davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23
DULUTH OCTOBER IS, 1915.


Is commission government in. Duluth q failufe?s
OF the voters who give the city government any
study or attention, large percentage asking thsm
selves that question. > 49, +: @ 1|ss#
Facing tax rate OF nearly per cent for the
coming year, the workingman who is trying to pay
for home for himself and family has indeed "a seri-
GUS problem. True, the city commission pass the
blame to the school board and the county for the
city rate is substantially the same as that OF last
But that does not take into consideration fact that
the of the city government have been mount
ing faster than the population, and assessed
tion had grown rapidly that the taxes paid have
enormously increased. though the rate has re-
NAMED about the same. a lS.
We not yet willing to grant that the commission
plan is failure but study Of present conditions 81
the legislative and executive functions should BE d
vorced. Commission government is on trial, but 1T
should be given fair trial. r - o.
Duluth is not the only city asking itself this que
A large percentage Of the citizens of Denver are
preparing another amendment to the charter Of tho
city Of Denver, having for it's object return to tho
mayor form of government. - -" u 4
The proposed amendment provides for a mayor,
treasurer city attorney. audor and council of nine
embers to be elected from nine wards formed under
the provisions of the new amendment. !
Those who behind the return to the old regime
of government expect that everything will be readi
ness for presentation to the people for adoption
rejection in the next four months.
Though commission form of government in Denver
has been trial for less than three years. yet
number of people have realization of the fact
that commission form of government is bg delusion
and snare"
Under commission form of government the destiny
of the city of Denver is placed in the hands of five
mssioners and three commissioners, constituting ma
jority the government of the city falls into the hands
of three men.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23

and instructed them what to do. The
committee and myself took the train
and went to Charleston. The boys said,
will you come with us, Mother ?'
"No," said, II think you had better
60 by yourselves and come to the
hotel and tell me what the Governor
says. Don't lose your heads or get
irritated in anyway. Put the matter
up to the Governor in very kindly,
business like, manner"
f, When the boys and parted, I was
walking quietly along when an officer
jumped out of an automobile and said
1--WE want you" I was taken in the
automobile, put in a. hotel in a room,
held there until the c. & o. train
came, then I was taken on the train
and handed over to the military rs
miles away from the civil courts. At
the time I was arrested the civil
courts were open and ready to do
business. : was put into a. room in
Pratt and held there from the 18th
day Of February until the 8th day of
May. The military guarded the room
all the time. On the 8th or 10th Of
March there was a drum-head mill
tary, organized.
Military Trial a Farce.
Two attorneys were appointed by
the military. court. They called on
me, told me that the court had ap-
pointed them to defend me. I re-
piled that had nothing against them
personally, but no lawyer in this
country would ever defend me before
that court or any other court of its
type. But he went down, ssand got
four of the boys that were in the bull
pen at the other end of the street
and brought them up. I. told the
boys, my intentions, but I said to
/ them, Don't you be governed by the
stand that ): I take" and they said
they intended taking the same stand.
! There was, about forty of us. taken
into court - .... -. 'E'.,:'% : :,
We were tried for four days and
four nights the court went on. On
the last. night, I think 1t was II
O'clock when the distinguished court
! adjourned. We were taken up to
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23

