
-by Barron B. Beshoar
(1st ed 1942)
CO, 1980
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Sunday December 1, 2013
More on Roady Kenehan:
The story of Roady Kenehan being forced, finally, to provide payment for the Colorado National Guard is a long and complicated one that reached the state Supreme Court. The Supreme Court made their ruling about November 17th that Kenehan must provide state funding for the militia, but Kenehan was still able to delay payment for awhile after that. Exact dates vary by sources.
The Colorado Supreme Court ordered state auditor Roady Kenehan to sign for the payment of the Colorado militia when they were mobilized to try to stop the violence spreading over the area. Kenehan had refused until, he said, he saw the bill for the effort. Gov. Elias Ammons had gone to the court to get the auditor to sign off the payments and that body agreed with Ammons. Kenehan said he’d pay and then later in the week said he would not pay until he saw the court order.
SOURCES
Beshoar (& others)
(see above)
Pueblo Chieftain
http://www.chieftain.com/...
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Working Man-The Dubliners
Its a working man l am
And Ive been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun
Or for any length of time
I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down under ground
-Rita MacNeil