~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday March 10, 1906
From the Montana News: Comrade Debs Speaks, Warns Plutocrats

From this week's edition of the Montana News:

Debs' Stirring Message.
-----

Calls Working Class to Prepare for Action
to Prevent Judicial Murder.
-----

What I have to say about the latest and boldest stroke of the plutocracy will require but little space. It is not talk that is wanted but action.

The issue is clear. There can be no mistake about it.

The labor leaders that cannot be bribed or bullied must be ambushed and murdered. That is the situation in a nutshell. How shall we meet it? In just one way. We have got to fight.

Another Haymarket attempt will precipitate a revolution.

If murder must be committed it is not the working class alone that will furnish the victims this time.

Moyer, Haywood and their colleagues are absolutely innocent. The writer knows them to the heart's core and will stake his all on them.

The only crime they are guilty of is that they are unswervingly true to the working class, and the working class can do no less than stand by them to the finish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday March 3, 1906
From the Montana News: Official Call from Industrial Workers of the World

The February 28th edition of the official newspaper of the Socialist Party in Montana published the following appeal from the I. W. W. which calls for the working class men and women of America to rally to the defense of Charles Moyer and Bill Haywood:

Official Call To Action
-----

Stirring Appeal Sent Out by Industrial Workers
as Result of Mine Owners' Conspiracy.
-----

Beginning at the Coeur d' Alene in 1897 a reign of lawless violence has been waged by the capitalist class in the western states, one phase of which was the unparalleled series of outrages perpetrated against the laborers of Colorado. Throughout this conspiracy there had been continuous attempts to crush the labor organizations of the miners by seeking to foist upon them the crimes committed by the capitalist conspirators themselves. Every one of these attempts has failed. In spite of suborned witnesses and terrorized and corrupt juries, every case has ended in complete acquittal. The failure of the conspirators' diabolical schemes has filled them with desperation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday February 23, 1906
From the Appeal to Reason: Report on Mine Owners' Hired Gunthugs

The Appeal of February 17th offers this account of the results of the "law and order" campaign made by the Mine Owners' Association and the prominent gentlemen who supported that organization in its endeavors to make criminals of the metal miners of Colorado during the recent strikes in that state:

NO COLORADO MINERS CONVICTED.
-----

Readers of the APPEAL will remember that this paper repeatedly called attention to the fact that the mine owners of Colorado during the labor war is that state in 1904 employed thugs and criminals to carry out their nefarious ends. Since that time five prominent "law and order" gentlemen who fought under the flag of the Mine Owners' association and who were paid by the mine operators and railroads, have been sentenced to the penitentiary and are now serving behind the bars for various crimes. Three more of the delectable gang are in the toils of the law with chances good for their being sent to join their companions.

It is also a significant fact that with all the charges that have been made against the members of the Western Federation of Miners, not a single conviction has been made. And, mind you, the law is in the hands of the mine operators and they have been moving heaven and earth to convict some member of the miners' organization. These are facts which show on which side of the fence the real criminals operated and who were in reality the law-abiding citizens of Colorado. Gradually the inside history of that momentous struggle is being written, and when all the truth is known there will be disclosed the mangled reputations of a number of highly respected politicians.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday February 13, 1916
From the Northwest Worker: Kirkpatrick, Walker, and Seidel to Tour for S. P of A. Campaign

Thursday's Northwest Worker of Everett, Washington, reported that three prominent Socialist will be on tour across the nation to advance the 1916 Campaign for the Socialist Party of America:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday February 11, 1906
Greensboro, North Carolina - Mother Jones Speaks on Child Labor

From the Greensboro Daily Industrial News of February 9th:

"MOTHER JONES" ON CHILD LABOR
-----

Socialist Declares That Factories Are Responsible
for Mental Degenerates
-----
LABOR AND CAPITAL ARE DULY COMPARED
-----
Laboring Man's Champion Speaks to a Small Audience
in Labor Union Hall But Holds Her
Hearers' Interest to the End.
-----

Mother Jones talked in Labor Union Hall last night to an audience made unfortunately small by the inclemency of the weather. But the few people who were there were profoundly interested and were besides very greatly taken with the "spunky" little woman who tried to stir up in them the revolutionary spirit and to implant in them a firm purpose to benefit their brothers and help them forward to a higher civilization.

Mother Jones related first the history of the tool, told how it had become a machine, and how its change, and its ownership by the few had brought about the present economic conditions. She told about how young men used to go West to escape the servitude of labor, but now, she said, the conditions were the same everywhere.

Cuba appealed for relief from Spain, said she, and could have had it without war, but in the interests of capital war was brought about. Then capital went on to the Philippines, to work up that country. In the Far East, before the gates of Pekin, Militarism and Capitalism for the first time in history, joined their interests and worked together. The whole thing means that we are face to face with a competition as the world has never known it before.