of, September. There were machine
guns, six hundred gun-men, sworn
into service by the sheriffs. All the
miners, so far as I knew were pretty
peaceful, law-abiding men. AS q rule
they have no desire to create trouble,
because they are we'll aware that the
courts and all public officers are their
deadly enemies, particularly in Colo
radoss@ = - ~. H." j. g.. +
On the Goth or 22nd Of October, I
got up a parade of the children in
all the, mining camps, and brought
them into: Denver, because the little
ones didn't have much JOY in life.
, had a band Of music, and about 1900
children marched in that parade.
They carried banners asking the G.
F. & I. officials not, to crush them
and make slaves of them. :. -
|. j Governor Did Not Appear.
But these things never appeal to
the dollar hog, and as was about
to disband the parade, someone said,
"The Governor is in town. T took
the children down to the hotel he. was
at, and they played and sang In front
of the hotel. But the governor did
not come out to say kindly, words to
the little ones, Whether he was
afraid Of his masters Or whether his
heart didn't throb for them am not
prepared to, say. II left for Washing
ton the next day, to try and get q
Congressional investigation. ts]} t:as} h 9 d.
! ~ know the longer conflicts last the
more bitter both sides. get re.
turned to sCo1orado and took up my
work again. IN December there was
"a. convention Of the, ofncers Of sthe
state Federation Of Labor held IN
Denver. was sent the officials
OF the miners to El Paso to prevent
strikers from coming nm i 4. 5. 81 s,;
! On my return on Ke Fourth Of Jan.
uarY got of. the 2rttraia &C Trinidad
I was met by the mil tia and the
Captain, one Ssmith says. We got
Eye!.... There her satchs1s take EN-
q asked what the trouble WAS. he
said. We are going to arrest you
Iysaid Why. Z am eeines to Denver
! 7 got on the train. But hs said. s.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23
BY MARY (Mother) JONES

the Supreme court in Charleston, at
least I was with one or two of my
colleagues, with military escorts, and
the distinguished Supreme court spat
on the constitution and said the mill
itary could do what they pleased.
That was the, highest court of West
Virginia. /, But among them. was a
Patrick Henry, Judge Robinson, who
dissented, and told them what they
were doing. But they paid no at
tention. The corporations are Of far.
more Importance with the judicial
puppet today than the honor of the
nation or any conception of justice.
The boys soon afterwards were taxi
en- t0 C1arksburg Jail, and I was left
the lone military, prisoner in that
military camp. Some of the military
were taken out of there and "a captain
Sherwood was put in control. He
was not as brutal as the others were.
Freeman Older, editor OF the San
Francisco Bulletin, sent his wife
across the continent to find out what
they were doing to me, and she came
to Pratt. They at first wouldn't let
her see, me, but they relented and
gave her q few minutes with me. She
took a photograph Of the military
giving me my mail. :, IT,
Senator Kerns Starts Action. :.
On another day she came In to the
family who lived IN the back Of the
house. She wasn't sitting there two
minutes until q uniformed .sewer-rat
came up and grabbed her and took
her up: to- the courtroom. u What
they did 1 did not learn; but she at
least went away and went. to, WASH
tngton and had a conference with
Senator Kerns.5 The Senator brought
the. matter up On the floor OF the
Senate. The discussion arose between
him and Senator Cough. Cough,
up against the power OF. the. nation,
finding out that the states:was on trial
sent q telegram to Senator Cough de-
Tending himself: /. I also, sent q tele-
gram to Senator Kerns, which read:
=. From out the military prison walls
Of Pratt, West Virginia, I send to you
the groans and shaart-achess and tear.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23
CARPENTERS: Chief,
JAMES KIRBY, DEAD
Was One Of Leading Men In
ST.. n,stoE~;on Movement-Well
'@''''' ss: e>.r,
HELPED DULurf,. S1oNs
AT TIME OF LOCKOUT
William Hutchinson, First Vice
President, Will Succeed to
Office.

Duluth union men who wen,
through the lockout of 1907 will hear
with regret of the death of, James
Kirby, general president of the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Join
ers of America, who passed away al
an Indianapolis hospital Oct. 8.
Mr.. Kirby was in Duluth at the
time of the lockout, and took an
active part in fighting the cause OF
the union men at that trying time.
Death was due to appendicitis and
an attack of what was said to be pto-
maine poisoning.
Mr.. Kirby long had been AN active
and influential factor in the labor
movement in the United States. He
was elected president of the carpen-
ters' union in 1912 at the convention
in Washington, and was reelected at
the Indianapolis convention last year
He first became identified with the
labor movement in Chicago, where he
was active in the carpenters organi-
zation. He was known as the leader
of the conservative element in the
labor movement.
Mr.. Kirby was so years old. He
was not taken to the hospital until
Thursday, when his condition became
critical.
He was the first president of the
building trades department of the
American Federation Of Labor, and
held that office until 1910, when the
carpenters organization was sus.
pended as the result of a disagree.
ment over metal trim work. For four.
teen years he served as delegate tc
the conventions of the carpenters or.
ganization and also had been a. repre-.
sentative of the carpenters organiza.
ton at the American Federation o1
Labor.
He was making preparations to at
tend the convention of the federation
which takes place in San Francisco
next month.
Mr.. Kirby is survived by his wife
and two sons, Harry, a student at the
University of Illinois. and Charles Of
Chauwin, Canada. He also is survived
by brother, John Kirby Of Chicago
and a sister, Mrs. Frances Harwoot
OF Crescent City. ILL., He was a mem
Der of the Odd Fellows, the Eagle
and the Knights Of Pythias
Mr.. Kirby will be succeeded as heat
of the carpenters organization b,
William Hutchinson, first vice presi
dent Mr.. Hutchinson has been il
Vancouver, British Columbia, and il
now en- route to his home in Indian
apolis. He was elected first vice-presi
dent at the time Mr. Kirby wa
chosen president and originally come
from Saginaw, Mich.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23

