You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Friday December 18, 1903
From The Arizona Republican: Scab attempts to start riot at union meeting.
HELD MOYER RESPONSIBLE.
A Cripple Creek Miner Blames Him For the Strike.
Pueblo, Colo., Dec. 17.-At a meeting held in the Grove tonight, at which Mother Jones and President Moyer of the Western Federation of Miners were the principal speakers, a riot was almost precipitated by a Cripple Creek miner named Donald McKenzie, who interrupted Moyer in his address by calling down the speaker in one of his allusions to the strike in the gold camp.
McKenzie charged that Moyer was responsible for the strike and the conditions at Cripple Creek. In the excitement which followed knives and revolvers were drawn but prompt action on the part of the police and the cooler heads in the audience prevented bloodshed.
SOURCE
The Arizona Republican
(Phoenix, Arizona)
-of Dec 18,1903
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Thursday December 18, 1913
Denver, Colorado - News from the Colorado Federation of Labor Special Convention
Louis Tikas was released by the military three days ago from the cold, unheated cell with the broken window through which blew the bitter winter wind and snow. Yesterday, the
Trinidad Free Press printed this letter from Louie to the paper's editor:
Dear Sir,
In regards to calling you up by phone I have changed my mind, so I will write you a few lines of information. I arrived at Ludlow about 3 P.M. The most people of the tent colony were waiting for me, and after visiting the colony tent by tent and shaking hands with most the people, I find out that all was glad to see me back...
I am leaving tonight for Denver to attend the state Federation of Labor convention and believe that I will be called to state before the delegates of the convention anything that I know concerning the militia in the southern field. While I stay a few days at Denver I will return to Ludlow again.
LOUIS TIKAS
Ludlow, Colorado
The special convention of the Colorado Federation of Labor was called by President McLennan and Secretary W. T. Hickey:
The strike of the miners has grown to a real war in which every craft and department of organized labor is threatened with annihilation unless they take a positive and decided stand for their rights. The uniform of the state is being disgraced and turned into an emblem of anarchy as it was in the days of Peabody. In the southern fields, military courts, illegal and tyrannical, are being held for the purpose of tyrannizing the workers. Leaders of labor are being seized and arrested and held without bail. The homes of union miners have been broken into by members of the National Guard and property stolen. In order, that members of organized labor in every part of the state, whether affiliated or not, may become familiar with conditions in this struggle, a convention is hereby called to meet in Denver Tuesday December 16, 1913, at 10 o'clock. The purpose of the convention is the protection of the rights of every worker in this state and the protection of the public from the unbridled greed and outrages of the coal operators.
More than 500 delegates answered the call and assembled at the Eagle's Hall on Tuesday. They included national officers from United Mine Workers, President White and Vice-President Hayes, and Secretary Green. John Lawson and Louie Tikas arrived from the strike zone in the southern field. There was outrage as the Convention learned of the disaster at the Vulcan mine. This is the same mine which the union had called a death trap just months before. Many delegates made it plain that they are in favor of a statewide general strike should one be called by union leaders. The Convention demands that Governor Ammons remove General Chase from command and immediately transfer all military prisoners to the civil courts.
Mother Jones made her way to the convention in spite of military orders that she stay out of the state. It is said that sympathetic trainmen assisted her in slipping into Denver. She made her opinion of Governor Ammons clear by calling for him to be hanged.
Late in the day, yesterday, Mother Jones led a march of 2,000 delegates through the snowy streets of Denver to the state capitol. Marching right beside her was Louie Tikas, carrying the banner of Ludlow. The delegates demanded a meeting with Governor Ammons, and the Governor agreed to meet with some of the delegates in the State House of Representatives.
We will cover that meeting, and more of the resolutions passed by the special convention tomorrow.
SOURCES
Buried Unsung
Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre
-by Zeese Papanikolas
U of Utah Press, 1982
Out of the Depths
The Story of John R. Lawson, a Labor Leader
-by Barron B. Beshoar
(1st ed 1942)
CO, 1980
Mother Jones Speaks
-ed by Philip S Foner
NY, 1983
Photo: CFofL March in Denver
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/...
Follow the link for much larger view. Per Papanikolas: "In the photographs taken on that day it is Tikas who stands at the old woman's side, carrying the banner of Ludlow." This is the only photo I know of that shows us the Ludlow Flag.
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Wednesday December 18, 2013
More on the special convention of the Colorado State Federation of Labor:
The convention took up the question of calling for a state-wide sympathy strike on behalf of the United Mine Workers of America. That sympathy strike was not called. The following from the Typographical Journal indicates objections that some of the delegates had with that resolution:
REPRESENTATIVE PULVER.
To the Officers and Members of the International Typographical Union:
Ladies and Gentlemen — I herewith submit my report for the fiscal year ending May 31, 1914:
...December 16, under instructions from President Duncan, I attended the special convention of the Colorado State Federation of Labor in Denver, called to take such action as was considered advisable in reference to the strike of the United Mine Workers in this state and the unwarranted and illegal action of the state military authorities in connection with the strike. Several of the typographical unions of Colorado were represented. Among other things, a state-wide strike was proposed, in an effort to assist the miners. All printers present insisted on the inviolability of existing contracts with employing printers and publishers.
SOURCE
Typographical Journal, Volume 45
International Typographical Union., 1914
(page 1039 of 1260, use scroll bar at bottom of page)
http://books.google.com/...
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The Battle Cry of Freedom
We will win the fight today, boys,
We'll win the fight today,
Shouting the Battle Cry of Union;
We will rally from the coal mines,
We'll fight them to the end,
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