The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-03-06

Mother Jones spoke last night In
( The criminal court room to an audience
largely composed OF her friends. the
miners. says the indianapolis News.
We have turned today into wage
slavery. and the wall OF the oppressed
has not yet been heard by the nation.
/ But the wall OF the children is going
to rise, and il will touch the hearts Of
I che men and women Of this nation,
and they viii rise-not with bayoneta
and gatling guns. but with votes We
propose that these children OF labor,
In the mines and in the factories. shall
no longer be sacrificed on the altar OF
corporate greed. / sometimes blush
with shame 10 be an American I blush
that ! live in q land where my fore
fathers fought and bled that our little
ones might have free schools and free
education aud be free men and women.
In the anthracite region thousands Of
little boys were working when the
strike came. for % or 30 cents a day
It was a burden for those little fellows
70 carry the much-talked about dinner
pail II they had had it the pail would
have touched the ground as they
walked Since the strike the operators
have had to advertise for breaker
boys Why Because the fathers got
small increase in wages. so that they
were able 70 send their little boys to
school We 6nd IN many of the mining
districts through which I have passed
IN the last two months, men working
ten ard eleven hours a day. and there
arc months and months that they
never see "a dollar that they can call
their own. In one camp they had 70
take out twenty tons Of coal before
they had a dollar to buy anything to
eat 10 took twenty tons Of coal 70 pay
for the powder. the corporation doc
tor and for the rent of the shack-it
can't be called a housc-in which the
miners live-to pay for oil. for the
hospital fund, and for the sharpening
Of their tools All this before a dollar
can come 10 bis family In Baltimore.
last summer. ] went into such a store
and my purchase was sent up to bs
wrapped by a pale. delicate little girl.
cooped up in a box. ! was told that
She was 10 years old. worked from
O'Clock until and got sl25 a week.
/ said 10 the clerk. Give me back my
money and you keep the goods Tie
proprietor came and asked If anything
was wrong I said there was 4 great
deal OF wrong. and told him 20 take
that fragile child out of that box on
that terrific hot day in Angus and
send her home 60 her mother When
see 10000 little breaker boys some
On crutches picking slate 10 you
wonder that there are aaitators IN this
country trying TO array the people
against such conditions as these2 Tn
your own state you have COO hands out
on strike al an Evansville mill. Look
AZ The SILK mills in Pennsy'vania. with
their young girls and little hoysi And
we are TO 20 and ask God 10 bless us.
The wonder 20 me Is that pe arc not
cursed Tor standing ~ such conditions.
Some people say that women have
no place speaking in public say.
keep your children out of the mills
and factories and put them in the
school houses. and We afu stay 40
home and wen De glad to stay AZ
home GO 10 the ballot box and io
your dcty. and Sc NiIl not have TO 20
away from home we believe the
mines should BE- owned hy The people