Hellraisers Journal: Justice Dept. Considers Amnesty for Nef, Fletcher, Walsh and Doree of Philadelphia Marine Transport Union

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Quote Matilda Robbins ed, Ben Fletcher, p132 PC—————

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday April 22, 1922
Washington, D. C. –  Amnesty Possible for Fletcher, Nef, Walsh and Doree

From the Baltimore Sun of April 20, 1922:

HdLn Amnesty Move for Fletcher Nef Walsh Doree, Blt Sun p13, Apr 20, 1922

(From The Sun Bureau.)

Washington, April 19.-In the face of a renewed effort, led by the American Civil Liberties’ Union, to secure the pardon or commutation of sentences of 113 so-called political prisoners who still are in Federal prisons, it was learned today that the Department of Justice has no thought of recommending amnesty for the group. It is willing, however, to take up individual cases in the usual way, it is said. Apparently only Presidential intervention can accomplish general amnesty, and of that there is no sign. 

Four cases are now concretely before the department-those of Walter T. Nef, Ben Fletcher, John J. Walsh and Edward F. Doree. They were members of the Marine Transport Workers’ Union, of Philadelphia, which is affiliated with the I. W. W. They were sentenced to prison by Judge Landis, in Chicago, because of their activity in the I. W. W., although, it is asserted by their friends, they had been wholly loyal to the Government in their work at Philadelphia.

No Evidence Yet Of Disloyalty.

Investigation made thus far by the Department of Justice has failed to disprove contentions of champions of Nef, Fletcher, Walsh and Doree that the Transport Workers’ Union in Philadelphia, which Nef, dominated and which embraced practically all of the dock workers in Philadelphia, performed its work with complete loyalty to the Government.

Dr. Frederick Edgerton, of the University of Pennsylvania, a champion of the men, has said that the Philadelphia dock workers did better than those anywhere else. 

Dr. Frederick Edgerton has said that enormous quantities of munitions were shipped from Philadelphia during the war without a single accident at the dock or on any ship loaded at the dock; that many accidents occurred at other ports, and ships loaded elsewhere were taken to Philadelphia and reloaded. He also asserted that there was no strike in 1917 among the Philadelphia longshoremen, although strikes occurred elsewhere; that Nef used his influence against a strike, and also intervened against strikes in Boston and Baltimore; that many of the members of the Philadelphia union entered the service and that the members of the union bought $115,000 of Liberty bonds.

Thinks Record Should Count.

All of this, according to Dr. Edgerton and others, should outweight any significance that may attach to the activity of the four men in the central organization of the I. W. W., which led to their indictment and conviction with a large number of others, under the Espionage act, on charges of conspiracy. And it seems that Government officials, so far as they have gone into these cases, have no evidence that the men were not helpful to the Government at Philadelphia or that they were guilty of any overt acts elsewhere.

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Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: “Victory at McKees Rocks” by Louis Duchez, Part I

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Quote EVD to McKees Rocks Strikers, Aug 25, Butler PA Ctzn p1, Aug 26, 1909———-

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday October 9, 1909
Louis Duchez on Victory of McKees Rocks Strikers, Part I

From the International Socialist Review of October 1909:

IWW McKees Rocks, Victory by L Duchez, ISR p289, Oct 1909

[Part I of II.]

—–

Letter I, ISR p289, Oct 1909N this article the writer is not going to give much space to a recitation of the crimes of the capitalist class at McKees Rocks and the other strike points in Pennsylvania. It is unnecessary. The capitalist press has done that more effectively—regardless of the motives that may have prompted them—than he is able to do. The class struggle is a historic fact and the diametrically opposed interests have long ago been proven. Such practices as were exposed during the last few weeks are only the logical result of the capitalist system of society at this stage of working class activity.

Readers of the Review want something more than a mere account of the cruelties of the Pressed Steel Car Company. They want to know something about the spirit and growth of solidarity and industrial organization among the striking wage slaves in Pennsylvania.