Calls Child Labor Murder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday February 9, 1906
Greensboro, North Carolina - Interview with Mother Jones

The Daily Industrial News of Greensboro published the following interview with Mother Jones in its February 7th edition:

MOTHER JONES TELLS OF HER MISSION IN LIFE
-----

Noted Socialist Visits Greensboro and Chats Most Entertainingly of Her Work,
Her Purpose and the Tactics She Invariably Pursues.
-----

"Mother" Jones, the noted socialist who is to speak in Labor Union Hall on tomorrow night, came to this city two days ago. She was seen by a Daily Industrial News reporter last night, and talked freely of her life and work.

So many people picture "Mother" Jones as a kind of Carrie Nation who wields her hatchet against governments instead of saloons that the sight of the real woman fairly takes away the breath.

The best description of "Mother" Jones is her own soubriquet "mother," and when to that wholesome-hearted out-reaching motherliness is added humor, even mischievousness, jollity, and "spunk" immeasurable the reality is almost approached.

To reach it quite, however, would be impossible, for "Mother" Jones is one of those indescribable little persons who always just eludes description and analysis. Classify her as a woman fighter and striker, and her tender, sweet gentleness comes up in contradiction. Classify her as the woman with heart so exquisitely sympathetic and pitying that it aches for every hurt suffered by a fellow creature and the picture of the intrepid woman marching at the head of a great army of workmen baffles one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday February 8, 1906
Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Forsyth County Puts the Ban on Mother Jones

The Charlotte Daily Observer of February 6th reported the news:

Forsyth Commissioners Put Ban on
"Mother Jones."

Special to The Observer.

Winston-Salem, Feb. 5.-The county commissioners, in session to-day, declined to grant an application for "Mother Jones" to speak in the court house Friday and Saturday, on the ground that the board is "opposed to the court house being used for continual agitation of socialism."

[Photograph added.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday February 4, 1906
From the Montana News: Mary Beals on Child Suicide and Heartless Churches

Readers of Hellraisers might remember a story from the Montana News, written by May Beals, about the suicide of a young cotton mill worker who was too worn out from her labors to go on living. The child sought the sure rest of the grave where her slumbers could not be interrupted by the factory whistle blowing at an early hour. That was a fictional story, but, in a letter to the News, Miss Beals claims that suicides among children who labor in the mines and mills are increasing, especially obvious in France where statistics on child suicide are available.

Writes Miss Beals:

Notice that it is "poor children"—the disinherited—who have no share in the earth, who take themselves out of it. Some good people say that the rapid increase in France is due to the spread of free thought—the decay of religion.

If the function of religion is to hold children in a life of torment, that nothing else can force them to endure, the sooner it decays the better. Truly religion is worth more to the masters than either the constable or the hangman if he can keep the children alive while they are being despoiled. Even capitalism cannot grind profits out of a dead child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday January 24, 1906
From the Reading Times: Mother Jones Speaks to Large Gathering on Socialism

A large crowd gathered in Reading, Pennsylvania, Monday evening to hear Mother Jones speak. Tuesday's Reading Times reported the event:

LABORS' STRUGGLE FOR AN EXISTENCE
-----

THEME OF EARNEST APPEAL MADE BY "MOTHER" JONES,
BEFORE LARGE AUDIENCE IN THE COURT HOUSE.
-----

The main room of the Court House was scarce large enough to accommodate the crowd of citizens who gathered there last evening to hear "Mother" Jones expound her theories of socialism. The meeting was held under the auspices of Local Reading, of the Socialist party, and, although the meeting was announced for 8 o'clock, half an hour before that time men and women began to gather and before the hour of opening, every seat in the auditorium was taken and as many were standing as could crowd into the aisles. The space within the bar was also filled with men and women.

As the clock struck the hour of 8, T. J. Netheary, who presided during the session, called the gathering to order and briefly stated the purpose of the meeting. He felt highly honored by so large and intelligent an audience having gathered to hear live issues discussed. The meeting, he said, was being held under the auspices of Socialists, who had met to give vent to the opinions held by millions of people today. Socialism is the same the world over, and represents the only philosophy which, if put into practice, will bring relief to down-trodden mankind. To attain liberty and freedom is the goal of all well thinking people. The only difference is in the method to reach this end. The Socialist is not a pessimist, but verily believes the dawn is coming and is striving heartily to hasten that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday January 13, 1916
From the International Socialist Review: The Life of the Tenant Farmer

In this month's edition of the Review, W. W. Pannell describes the life of the tenant farmer, how tenant farmers are manufactured, and the deep pit of debt in which they and their families struggle to survive:

Tenant Farming in the United States

By W. W. PANNELL
-----

Tenant Farmers Levi and Beulah Stewart with children,
CIR Hearings at Dallas, March 1915
``````````