The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-06-30
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March St. Paul Streets
ARE FINE BODY OF men
Wheaton Williams Gives An
Interesting Account of Trip
On the Range
From Wednesdays ,)aIly.

wheaton Williams mas felufHeu
from three weeks trip through the
iron range country, and visited Fort
Smelling while enroute home, being
there when the special bringing Com
pany H pulled into camp. He states
that it was the consensus OF opinion
of the spectators who crowded the
streets to watch the soldiers march
by that the Mankato company was
the best looking, marched better, and
showed better drilling than any of the
other companies. He describes the
sce1.e at camp after the tents were
up as an inspiring sight, and states
that patriotism everywhere was at its
height. Henry Sanger, formerly with
the Mankato company, was reached by
wire at Des MoineS, Iowa, and in
response to Captain A. o. ScOtt's tele-
gram hurried to FIT. Smelling and
Joined the company there, not having
chance to visit Mankato and bid his
relatives and friends goodbye.
While Mr.. Williams was at Duluth
he was impressed by the generous
spirit of the business men of the city,
who were offering to pay the salaries
of their employees while they were
with the militia, and to care for de-
pendent families. The Duluth militia
marched away, bands playing and the
soldier boys decorated with garlands
of roses. The mining town of Virginia
!. h,rf
was not to be outdone by any town
along the line. Sixty-five men at once
enlisted, and marched away to the
depot in their civilian clothes to join
the militia at Fort Smelling. AT Eveleth
on the iron range, there were fifty men
in the company, ten of whom were
married. In order that the married
men might not be taken from their
families men rushed to enlist in their
places, seventy-five young men enlist
ing in the company. At st. Paul the
soldiers were met with bands, and
autos, houses, stores, and in fact every
available place in the twin cities was
decorated with flags to greet them.
Mr. Williams was at 4 Hibbing the
day 500 men paraded the street in the
strike started by the Independent
Workers of the World. The leader of
the procession carried a red flag. A
a county deputy, drove up to the
leader in an automobile and took the
red flag away from him, saying:
Nothing but the United States flag
goes in this town.
Detective Was Mobbed.
The detective was mobbed by the
strikers, his clothes torn, and he was
beaten up so he had to be removed to
a hospital. In Mr.. Williams opinion,
from observation made around the
range, many of the strikers are
striking out of fear of the l. w. W.
organization. Their wages have been
raised twice, and in working by con-
tract as they have been doing many
of the miners have been earning more
than they will earn by the settlement
of wages which the strikers are ask
ing, which is So per day straight The
largest employers Of mining labor are
the Oliver Mining company and the
Picands Mather company, who en-
ploy the greater portion of all the iron
miners. The mining companies have
employed deputies at $500 per day,
who are stationed every half mile
from Aurora to Hibbing, as the strike
is still on
While at Bull Mr. Williams met
Miss Grannis. daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. H. S. Grannis of this city. who
was formerly assistant librarian at
the Mankato normal school, and is
now assistant librarian at the Bull
high school, which is said to be one
of the finest high schools in the
state.