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Hellraisers Journal: Returned Soldiers and City Police Stand with Winnipeg General Strike; Massive March on Parliament

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Quote Returned Soldiers re Wpg GS, Strike Bltn, June 2, 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday June 3, 1919
Winnipeg, Manitoba – Soldiers and Police Support General Strike

From The Butte Daily Bulletin of May 31, 1919:

Wpg GS, Soldiers Police w Strkrs, Btt Dly Bltn p1, May 31, 1919
Wpg GS, 9 Cops on Job, Vets Spk, Btt Dly Bltn p1, May 31, 1919

(Special United Press Wire.)

Winnipeg, May 31.-The police force now consists only of nine men, 181 officers having automatically been discharged yesterday when they refused to sign an agreement with the city severing their connections with labor.

The policemen had voted their approval of the demands in the general strike, but had not voted to strike themselves. An effort is being made to have the mounted police do the city patrolling.

Returned soldiers asked that the principle of collective bargaining be placed in the provincial statutes and also asked that the city officials with draw their demands on the police.

———-

[Emphasis added.]

From the Winnipeg Strike Bulletin of June 2, 1919:

THE SOLDIER AND THE STRIKE

The severest jolt the financial magnates of Winnipeg ever got was administered by the returned soldiers early in the strike, when the mass meeting representing all the returned soldier bodies reversed the decision of the combined executives and threw in their lot with the strikers.

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Hellraisers Journal: “The slaves are given arms to bear, some other slaves to kill.” -Ralph Chaplin

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He leaves his wife or mother,
He learns to march and drill,
For wise men say, “Ah, haste the day
When you can stab and shoot and slay-
God bless you while-YOU KILL!”
-Ralph Chaplin

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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday October 31, 1917
A Rebel Verse from Ralph Chaplin

WWI, Ralph Chaplin, Slaves to SlaughterWWI, Ralph Chaplin, Slaves to Slaughter, 2

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Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: Ruling Class Violence & the Lawless Month of August 1917

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Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 9, 1917
From the International Socialist Review – Month of Lawlessness

During the month of August of this year, the Ruling Class was particularly violent in its drive to keep the Working Class under its firm control. The latest edition of the Review makes plain that there is one law for rulers of industry and another for those they rule.

Cover: International Socialist Review, September 1917:

Bisbee Deportation, 1164 Columbus NM, ISR Cover Sept 1917

———-

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Hellraisers Journal: “The Deadly Parallel” Compares IWW’s Declaration on War in Europe with AFL’s Pledge of Service

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IWW on War and Class Solidarity, Dec 1, 1916

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Monday April 2, 1917
From the International Socialist Review: “The Deadly Parallel”

“The Deadly Parallel” was first published in Solidarity, organ of the Industrial Workers of the World, on March 24, 1917, and is republished in this month’s edition of the Review:

WWI, IWW, Deadly Parallel, ISR Apr 1917

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts & Doings of Mother Jones for July 1916: Pays Visit to Atlanta, Georgia

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The future of this country is
in the hands of the women,
but they must wake up
and they must demand.
-Mother Jones

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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday September 21, 1916
Mother Jones Interviewed During July Visit to Atlanta, Georgia

From The Atlanta Constitution of July 9, 1916:

Mother Jones, Atlanta Constitution, July 12, 1916

“Mother” Jones Will Reach Atlanta
Monday on a Secret Mission
—–

“Mother” Jones, famous internationally for her work for miners, will arrive in Atlanta Monday morning on a mission, the nature of which she refuses to disclose in advance, and for a visit of indefinite duration.

She is coming directly from Washington, D. C., and will be met upon arrival by a party of local friends, headed by Jerome Jones, who Saturday received a telegram from William Green, Chicago, secretary of the United Mine Workers of America, announcing “Mother” Jones intention to pay this city a call.

The visit of “Mother” Jones to Atlanta while the general assembly is in session would in itself be somewhat significant, because she is noted as a lobbyist and worker for laws which are intended to brighten and lighten the lot of the laborer. Many take her visit just at this time, with a factory inspection-child labor and factory labor bill on the calendar for debate and vote in the house during the week, as especially significant, and in all probability the week’s legislative grind will be materially enlivened by her presence in the city, if not in the lobbies and the galleries at the capitol.

“Mother” Jones-she is known by no other name-is a unique and at once an extraordinary American woman. About 80 years old, she has devoted the greater part of her life thus far to the cause of labor, and most of her years have been spent in the mining camps of the west, although she is equally well-known among the underground workers of every other section of the country and in Canada.

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