ing law-abiding at the time That
militia did not treat the miners brut-
ally, but in 1913 the Governor sent
the militia into the strike zone.
There is where many conflicts took
place. The militia arrested men and
women without warrants, tried them
in their drum-head courts, sentenced
some of them to 23, S and 71z years
in the Moundsville penitentiary, West
Virginia. The civil courts were open
all the time, but the military assumed
the role Of despots. A meeting was
held in the city of Washington at the
armory, attended by people most in
terested in the nations honor and
welfare, and the matter was put be-
fore that audience that night I was
one myself among the speakers, and
the next morning the Moundsville
prison opened, the boys signed their
release, and they don't know to this
! day why.
The Militia Against the Courts.
There has never heen any explaina-
! ton given to them. About the 18th
or 18th of February, the military was
! sent in the second time, to the strike
zone. They began arresting miners
indiscriminately, to pick up everyone
they felt like. We learned there were
about 200 miners under, arrest in
Pratt, by the military. The miners
on the other side of the Kanawha
river began getting excited and sus-
pended work at the mines
I heard, of meetings they were
holding and I left Charleston and
went down. held a meeting that
night at Boomer. then adjourned
the meeting to meet at Lancaster .(?)
at 10 o'clock the next. The miners
attended the meeting. At the close
of my address to them, I asked them
to have each local union to go by
itself and elect a delegate to 20
and see the Governor and ask him
to- prevent the militia from arrestine
any more Of our boys.
Let the civil courts 60 through the
process They. elected, I think, 1a
or fourteen delegates on that com.
mittee. I took them into a church.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23

am not going on the Santa Fe, I go
on the c. & 81 Get in and get your
ticket!'' ,~:,> = -ls.ss 4 ",
They: didn't sell C. & S. tickets in,
the Santa .Fe office. a. He went in and
inquired what train was to leave at.
9:15, which gave me an hour and q
quarter, I was taken to, the military
headquarters.
asked to be permitted to get q !,
cup of coffee, and he said to the
captain, Take her in the restaurant
inquired who was going to pay for
the breakfast. The captain said, the
state. So I let: the state pay the bill.
Then was put, in q room with four
militiamen and held there till the
train came. was put in. an auto
mobile. :. g. s,zz,E,.s-,s - ..... . s.
There were three uniformed fel-s
lows with bayonets pointed at my
back, one at each side, the captain at
the right, and another uniformed fell
low in the front OF dhe automobile.
I was. taken to the. depot. There was
the cavalry, there was the infantry.
L got my ticket. went on the train
with a militia escort, until was put,
out OF the strike zone. 5, ~ SIS
Slipped 1t Over on Them.
went into Denver, and the Cow
ernor said couldn't go back to Trint-
dad, Well. no governor owns q state.
nor a county, and Z had no respect or.
use for a dictator, whether. he is q
governor or q Judge, i bought my
ticket on Saturday and my sleeper on,
| the 11th Of January. sss., ].
While they had detectives watching
me at the hotel and at the gate,
rot on the sleeper /. without them
knowing It, and got on in the morn
ing before the train pulled into tho
station. The ndilitary were at the
station watching. went up the
street, went into the hotel: and sat
down. and my boys came and were
there talking to me.
was there three hours before the
military or. the governor ever knew i,
lwss ins town, and ~ did no hiding
About half past eleven the military
J Continued sn Fare S sss
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23
NJ 'AD00'S PLAN FOR
MERCHANT / MARINE T
Would Appropriate $40, 900, 900
for Purchase and Construc-
tion of Ships.
WOULD BE AUXILIARY
NAVY IN WAR TIMES
Commerce of South America and
Orient Are Americas for
Taking.

