The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-16
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
MOTHER JONES IS COMING TO
TOWN WITH AN ARMY
I'm Rags and "Babics" I'm Tsgy. hut Mono I'm
Velvet Gowns (Rsere EDtls Poetry)-The
Legion Halls In Elizabeth for Real
supper--But How AbOgIt tho Beer?

ELI7ABETH. N. j., July l5.--Mother Jones
and her army who are on the march TO
storm Sycamore Hill, got as far as this city
to-day. Tonight the army is quartered
on the town. Just when it will take up
the march again is uncertain.
Mother Jones and her strategy board an
nounced tonight that it would remain over
tomorrow at least, the reason for this be-
ing that the army had been invited to sup
per to be given tomorrow night by the Union
County Trades Council Although tine in
vitation came at short notice, IL 80 hap
pened that none of the army had an en-
gagement which interfered, and nobody
sent regrets.
The army has been on the march since
Tuesday, which was the day it left Phila-
delphia This is the first formal supper
that has been rendered to it, All the others
have been strictly informal.
The army, which is marching to Saga
more Hill with the avowed intention OF
telling President Roosevelt that he ought
to stop child labor and also ought to inter-
fere in the textile strike in Philadelphia,
as he did in the coal strike. reached this
city with total strength Of forty. This
includes men. women and babies"
The "ba bies," as Mother Jones calls them,
are five boys. Three Of them are in long
trousers and look to be about Is. OF the
others one is IL and the other IA, according
to the army register, although both look
older One of them is lame. Mother
Jones uses all OF them as object lessons
In her talks on child labor
The rest Of the army in its present condi-
ton is composed of Mother Jones and three
married women, who act as chaperons,
and about thirty men. The men say they
are all textile workers, and Mother Jones
says that if they didn't have union cards
they couldn't belong to her army.
The army arrived at Elizabeth in three
sections. The first section, consisting of
Mother Jones's three advance agents.
arrived last night. Their business is to
find out where the army will be welcome
when it arrives and to solicit aid from the
local unions.
Mother Jones travels back with the show.
She and the three chaperons make up
the second section, which usually arrives
a little ahead of the third section, owing
to the fact that Mother Jones, instead of
walking, takes a trolley car, where one is
available, or, if not a trolley car, a Penn
sylvania Railroad train.
Mother Jones and the chaperons ar
rived to-day by trolley from Railway,
where last night was spent. The army
arrived over an hour later. at l245 O'Clock
coming by way of the old post road. AL
though the army had only been two hours
on the march it looked pretty tired.
Mother Jones was quite fresh. and so were
the chaperons.
From the railroad station the army
marched out Elizabeth avenue to a place
where a saloonkeeper had been found who
was willing to allow his place TO be used
as head quarters.
Mother Jones is sleeping over this saloon
toni ght with the three chaperons and tho
~baL les" The men found quarters where
they could. Most of them slept on the
floor of a small hall some distance away.
Since the army started from Philadelphia
no night has been spent in the open air and
several tents which they had expected to
use were sent back to Philadelphia. The
only baggage now carried consists of few
grips, said to contain a change of clothing
for some of the marchers-a requirement
which Mother Jones insists on--several oil
stoves, cooking utensils carried in wash
boilers and the different standards.
The banners contain such .spigrams as
we Only Ask for Justice" We Want
More Time at Home. We Want to Go to
school" and "Prosperity-Where Is Our
Share?'
The commissary department is managed
by a committee. which buys ratons for
the army when necessity arises The
committee says that about twenty pounds
of meat and thirty quarts Of milk a day
have been purchased. As fast as food
is obtained it is eaten, thereby lessening
the mpedimenta.
This evening the army had what the
commssary department described as a
light luncheon" 1t consisted Of ham
sandwich and a drink of milk. 1t was
furnished by the saloonkeeper. The army
ate it in the back of the saloon and only one
man asked for mustard Mother Jones
dined upstairs with the proprietor.
After luncheon there was a call TO fall in
for the evening parade, which precedes
Mother Jones's talk, Only about twenty
men turned out for this The others pleaded
various excuses, the principal one being
sore feet After the parade behind the
drum corps which goes with the army
there was the usual open-air meeting, at
which Mother Jones was down for the
long talk.
The strategy board, which consists Of
Mother Jones. Charles Sweeney, the walk
ing delegate Of the Upholsterers' Union,
and Joseph W. Kelly, commissary- general
have decided that after leaving here the
army will move on Newark and from there
to Paterson Mother Jones herself an
nounced that the army would spend a
fcw days in New York TO allow the men to
rest preparatory 10 the march up Saga
more Hill, at the foot of which she said
the army would arrive the latter part of
next week
"Of course" said Mother Jones, 1the
whole army will not demand to see the
President. only myself and a committee
but the army will so to Oyster Bay. We
shall ask President Roosevelt to make laws
forbiddng this child slavery. That ia the
principal object of our march. These
babies of mine all worked in the factories
take care of them and tuck them in bed
every night
CommissarvGen Kelly reported to-
night that the army might move to the
south end of the city tomorrow, as saloon
keeper there had offered the use Of hall
With this offer went an offer of free beer,
althougi Kelly said this might not he ac-
certed. owing to Mother Jones's feeling
on that point.
The Weather.