Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: “The Case of the Hop Pickers” by Mortimer Downing, Part I

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Quote Shall We Still Be Slaves by ES Nelson, LRSB 1919—————

Hellraisers Journal – Friday October 3, 1913
Wheatland, California – Hop Pickers on Durst Brothers Meet and Issue Demands

From the International Socialist Review of October 1913:

Wheatland Hop Pickers Camp by M Downing, ISR p210, Oct 1913—–Wheatland Hop Pickers Camp, ISR p210, Oct 1913

[Part I of II.]

ACTING on an invitation by Durst brothers twenty-three hundred men, women and children assembled to pick the Durst Brothers’ hops on their 600-acre ranch near the town of Wheatland, California. The posters and newspaper advertisements described the conditions on the Durst ranch as something ideal. All the workers had to do was to pick a few hops, enjoy a picnic and make plenty of money.

Just prior to August 3 these people assembled at the Durst ranch and found the first thing they had to do was to rent a shack or a tent from agents of the owners at the rate of from 75 cents per week up. The first money they earned was deducted to pay this rent. The rentals charged the pickers were in excess of $480 per week for four acres of ground which the state health inspector has described as a “sun-baked flat.” This in itself was a rather tidy profit for the boss.

It was soon found that Durst Brothers had provided only six single toilets for the twenty-three hundred workers. These apologies for modesty were turned over to the women, who used to stand twenty and thirty deep waiting a turn to use these places, while the whole camp looked on. Later it was found, when the men and women swarmed into the fields to pick the hops, that a cousin of the Durst Brothers had the “lemonade privilege.” In order that this thrifty scion of canny stock should have every opportunity to make an honest penny, Durst Brothers would not permit any water to be hauled into the field, nor would they allow the workers to fill bottles from the water wagons which were used in cultivating the crop. Lemonade was sold to the workers at five cents per glass.

Wheatland Hop Pickers Pay Day, ISR p211, Oct 1913

Pay at this hop yard was at the rate of 90 cents per hundred pounds of hops picked with a sliding bonus up to 15 cents, according to the length of time the worker staid on the job. Durst Brothers were particularly urgent that the hops should be absolutely clean of leaves or stems and that only the blooms should be taken. This rigid inspection made the work far slower than in other hop yards.

Conditions were so bad that after one or two days’ work the pickers assembled in meeting and voiced their discontent. They drew up demands for better sanitary conditions, more toilets, that lemons and not acetic acid should be put in the lemonade; that they should have water in the field twice a day, that high pole men be provided to pull down the hops from the poles, and that owing to the strict inspection of the pick that the pay be a flat rate of $1.25 per hundred pounds. This would enable an average worker to earn about $2 per day, out of which he had to pay for his shack and board himself.

These demands were presented to Durst Brothers by a committee. Ralph Durst, testifying before the coroner’s jury, stated that when Dick Ford, the chairman, approached him he “had both his gloves on and that he jocosely slapped Ford across the face.” He then took the demands under consideration. After a time he returned and made evasive promises of remedy of the sanitary conditions, talked a lot about having water in the field and flatly refused to advance the wages. This was on Sunday afternoon, August 3. The workers remained in meeting and were considering the reply of Durst. While they were so assembled Durst telephoned to the nearby town of Marysville for the sheriff and a posse. [to be continued…]

[Emphasis added.]

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From International Socialist Review: “The Case of the Hop Pickers” by Mortimer Downing, Part I”

Hellraisers Journal: From the Industrial Worker: “The White Slave”-New Song Penned by Rebel Songwriter Joe Hill

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Quote BBH, IU Socialism w Working Clothes On, NYC Cooper Union Debate w Hillquit, Jan 11, 1912—————

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday April 13, 1913
Published in Latest Edition of I. W. W. Songbook
-“The White Slave” by Joe Hill

From the Spokane Industrial Worker of April 10, 1913:

The White Slave by Joe Hill , IW p2, April 10, 1913

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Industrial Worker: “Should I Ever Be a Soldier”-New Song by Rebel Songwriter Joe Hill

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Quote BBH, IU Socialism w Working Clothes On, NYC Cooper Union Debate w Hillquit, Jan 11, 1912—————

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday April 12, 1913
Published in Latest Edition of I. W. W. Songbook
-“Should I Ever Be A Soldier” by Joe Hill

From the Spokane Industrial Worker of April 3, 1913:

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Spokane Industrial Worker: Fifth Edition of IWW Songbook Just Off the Press with Several New Songs Written by FW Joe Hill

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Quote Joe Hill, Poor Ragged Tramp, Sing One Song, LRSB 5th ed, 1913—————

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday March 9, 1913
Spokane, Washington – New Edition of I. W. W. Song Book Just Off the Press

From the Industrial Worker of March 6, 1913
-New Edition of Song Book with Several Songs by Joe Hill:

—–

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the Spokane Industrial Worker: Fifth Edition of IWW Songbook Just Off the Press with Several New Songs Written by FW Joe Hill”

Hellraisers Journal: From the Spokane Industrial Worker: “Mr. Block”-a New Song from the Pen of Fellow Worker Joe Hill

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Quote Joe Hill, Mr Block Got Lucky, LRSB 36th ed, 1995—————