A plea for a navy capable of~facing
foreign fees, and mercantile fleet
big enough to furnish the navy with
supply and hospital ships in time OF
war, was made by Secretary William
McAdoo in his speech, at Kansas City.
He advocated $40,o00,000 appropria-
ton of ships for American registry.
Mechanical and military developments
have conquered the barrier of the
ocean, he said, and the majesty Of the
republic is in danger so long as it's
defenses are not capable of staving
off any blow aimed at it's continental
territory. "a navy can be no better
than it's auxiliary" he said
Need of Merchant Marine.
The plan Of the administration, Mr..
McAdoo said, is to appropriate $40,-
100000 or $50,O00,O00 to be put into
a merchant marine to be used in ex-
tending the commerce of the nation
in times of peace, but 50 constructed,
equipped and manned as to become
Immediately the necessary naval
auxiliary.
There is one advantage our neg
lect of ocean commerce in the past
now gives u.s. Mr.. McAdoo said.
"'That is that we can now start fresh
and outdo anything ever done by any
nation in the same line. The COM
merce of South America and the
orient is ours for the taking, and we
must take them or we are likely to
experience a marked period of de-
preston following the close of the
war in Europe.
Thinks They Would Pay.
II believe an adequate merchant
marine, headed by a commission COM
posed of the secretary of commerce
and the secretary of the navy and
three experienced business men, could
make the United States the dominant
financial and industrial power of the
! world. Also it would disprove that
time worn theory that merchant ships
cannot be operated under American
registry and made to pay proftsa
'I favor the training Of citizens in
the military art to the extent OF en-
abling them to take up arms in case
of need. A hundred thousand mer
every year ought to be trained ir
methods Of defense. In a short time
| 100000 men could be instructed
1 without having them attached to the
! army, and in case of need would be {
! bulwark of strength to the nation
Arsenals should be increased to thu
extent that may be necessary.
mo one in America wants war
no one less than i; but We will no
have performed our duties unless WI
! do our part to meet anV emergency
that may arise.''
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23
CANCELLATION ENDS: -.
DISPUTES IN CANADA

NEW GLASGOW, Nova Scotia, Oct.
19.-The Dominion industrial disputes
act was successful in the disputes be-
tween the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal
company and the Eastern Car COM
pany and their employees
Under the law, both sides to the
disputes appointed a representative,
as did the government. Public hear
ings resulted in settlement of the
questions involved, which consisted of
wage demands. "
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23

of men, women and children, as I
have heard them in this state, plead
ing with you in their behalf for the
honor of the nation. Push. that in.
vestigation of the conditions Of West
Virginia, and the children yet unborn
will arise and call you blessed"
Senator Kerns read the telegram to
the United States Senate, and it was
acted on. The investigation was made
soon afterwards. - 4 ~
J. All our men were taken out Of the
prison.; also was taken up to the
governor. and the distinguished gentle
didn't tell me I was free, but told
me could go to the hotel. He said
he had been trying to settle that ques-
tion, and L said, Governor, I could
have settled it in a week. L want
to ask you a question, governors T
stood in the bul1-pen: Wednesday, (?)
+ watched the school-roomf door close
in the. first week Of April on, the
children. Many OF thoses children
never again would cross the threshold
Of a., school-room door: III
- Appeals T0 Governor. y
They would have ! to go, out and
battle for bread on the economic
field. Don't you think, governors, that
it would have been much more ito
the honor OF the nation and the state
IL the 100000 that was spent for
military to crush, their fathers into
slavery would have been spent far
better in the school-roo1ns, and give
to the nation more highly developed
citizens, men and women, intellectu-
q 1Nnn VYSr.,.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23
THRILLING EXPERIENCES OF LITTLE ANGEL OF MINERS IN MILITARY PRISONS

