The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-02
THE PEOPLES FORUM
nouLr. w. va.. sam. 81

1 VIRGINIA especially the coal miners,
are Acquainted with the name as wen
as face Of Mother Jones. the respected
and gray haired ADVOCATE of labor's
cause, as she made many spesches
here during the attempt of the United
Mine Workers to organize this region.
Therefore probably many will read
with interest and perhaps an answer
ing thrnb of sympathy, the following
letter from Mother Jones to Mrs.
Potter Palmer on the occasion OF a
meeting at Mrs. Palmer's palatial res
idence of representatives of capitalists
and labor unions to find the ground
for unity of interest supposed to ex-
ist She says:
"By the announcement OF the daily
press learn that you are to entertain
a number of persons who are to be
present ms representatives of two rec.
ognfzed classes Of American citizens.
the working class and the capitalist
class. and that the purpose of this
gathering Is to choose common
ground on which the conflicting inter.
ests of these two classes may be har-
monized and the present strife be.
tween The organized forces of these
two classes may be brought to peace
tul and satisfactory end.
81 credit you with perfect sincerity
in this matter. but, being fIlly aware
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have prevented you from seeing and
understanding the true relationship of
these two classes in this republic and
the nature of the conflict which you
think can be ended by such means
as you are SO prominently associated
with, mad with desire that you may
see and understand 1t in all its grim
realty, respectfully submit these few
personal experiences for your kind
consideration.
am a workman's daughter, by &C.
c1pation dressmaker and school
teacher. and during the last twenty.
five years an active worker in the
organized labor movement. DURING
the past seventy years of my life
have been subject to the authority OF
the capitalist class. and for the past
thirty.fiye years have been consciors
OF this fact, and with the years per
sonal experience, the toughest kind
best OF all teachers-I have learned
that there is an irrepressible conflict
II 4.
ing class and the capitalist class un
til these two classes disappear and
the worker alone remains the pro
Queer and the owner of the capital
produced,
"In this fight have went at the
graves OF nineteen workers shot on
the highways of Latimer, Pa, in 1897
lin the same place marched with s.,
600 women eighteen miles in the
night seeking bread for their children
and was halted with the bayonets Of
the iron and coal police, who had or
ders to shoot and kill.
81 was at Stanford Mountain, w. Va.
in 1903, where seven OF my brother
workers were shot dead while asleep
in their little shanties by the same
forces.
81 was in Colorado at the bull pens
in which men, women and children
were inclosed by the same forces, di
rected by that instrument of the CAPT,
talist class recently promoted by
President Ruzvlt-General Bell who
achieved some fame for his dec,
larations in place of habeas corpus
he would give them post mortems.
1.-THE same forces put me, an inof.
fensive old woman, in jail in West
Virginia in 1902. They dragged me
oat of he'd in Colorado in March, 1904,
and marched me at the point of fixed
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