You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Thursday October 27, 1904
From the Deseret Evening News: Demolli Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison
Carlo Demolli
Yesterday's
Deseret Evening News reports, gleefully, that Carlo "Charley" Demolli, organizer and editor for the United Mine Workers of America, has received a sentence of two years, imposed by a federal judge. His official crime: sending obscene newspaper matter through the United States mails. His actual crime was attempting to defend Mother Jones from the Pinkerton lies published in the
Polly Pry by the so-called journalist of the same name:
The circumstances leading to his downfall were that in the capacity of editor of the Italian paper Il Lavatore [Lavoratore], the official organ of the United Mine Workers, he attacked the character of Mrs. Lionel Ross Anthony, better known as Polly Pry, and editor of a weekly published in Denver that bears her name. During the process Demolli overstepped the bounds of decency and said some very brutal things about the lady journalist, who has been waging a war upon Mother Jones, Demolli and other labor agitators of the same stripe.
From the Deseret Evening News of October 26th:
Two Years in Prison for Agitator Demolli.
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Political Refugee and Breeder of Labor and Other Troubles in Utah...
Sent Obscene Newspaper Matter Through the United States Mails
about Polly Pry of Denver...Arrest and Conviction Followed.
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Charles Demolli, Italian labor agitator, editor, political refugee, etc, has at last fallen into the clutches of Uncle Sam and for the next two years will occupy a prison cell at the expense of government.
The circumstances leading to his downfall were that in the capacity of editor of the Italian paper Il Lavatore [Lavoratore}, the official organ of the United Mine Workers, he attacked the character of Mrs. Lionel Ross Anthony, better known as Polly Pry, and editor of a weekly published in Denver that bears her name. During the process Demolli overstepped the bounds of decency and said some very brutal things about the lady journalist, who has been waging a war upon Mother Jones, Demolli and other labor agitators of the same stripe.
Demolli was charged with sending obscene matter through the mails. He was found guilty by a jury and yesterday was sentenced at Pueblo by a federal judge to two years in prison.
It was a year ago next month when Demolli first put in an appearance in Utah, and after his advent he made things excessively interesting and lively in Carbon county among the Italian miners who were in the employ of the Utah Fuel company at Castle Gate, Winter Quarters, Clear Creek and Sunnyside. An attempt on the part of the authorities to induce him to leave Utah failed and then it was that measures were taken to curtail his work by arresting him on various charges of disturbing the peace, unlawful gathering, etc.
Striking coal miners in bullpen at Price, Utah, April 1904
Carlo Demolli seated in foreground
Prior to the coming of Demolli to the Carbon county coal camps the Italian miners were for the greater part at work in the mines. As soon as he arrived, however, and held a few meetings, the men threw down their tools and struck for higher wages and other concessions. Those who remained at work were intimidated by threats of violent death so that every Italian and a heavy percentage of the aliens employed by the company promptly quit work out of sheer terror.
For a time Demolli made his headquarters on neutral ground at Helper, but he soon started to endeavor to break through the lines of armed guards [who were, apparently, not armed well enough to prevent the "sheer terror" of a few U. M. W. of A. organizers] which surrounded every camp. One night he rode over the mountains and descended upon Scofield. The word was quickly passed around that the great Demolli was in camp, and in less than half an hour his fellow countrymen rallied round him and cheered his fiery address to the echo. Then forming a column they marched on to Winter Quarters headed by an enthusiast bearing aloft the red flag of anarchy.
It was at this juncture that the National Guard of Utah arrived on the scene and averted trouble. Demolli was arrested, immediately taken before Justice Williams and sentenced to a term in the county jail at Price. He was transported to the county seat on a special train that was waiting with steam up at the depot at Scofield.
Had the strikers known it that that train bore all the ammunition available which had been left on the car and taken away in the hurry and excitement. For about 24 hours the national guard stationed at Winter Quarters, Clear Creek and Scofield was without ammunition save what the men carried in their belts. The strikers, however, were effectually overawed by the display and the dramatic arrest of their leader.
Demolli secured his release on bail and started in once more to work among the Italians. Subsequently he came to Salt Lake and interviewed the governor, H. M. Wells. All the satisfaction he got from the visit was the advice of the chief executive to the effect that that Utah could get along very well without Mr. Demolli and his gang and the best thing for him would be to go back to Colorado before he was driven back.
Demolli, who was looked upon as being the strongest man the United Mine Workers had, signally failed in Utah in his attempt to force unionism upon the coal operators. Americans were substituted for the aliens employed and this spring the mines were working full capacity with an increased output.