In 1904, during the Industrial con-
f1ict in Colorado, the military was
out against the strikers at the metal
mines in Cripple Creek, and other
places. They were jailing men and
women, putting them in bull-pens, or
military prisons, and putting them on
trains and deporting them. During
the strike of the coal miners again,
the military was sent in to the coal
fields and they were not there long
before they began to show their pow
er, as they did in the days of the
American Revolution.
They began to arrest men, and they
came at night when a number of our
men who were on strike had been
placed in Jail, and then the process
of deporting US took place. I had
been out all day at the mine with
the women and children, and when I
returned and was about to retire that
night was arrested by the military,
and deported out of the strike dis
trict. Seven militiamen escorted me-
with their bayonets.
Without Food or Water.
Two miners were also deported
with me. Within a week over 100
coal miners were taken and made tc
walk 18 or 20 miles in the hot sun
They got no water to drink until
they reached a place called Bohn
When they came in to Trinidad they
had to drink out of the trough where
the rats and dogs drank. They were
placed on a train and sent across
the border. They walked thirty miles
some of them, through the sage-brus1
before they got anything to eat OF
drink: They were told never to re.
turn. I, also had orders not to re.
turn, but I didn't comply with the
orders. :,
Now we will go to the West Vir.
ginia affair. In 1903, COMPANY o1
tho militia was sent up to New River
A mine=owner and the sheriff spent
nearly a whole afternoon with the
Governor to urge him to send that
militia, although every railroad mar
and every other honest, peaceful
citizen can vouch for the miners be.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-10-23
|. ! ] ] ] \ IN
I. ...:.,JAPA|l|E|:sEE|:|NP|RE A ! u 4 !
- ;... q :s-'- Z + ,% -. ,ITEr-.g--' - -
Government Confused It With
Socialism and Suppressed =.
- the First Unions. (. (,
MORE LIBERAL POLICY ;
SEEMS TO BE IN PROSPECT
Working Men Do Not Yet Real
IKE Their Importance Or Po-
>tential Power.
By K. K. KAWAKAMI. y


The recent arrival in San Francisco
Of two labor delegates from Japan has
awakened among those interested in
the labor movement much interest,
not unmingled with curiosity, in the
labor question in Japan. Americans
have heard little, If at all, about labor
organizations in Japan. It is even
questioned if there is really labor
union in that far eastern country.
. Strictly speaking, there is no labor
union in Japan, if we are to interpret
the term as American labor unionists
would interpret it.. This is due to the
misguided policy Of the Japanese gov
ernment. The government has been
reluctant to recognize the worth of
organized labor, and in more instances
than one tried to discourage or inter-
fere with the growth Of trade-union-
ism. =
Government In Opposition.
For this peculiar attitude of the
government, the originators Of the
labor movement is perhaps partly,
even largely, responsible. AS I was
one of the first men who were actively
engaged in organizing laborers in
Japan, feel I can speak with au-
thority on this matter. :
It was some eighteen years ago that
Japanese labor found an able. cham
pion in the person of Sen Katayama,
who studied in America and who
brought back to his native country
the principlesS and ideas Of American
trade unions. He and a coterie. OF
young men,, of whom : was one
started a move ment with view to
establishing labor u unions
Start Socialist Movement.
Along with the launching Of a labor
movement we started a propaganda
for socialists. and organized the Social
Democratic party. II the government
had just. let us&alone, nobody perhaps
would have paid much attention to
our Buts the gpvernmeni
Worried s. gre& con.
strained to suppress the party. Thus
the government unWitting1y acted as
our publicity agent, for the moment
the party Was uppfessed, z the news
papers made heroes Of us and placed
us in the limeliglt. .A.,. ~. j. -
Ever since that period the govern
ment has been unable to: persuade
itself that socialism: and trade union
ism are two different things. It seems
to think that trade.unionism. like So
cialism, challenges the very principle
upon which the imperial regime is es-
tablished. That, perhaps, is the cause
of: the troubles which labor organiza-
ton in Japan has experienced And