The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-21
MINE WORKERS ARE HERE
"MOTHER" JONES is ONE OF THE
PRINCIPAL ATTRACTIONS.
She Has Endenred Herself to Organ
lied Labor i'm Many Ways-The
Work in Hand.

The United Mine Workers convention
| will hold its first session In Tomlinson Hall
| this morning at 10 O'Clock. The convention
will be called to order by President Mitch
ell. and the first business of the session
Will be the report of the credentials COM
mittee. The day will likely be taken UP
in the appointment of committees and the
organization preparatory to the business of
the convention. There will be about 1000
| delegates in the convention and between
600 and 500 arrived last night. All of the
delegates from Ohio, Michigan. Missouri,
Iowa, Kansas, Illinois and the anthracite
district Of Pennsylvania came in before
night The Illinois delegation, composed of
more than two hundred delegates came in
on special train. feature of the ar
rivals was the large delegation from the
anthracite district. Last year there were
scarcely dozen delegates from that dis
trict, while this year it is represented by
| more than one hundred. This increased
representation is the result of the big
strike in the anthracite district. when near
ly all of the miners were organized.
Conspicuous in the convention. and per-
haps one of the most pleasurable features
Mother" Jones' Not only the miners but
all other branches of organized labor have
learned to look upon Mother" Jones with
the maternal respect that that name i'm
plies. Her figure has been familiar in
many of the most severe strikes the coun-
try has seen, her council has been solicited
and her words of sympathy and encour-
agement have stimulated the hearts of
thousands when the clouds were darkest.
Mrs. Jones has engaged apartments at the
Occidental Hotel and will remain In the
city while the convention is in session. She
will be here this evening or tomorrow.
MOTHER" JONES'S CAREER.
The career of Mother Jones and her
Identification with the organized Ia
Dor movement have been remarka-
BILE. She has been a social re-
former from the time Of her child
hood and her researches into social and
economic conditions led her to take UP the
cause of organized labor. Her intelligence
upon topics of general interest gives her
the broadcast views and she has upon in
Vulnerable occasions demonstrated that she
is equal to any argumentiVe emergency.
Mother Jones was born in Cork, Ire
land, ffty-eight years ago, and came to
this country with her parents when she
was quite little girl. Her maiden name
was Mary Harris. She is a sister of Dean
Harris of the Catholic diocese of Montreal,
Canada. Her childhood was spent in the
State of Maine, where she secured her
early education, later becoming scnooi
a school teacher she married. Her hus-
band did not live long and since her wild
owhood she has devoted her entire time to
the uplifting of the poorer classes ana
placing the laboring element on a higher
educational and social plane.
Possessing high sense of moral social
and civic right, her ideas readiiy moioeo
into those of a reformer with mature years
and diligent research into social and eco
nomic topics. While she became well
known among reformers and labor leaders
as bright writer and able PLATFORM speak
er she did not come into public .promi-
nence until the big railroad strike In Chi
cago in 1894. She was then resident or
Pullman, ILL.,. and 1T was during that
strike that she first identified herself so
strongly with organized labor. Since then
she has been prominent in many of the
largest strikes, particularly In those or
the miners Among those In which she
proved herself to be valuable acquisition
to the ranks of organized labor was the
strike in Pittsburg, in 1896, the miners
strike of 1897, the central Pennsylvania
strike of 1899 and 1900, and the great an
thracite strike last October. She was &C
tive in preparing for this great strike
and remained in the district until it was
won.
Although she has been closely allied with
the miners during the last few years, she
has found time to do other work for the
cause of labor. She has proved invaluable
to the officers of organized labor by her
visits to factories in the cities, and also
in furnishing information to newspapers
on factory life. These tours of inspection
have been confined particularly to the cot
ton mills of the South. Sho has been
unceasing in her efforts and never loses an
opportunity to speak word for the labor
ing men or go where she can do the most
good. The vigilance with which she pursues
her calling was demonstrated at the close
of the anthracite strike. When ii became
known that the strike was won, although
a settlement had not been made, she at
once left for the New England States,
where the mills were closed on account
OF the weavers strike.
Hers is labor of love. She has always
paid her own expenses and IL was not
until recently that she was employed on
a salary. She has a faculty of becoming
acquainted and when she enters a COM
munity it is not long until men and wom-
en- alike know her as Mother Jones
She visits the wives of the laboring men
and talks 10 them about organized labor
telling them of the necessity OF bearing
hardships for the benefit of their husbands
OF the children and looks upon them as
the coming rulers of the country" Her
counsel TO the wives is such as TO bear
out her sincerity. Her addresses are also
specially directed 10 young men,
PLATFORM SPEAKER
AS a platform speaker she ranks with
any of the women speakers. Her methods
are not uniform, as she adapts herself to
the conditions and environments that s,,r-
round the field in which she is working.
Her power over an audience is remarkable
Her constant admonition is that there are
brighter times ahead and her words are