They're thirsty for the blood of Joe Hill because
he stirs up rebellion among workingmen.
-Big Bill Haywood
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Tuesday October 5, 1915
From the Chicago Day Book: Big Bill Rails Against Utah Supreme Court Judge
In the October 2nd edition of
The Day Book, we find the reaction of Big Bill Haywood, General Secretary of the Industrial Workers of the World, to a recent statement made by Judge W. M. McCarthy of the Supreme Court of Utah. The Judge stated on October 1st:
There is no doubt in my mind that the lawless element with which Hillstrom is associated, the I. W. W., will construe Gov. Spry's action in granting reprieve [of the death sentence] at request of President Wilson as tacit approval of their course and methods.
Hundreds of members of the lawless organization will swarm into this state and use Hillstrom as an excuse to create a reign of terror such as Coeur D'Alene, San Diego, Seattle and Goldfield.
Haywood held up a copy of the statement and shouted:
Read it. Read it alone in a quiet place. You'll get a feeling that what this supreme court judge of Utah wants is a drinking cup full of the warm, red blood of Joe Hill.
In other news regarding ongoing efforts to save the life of Joe Hill, Orrin N. Hilton met with Big Bill in Chicago on October 3rd, and the Swedish Minister, W. A. F. Ekengren, met with a state department official yesterday in Washington, D. C.
From The Day Book of October 2, 1915:
BILL HAYWOOD SAYS UTAH JUDGE ATTACK ON
PRESIDENT WILSON IS "BLOODTHIRSTY"
Bill Haywood, general secretary Industrial Workers of the World, says I. W. W. charges in the case of Joseph Hillstrom now have new proof. He points to statement of Judge W. M. McCarthy of Utah supreme court yesterday.
[Said Haywood:]
Read what this tool of Utah capitalists says about the reprieve requested by President Wilson and then judge for yourself whether we are right in charging that capitalists, courts and police of Utah are bloodthirsty"...They hanker for the blood of this agitator. We have said all along it wasn't a murder case, but a labor case.
Judge McCarthy's statement reads like the statements of Judge Gary and Prosecutor Grinnell at the time of the hanging of the Chicago anarchists. When Altgeld pardoned those who were not hanged, he analyzed the trial evidence and procedure and said Judge Gary conducted the trial with "malicious ferocity." That's what the I. W. W. is fighting today in Utah. It's malicious ferocity. They're thirsty for the blood of Joe Hill because he stirs up rebellion among workingmen.
Judge McCarthy's statement leaves inference that Gov. Spry ought to have refused the request of President Wilson. The judge says:
There is no doubt in my mind that the lawless element with which Hillstrom is associated, the I. W. W., will construe Gov. Spry's action in granting reprieve at request of President Wilson as tacit approval of their course and methods.
Hundreds of members of the lawless organization will swarm into this state and use Hillstrom as an excuse to create a reign of terror such as Coeur D'Alene, San Diego, Seattle and Goldfield.
This element has the freedom of the mails to attack and threaten the governor, myself and other state officials. The situation is extremely serious and apparently President Wilson has no faith in the Utah courts. It now remains for the Swedish minister and other advisers of the president to produce the evidence which they profess to hold to support their claims of Hillstrom's innocence. The queer part of the entire business is why President Wilson interfered at the eleventh hour.
Haywood shook a copy of the statement in the face of a reporter and cried:
Read it. Read it alone in a quiet place. You'll get a feeling that what this supreme court judge of Utah wants is a drinking cup full of the warm, red blood of Joe Hill.
----------
[Photograph added.]
From The Day Book of October 4, 1915:
EXPLAINS HOW JUDGES STAND IN HILLSTROM CASE
Judge O. N. Hilton, counsel for Joseph Hillstrom of Salt Lake City, came through Chicago yesterday on his way to Washington to give the Swedish embassy evidence on the innocence of Hillstrom. Hilton held a conference with W. D. Haywood, general secretary Industrial Workers of the World, which is pushing Hillstrom's fight for freedom.