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday January 28, 1913
Fellow Worker Joe Hill Introduces Mr. Block, a Common Worker

From the Spokane Industrial Worker of January 23, 1913:

Mr Block by Joe Hill, IW p4, Jan 23, 1913

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the Spokane Industrial Worker: “Mr. Block”-a New Song from the Pen of Fellow Worker Joe Hill”

Hellraisers Journal: From the Spokane Industrial Worker: New Song Books Ready to Order with New Songs from FW Joe Hill

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Quote Joe Hill, General Strike, Workers Awaken, LRSB p6, Oct 1919—————

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday July 13, 1912
New I. W. W. Song Books Will Be Off the Press Soon

From the Spokane Industrial Worker of July 11, 1912

Ad New LRSB, IW p3, July 11, 1912

New songs by Fellow Worker Joe Hill will include:

“Casey Jones, The Union Scab”
“Where the Frazer River Flows”
“Coffee ‘An”
“John Golden and the Lawrence Strike”

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Industrial Worker: New Songbooks Available with New Song: “Long Haired Preachers”

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Quote Richard Brazier, BRSB p388 from Lbr Hx Winter 1968—————–

Hellraisers Journal – Friday July 7, 1911
New I. W. W. Songbooks with New Song: “Long Haired Preachers”

From the Spokane Industrial Worker of July 6, 1911:

Ad LRSB, Long Haired Preachers, IW p3, June 6, 1911

Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent
-Published by Spokane Local, I. W. W.
-New Song: “The Preacher and the Slave”

1911 LRSB by Spokane Local IWW, Preacher n Slave, Gibbs p232-3

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Hellraisers Journal: Thirty-Three Fellow Worker Now Jailed at Fresno; Sheriff Says He Can “Accommodate” 300

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Quote Frank Little, Fresno Jails Dungeons, FMR p6, Sept 2, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday October 22, 1910
Fresno, California – Thirty-Three Fellow Workers Now in Jail

From The Fresno Morning Republican of October 21, 1910:

THIRTY-THREE MEMBERS OF I. W. W.
NOW IN COUNTY JAIL
————
Police Arrest Five More for Speaking
on Streets Without Permit.
————
Sheriff Chittenden Says He Can
Accommodate 300 “Workers.”
————

Dont Buy Jobs, IW p4, Oct 19, 1910
Industrial Worker
October 19, 1910

With the arrest of five members of the I.W.W. last night by the police, there are now thirty-three of the so-called “workers” in the county jail. One was released yesterday as he declared that he was not an I.W.W. and asked for an opportunity to shake Fresno’s dust from his feet. Police Judge Briggs gave him the chance and he left town. All of the remainder, excepting the five jailed last night, have entered pleas of not guilty and demanded immediate trials by jury.

Four of the “workers” were in court yesterday morning. Alfred Nelson said he was not an I.W.W. and pleaded guilty to a charge of vagrancy. He was given a “floater.” H. S. Barnes, E. F. Doree and William Love pleaded not guilty to the same charge and demanded immediate jury hearings. The trio was returned to jail in default of bonds of $100.

At 8 o’clock last night, five were arrested on a charge of violating the city ordinance against speaking on the public streets without a written permit from the chief of police. Patrolman Al Hayes arrested J. Alpert, a lineworker; Helms arrested William Cashman and George Berger, miners; Pickens jailed Manuel Carragal, a laborer; and McKee arrested C. R. Neeley, a smelter-worker. All had I.W.W. buttons, working cards and literature but no money. The men arrived in town on the brakebeams of the southbound trains yesterday afternoon.

Since the I.W.W. headquarters were removed from Mariposa street to a tent in Belmont, just beyond the city limits line, the “workers” who arrive in town have found some difficulty in locating the place where they are supposed to register and receive financial assistance.

Sheriff Chittenden, who witnessed the scene at I and Mariposa streets last night, stated that he had made arrangements to accommodate three hundred of the I.W.W.’s if they come to Fresno.

“I can, on a moment’s notice, take all of the vags out of the bull-pen and turn it over to the ‘workers.’ This bull-pen, which is on the lower floor of the northwest wing of the jail, will accommodate approximately three hundred men. I am prepared for any invasion,” said the sheriff.

When the “workers” tried to speak at I and Mariposa streets last evening, a crowd of fully five hundred was in attendance. At the same time, evidently at a given signal, four men tried to speak, each on a different corner. The police were on hand in large numbers and the men had no sooner started than they were jerked from their boxes and taken to jail. The big crowd lingered for several minutes expecting to see more of the “workers” on the boxes, but after the arrest of the five men, none ventured forth and the crowd gradually melted away.

[Photograph and emphasis added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: From the Spokane Industrial Worker: “Cry of Toil…We Have Fed You All For a Thousand Years”

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Quote Cry of Toil, We Have Fed You All, IW p2, Oct 8, 1910———–

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday October 11, 1910
“We have fed you all for thousand years, and you hail us still unfed…”

From the Spokane Industrial Worker of October 8, 1910:

Cry of Toil, We Have Fed You All, IW p2, Oct 8 1910

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the Spokane Industrial Worker: “Cry of Toil…We Have Fed You All For a Thousand Years””