The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-07-08
BY ELLA REEVE BLooR.

My birthplace was Staten Island
mariners Harbor), New York, July
8, 1852. My father had returned
from the Civil War to marry my
mother, a New York girl 20. She
was descendant of the old Huge
nots, who settled in Connecticut
and all her ancestors on her mothers
side were in the Revolutionary war
and later figured largely in the po-
litical and business lives of New
York. Hamilton Weed who owned
half Of Brooklyn, now covered by
Putnam and Willoughby Avenues
then called the Caroline Park, was
my uncle. Another uncle preached
in the Old John st. Methodist Church
Levi Weed.
My father and mother were mar
ried in the Presbyterian church Of
the corner of End Avenue and 14th
ST., now the Labor Temple. With
this old American background, ]
early in life became a rebel. Took
my name off the church book al
IA years of age. Read Thomas Paine
Ingersoll, and studied evolution
much to. the horror of my father
My mother was an ally but she died
when I was II years of age.
The old uncle who gave me al
kinds of radical literature to read
was an old abolitionist and ATHEIST
then Greenbacker and popul-
list. To Dan Ware, owe my whole
foundation of later revolutionary
thought and action. I later married
his son-the father of Harold M
Ware and my other children.
In 1893 I became interested in the
weavers of Kensington, Philadelphia
and joined the first textile union
there to induce the women to stand
for better wages, etc.
Studies Socialism.
In Bryan's first Free Silver CAM
paign I began to study Socialism
from books brought to me by young
doctor friend, just returned from a
German University. I accepted this
philosophy but did not know how to
ally myself with the movement. AT
that time moving to New York, be-
came acquainted with Eugene "
Debs, who had later, after his i'm
prisonment in the Pullman Strike
formed an organization called the
Social-Democratic Party - most o:
the members in New York and
Brooklyn were Railroad men. They
began to advocate and work for a
colonization scheme which I consid-
cred unscientific from a Socialist
point of view, and left Debs to join
the Socialist Labor Party led by Dan
lei DeLeon. This action SO years age
helped me develop good basis for
future work in the Labor movement
DeLeon. Lucien Sanial and others
called a National Convention where
the Socialist Trade and Labor AL
lance was organized. / participated
ACTIVELY in this convention, was on
the Constitution Committee and was
elected on the General Executive
Board. During the time of my ac-
tivity in this work-in spite of the
fact that had two babies, Dick and
Karl Marx Reeve, beside four other
children, I led strikes of weayers in
Slatrsville, R. L, was active in or
ganizing machinists and street car
men.
Active in Struggle.
At that time it was also my duty to
write full page article on the labor
movement for the Sunday Edition OF
1.-THE People" Later on, differing
with DeLeon on the policy he adopted
toward the Trade Union, I left the
S. L. P. and joined the Socialist
Party-always taking "left" positions
in that Party, and always taking part
in the big strikes of the time, notably
Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania Coal
strikes, Calumet copper strike in 1914
many machinist strikes, &c. In these
strikes had many arrests, In some OF
the strikes. in the needle trades, my
children were in Jail with me, While
in the Socialist Party, served ID years
as National Org. State Organizer in
states. While State-Org. of Ohio
in 1911 and 1912 was associated with
Ruthenberg who was then State Sec
rotary. We had at that time 10000
Socialist otes in Ohio, and 10 So
cialist mayors were elected.
In 1917 taking a strong stand
against war and having been nomi-
mated by the Socialist Party for
Lieutenant Governor of New York,
I had many inner Party conflicts and
much "outer" observation-disclosures a
charter member of the Communist
Labor Party in Kansas City, Mis-
souri, In the service of the Commu-
mist Party, have been a delegate
to tn e Red International of Trade
Unions, have visited the Soviet I'm
ion three times, have covered the
United States from coast to coast 80
times, have visited every state in the
Union, except Florida. Twice hitch
hiking from San Francisco to N. Y.
without paying cent for R.R. fare
getting subs for the Daily Worker.
This when l was So years old and
a oo;,, v,ybav u,o- az All 49, -,