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Sunday January 30, 1916
Indianapolis, Indiana - U. M. W. of A. Convention Pauses for a Poetical Tribute

Before adjourning for the day on Saturday January 22nd, delegates at the Miners' Convention were entertained with a bit of poetry:

Delegate McAlester, District 12–Delegate Loftus has written a poem upon the occurrence here the other day and we would like to have him read it.
Delegate Loftus—Delegate McDonald's name and Delegate Germer's will appear. I would like to know if they have any objections to having it read. No objection being offered, Delegate Loftus read the following:

THE PEACEMAKER.

It was just a little resolution,
Didn’t amount to very much
Brought on a very wordy war
'Mongst the Irish, Scotch and Dutch.

They used many personalities,
Which I always deemed a curse;
Had Mother not just happened in
It might have been much worse.

We have thirteen hundred delegates
Who represent labor's cause,
And many joined in the chorus
By giving great applause.

When the battle raged the fiercest—
Words shot back and forth like stones—
In stepped a goodly lady,
Our splendid Mother Jones.

She took a shot at Germer,
And at Duncan, too, as well,
Told them to get together
And to stop their raising hell.

She's the mother of all labor movements,
And she certainly understands
How to bring the men together
To grasp each others hands.

Then the delegates roared with laughter,
And I thought that I would croak,
When the two whole days’ discussion
Was ended as a joke.

If Mother could stay with us
Till the convention once is o'er
We'd divert our time to business
And the better things in store.

At 5 o'clock the convention was adjourned under the rules to re-convene at 9 o'clock a. m., Monday, January 24th.

Note: McAlester is also spelled McAlister in list of delegates: R. T. McAlister of Local #1458 Du Quoin, Illinois, District 12. Delegate Loftus is Joe Loftus of Local #2368 Murphysboro, Illinois, District 12. The Delegate McDonald referred to is Duncan McDonald of Local #362 Coal Valley, Illinois, District 12. Delegate Germer is Adolph F. Germer of Local #728 Mt. Olive, Illinois, District 12.

From today's Indianpolis Star:

Mother Jones appeared before the convention at the afternoon session [January 29] and spoke to the delegates for more than an hour. She told the miners they possessed "the most highly developed and analytical brains this country has produced." She had a word of praise for Senator Kern, to whom, she declared, every working man in America owes a debt of gratitude. She referred particularly to Kern's action in bringing an investigation of the miners' conditions in West Virginia.

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[Photograph of Senator Kern added.]

Hellraisers will present the entire transcript of the speech given by Mother Jones in two parts, beginning in tomorrow's edition.

SOURCES

Proceedings of 25th Consecutive & 2nd Biennial Convention
of the United Mine Workers of America, Vol I
Indianapolis, Indiana
January 18 to Feb 1, 1916, Inclusive
https://books.google.com/books?id=MvREAQAAMAAJ
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=MvREAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...
"FIFTH DAY-AFTERNOON SESSION The convention was called to order at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, January 22nd, President White in the chair."
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=MvREAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...
A Poem for Mother Jones
https://books.google.com/books/reader?id=MvREAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcove...

The Indianapolis Star
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-Jan 30, 1916
https://www.newspapers.com/image/118708478/

IMAGES
Mother Jones, Boston Glob, Jan 30, 1915
http://www.newspapers.com/image/59031148/
John W Kern, Senator from Indiana, 1911-1917
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Kern

See also:

"Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Storms Stage at United Mine Workers Convention, Ends Bitter Debate" by JayRaye
http://caucus99percent.com/content/hellraisers-journal-mother-jones-stor...

"The West Virginia Court-Martial of Mother Jones"
-by JayRaye
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/3/10/1188855/-ACM-The-West-Virginia-C...

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The Coal Miner Song - Jimmy Joe Lee