Today there are still about 100 Italians and loafers hanging around Helper and posing as strikers, but all attempts to interest the coal diggers has to date proved futile. Not only did Demolli bring trouble, poverty and want upon his following in this state, but he failed hopelessly in his mission.
"Charley" Demolli personally is a striking individual (no pun intended) of powerful physique and handsome feature. He has a winning smile and is of pleasing address. Like many labor agitators he had a weakness for ardent spirits and was free with his money, or, perhaps to be more correct, the union's money. When last interviewed by the writer, Demolli was found in a saloon playing cards with his countrymen. As soon as he learned that an interview was sought he insisted that every body present line up and drink to the Deseret News, which he regarded as an uncompromising enemy to his lawless methods, and in consequence some 20 Italians gravely crooked their elbows. Before the interview terminated Demolli repeated the process three times.
To the "News" Demolli stated that he had taken up the work of organizing the Italians for the love he bore to oppressed humanity and not for the money there was in it. He admitted he got $5 a day for the work and expenses besides, also that when he was jailed, as he had been dozens of times, that his pay went on just the same. He denied the assertion of the Pinkerton detective agency that he was an anarchist and asserted that he was a socialist and believed in peaceful methods and abhorred arson and assassination. He further stated that he had been forced to leave Italy on account of the part he played in an insurrection there a dozen years ago. This statement did not gibe with another that was made by Pinkerton agency that he had been a counterfeiter in Italy and bolted to America when the gang was raided by the police.
"They tell all kinds of lies about me, but you must not believe all you hear," he affirmed with a smile that showed a regular and sound set of strong teeth.
By way of impressing those present as to his physical prowess Demolli sat down in a chair and stretched out his feet on the ground. Then speaking in Italian to one of the heaviest men in the saloon he proceeded to give an exhibition. The man who weighed about 175 pounds, lay across his feet; then without grasping the chair with his hands Demolli raised the prostrate form from the floor with his legs to the height of about three feet.
Demolli is nothing if not spectacular. He dearly loves a dramatic situation with himself in the center of the limelight. To get into print is meat and drink to his egotism. To pose as a savior of the oppressed and the fear of trembling capitalists is his delight.
Demolli and Mother Jones are a pair, both tarred with the same brush. They met in the coal fields of Pennsylvania where both of them came into prominence as champions of the coal diggers. They came to Colorado and stirred up all kinds of trouble, but their down fall commenced when they crossed the line into Utah.
For the next two years Demolli will be silent. When he comes out of jail he will be forgotten by his fickle following and there will be a new star in the labor firmament, possibly "Dr." Attias, who is now receiving several dollars a day from the Western Federation of Miners for his work in Utah.
[cartoon and photographs added]
SOURCE
Deseret Evening News
(Salt Lake City, Utah)
Oct 26, 1904
http://www.newspapers.com/...
See also:
1). Demolli+JayRaye
http://www.dailykos.com/...
2). For more on Charles Demolli, editor of Il Lavoratore
http://www.dailykos.com/...
3). "The 'Foreign Element' and the 1903-4 Carbon County Coal Miners' Strike"
-BY ALLAN KENT POWELL
pdf http://content.lib.utah.edu/...
4). "Italian Militants and Migrants and the Language of Solidarity
in the Early-Twentieth-Century Western Coalfields"
By Stephen Brier and Ferdinando Fasce
Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas, Vol 8, Ed 2, 2011
(Great piece of work, but, sadly, behind pay wall.)
http://read.dukeupress.edu/...
5)!! Article in Italian, I think it contains
Demolli's "obscene" writing-google translation unclear:
http://portale.lombardinelmondo.org/...
IMAGES
Carlo Demolli
http://www.ecoistitutoticino.org/...
Striking coal miners in Price, Utah, bullpen, April 1904
Demolli seated in front.
http://historytogo.utah.gov/...
Demolli with Gov. Wells of Utah, Salt Lake Herald, Dec 10, 1903
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...
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Internationale-Italian
Compagni avanti il gran partito
Noi siamo dei lavorator.
Rosso un fiore in petto c'é fiorito.
Una fede c'é nata in cor.
Noi non siampo più nell'officina
Entro terra ai campi al mar
La plebe sempre all'opra china
Senza ideale in cui sperar.
Su lottiamo! L'ideale
Nostro alfine sará
L'Internazionale
Futura umanitá.
(translated from original French)
- Eugène Pottier - Paris, June 1871
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