Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-27
|. ". ". SHOWN
To HAVE BACKED
COPPER STRIKE
|. W. W. Linked Up With
Trouble in Warren District
In Arizona in 1917, Ac-
Cording to Documents.

WI "
tBN noREiso JoURNAL SPECIAL lEAsGu wiREl
Tombstone, Ariz.. March 26.---
Photostatic copies of writings by
A. S. Embree, secretary treasurer
of the Bisbee local of the Industrial
Workers of the World. tending to
show that the local voted on June
23, 1917, in favor of a general
strike throughout the United States
as protest against the "persecu-
ton of |. w. w members on ac-
count of alleged anti-conscription
activities and to establish that
the strike in the Warren district,
called June &C. 1917, was ordered
by that organization as part of a
nation wide movement were intro
duced by the defense late today
in the trial of Harry e. Wootton,
charged with Kidnapping in con-
nection with the Bisbee deporta-
tions of July II, 1917.
The documents were introduced
over the earnest objections or
County Attorney Robert n. French,
who contended that such evidence
was not in issue, Judge Samuel l..
Pattee repeatedly overruled the OBJ
jections, as each piece of evidence
was offered.
A copy of the minutes of tho
local, dated June 23, 1917, con-
tanned the following entry;
Communication read from the
Seattle central executive committee
regarding advisabiity of general
strike throughout tho United
States, as protest against the per-
secution of I. w, w. on account OF
alleged anti-conscription activities
ordered taken up under new busi-
ness. Moved that secretary be in
structed to reply TO letter in the
affiimdtfvSF
In letter to Grover Fl. Perry,
at that time seer Ietary- treasurer of
the metal mine workers Industrial
Union No. 500. an |. w. w. organi-
cation, at Phoenix, Ariz., signed
yours for revolution, A. s. En-
bree," and dated June %, the day
the strike was called, Enbree Civ
irg a report of the activities of the
organization that day, wrote:
eve lwelt or the necessity OF
going out while Butte was still on
strike and while Globe and Miami
were ready with their demands"
In another letter to Perry from
Embree. signed Yours for the
solidarity strike" Embree wrote,
from Columbus, New Mexico, under
date of July 26, 1917:
"Our strike was one more IN
sympathy with the Butte movement
than for any demands for our
selves. The spirit among us
is undaunted. We consider the
strike won, and we know we will
get back to Bisbee in the near
future where we can put the fin-
ishing touches on the struggle.
The greater part of the afternoon
session was consumed with the
reading of dispositions of federal
officers and agents at Chicago
tending to establish the authen-
ticity of alleged /. w. w. literature
seized by the government under
search warrant September s. 1877.
when agents of the department Of
Justice seized three or four truck
loads of such material at the head
quarters of the organization at
Chicago, in connection with disloy-
atty charges against William -.
Haywood, one OF the leaders of the
I. w. w.
Fred w. Brown, the prosecuting
witness, and deputy sheriff or
Ccchise county was the first wit
ness called by the defense today
The state had charged that Brown
was kidnapped by Wootton in coa'
uection with the deportations.
Brown testified he was in sympa-
thy with the strike, but that he diti
not consider it an I. w. w. affair
since many, of the men who took
part were not members of the or
ganization. The witness added
that he himself was not a member,
but that he was in Bisbee at the
time of the strike as representa-
tive of the American Federation OF
Labor. He admitted being in the
I. ". w. hall twice during that
time. but explained that he did not
attend any of the organization
meetings.