[Said Hilton:]
Three supreme court judges of Utah, already on record with strong feelings against Hillstrom, are on the Utah pardon board of five members...When I spoke before them for a commutation of death sentence I saw how judges are only human, after all, and, having once made up their minds they cling to their first ideas. I had not spoken five minutes before they were all after me in violent dissent. At one time three of them were talking all at once.
I am informed that at the last official shooting of a condemned man in Salt Lake the price paid to the creatures who fired the fatal shots was $25 each, but they struck for higher wages and $40 was agreed on as the wages hereafter for the performance of such service. This suggests that there may be organized a new labor union to be called the Amalgamated Executioners. Such an organization, however, would have a hard time affiliating with regular organized labor.
----------
[Photograph added.]
From The Ogden Standard of October 4, 1915:
HILLSTROM CASE IS BEFORE THE STATE DEPARTMENT
His Excellency, W. A. F. Ekengren
Swedish Minister to the United States
`````
Washington, Oct. 4.-W. A. F. Ekengren, the minister from Sweden, conferred today with Counselor Polk of the state department of the case of Joseph Hillstrom, a Swede, whose death sentence for murder has been stayed by an appeal through President Wilson to Governor Spry of Utah.
The minister has been instructed by his government to do his utmost to get a new trial for Hillstrom, who, the minister feels, was convicted on insufficient evidence. After the conference, Mr. Ekengren returned to New York to seek further legal advice, at the suggestion of Counselor Polk.
The Hillstrom case has stirred much interest in Sweden where the Social Democrats, who compose a large proportion of the electorate, have brought pressure on their government to urge interference in behalf of their accused countryman.
----------
[Photograph added.]
~~~~~~~~~~
SOURCES
The Day Book
(Chicago, Illinois)
-Oct 2, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/...
-Oct 4, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/...
The Ogden Standard
(Ogden, Utah)
-Oct 4, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/...
IMAGES
Joe Hill
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Big Bill Haywood, ISR, 1915
https://books.google.com/...
His Excellency, W. A. F. Ekengren
Swedish Minister to the United States
http://books.google.com/...
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Information from Archie Green via Gibbs Smith:
The Industrial Worker of July 11, 1912 reports that the new edition of the I. W. W. songbook (Little Red Songbook) will include "Casey Jones." That edition of the songbook was published by The Industrial Worker in Spokane Washington, and also included "John Golden and the Lawrence Strike" on page 43.
JOHN GOLDEN AND THE LAWRENCE STRIKE
-by Joe Hill
(Tune: "A Little Talk With Jesus")
Just A Little Talk With Jesus - Zoomtop Quartet
In Lawrence, when the starving masses struck for more to eat
And wooden-headed Wood tried the strikers to defeat,
To Sammy Gompers wrote and asked him what he thought,
And this is just the answer that the mailman brought
CHORUS:
A little talk --
A little talk with Golden
Makes it all right, all right;
He'll settle any strike,
If there's coin enough in sight;
Just take him up to dine
And everything is fine --
A little talk with Golden
Makes it right, all right.
The preachers, cops and money-kings were working hand in hand,
The boys in blue, with stars and stripes were sent by Uncle Sam;
Still things were looking blue 'cause every striker knew
That weaving cloth with bayonets is hard to do.
John Golden had with Mr. Wood a private interview,
He told him how to bust up the "I double double U."
He came out in a while and wore the Golden smile.
He said: "I've got all labor leaders skinned a mile."
John Golden pulled a bogus strike with all his "pinks and stools."
He thought the rest would follow like a bunch of crazy fools.
But to his great surprise the "foreigners" were wise,
In one big solid union they were organized.
FINAL CHORUS:
That's one time Golden did not
Make it right, all right;
In spite of all his schemes
The strikers won the fight.
When all the workers stand
United hand in hand,
The world with all its wealth
Shall be at their command.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````