Hellraisers Journal: Summary of Moyer-Haywood Case From Current Literature: Socialist Press & “Undesirable Citizens”

Share

If they hang Moyer and Haywood,
they’ve got to hang me.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday June 8, 1907
Current Literature on Moyer-Haywood Case, Part II

HMP, Gooding Steunenberg, Current Lit June 1907

—–

THE murder of ex-Governor Steunenberg, as viewed by the state authorities of Idaho and by most of the daily papers of the country, came as a sequel to a long series of labor troubles between the miners and the mine-owners of the Coeur d’Alene district in Idaho. This district, twenty-five miles in length and one to five miles wide, contains rich mines of lead. Trouble began in 1892 and continued for seven years, off and on, with all the usual violent accompaniments of a war between labor and capital in a region where the forces of government are none too strong and the leaders on either side none too scrupulous. There were pitched battles between the union men and the non-union men. Dynamite was used to wreck mills, men were assassinated, and on May 8, 1897, the feeling had become so intense that President Boyce, of the Western Federation, advised every local union to organize a rifle corps, “so that in two years we can hear the inspiring music of the martial tread of twenty-five thousand armed men in the ranks of labor.” The trouble reached a climax in April, 1899, when the $250,000 mill of the Bunker Hill Company was destroyed by the miners with dynamite.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Summary of Moyer-Haywood Case From Current Literature: Socialist Press & “Undesirable Citizens””

Hellraisers Journal: Summary of Moyer-Haywood-Pettibone Case From Current Literature: Kidnapping and Supreme Court

Share

If they hang Moyer and Haywood,
they’ve got to hang me.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday June 7, 1907
Current Literature on Moyer-Haywood-Pettibone Case, Part I

HMP, re Undesirable Citizen, June 1907

HMP, NYC Moyer Haywood Protest, Current Lit, June 1907

—–

WHAT Mr. Debs, once a Socialist candidate for President, calls “the greatest legal battle in American history,” is now in progress in Boise City, Idaho. Fifty special correspondents of newspapers and magazines from all parts of the country hastened last month to the little city to report the case, and the telegraph company installed ten additional circuits to handle the press of business. Boise City itself is not excited. It has not furnished any of the defendants, nor any of the lawyers, nor the victim whose murder is the cause of all this excitement. All it furnishes is the jury to try the case. But the country at large is furnishing the excitement. The President of the United States has been involved in a heated controversy over the character of the defendants. The United States Supreme Court has rendered a decision which is likened by Socialist orators to the Dred Scott decision of half a century ago. Thousands of men have been parading the streets of many cities—50,000 in New York alone according to The Herald’s estimate—waving red flags, singing the Marsellaise, denouncing the Supreme Court and assailing the President in terms of bitter reproach. And a collection of $250,000, according to some estimates, has been gathered from the members of labor unions to insure for the defendants in this trial an adequate defense.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Summary of Moyer-Haywood-Pettibone Case From Current Literature: Kidnapping and Supreme Court”

Hellraisers Journal: The Industrial Union Bulletin on Roosevelt’s Square Dealings with Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone

Share

The labor giant has slept long,
but is now awakening.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday April 14, 1907
From The Industrial Union Bulletin: Roosevelt’s “Square Deal”

IUB, Official Publication, IWW, April 13, 1907

The official publication of the Industrial Workers of the World yesterday discussed the remarks of President Roosevelt regarding the citizenship qualities of Comrades Debs, Moyer and Haywood, and included the statement of Bill Haywood, made in response to being termed an “undesirable citizen” by the President of the United States on the eve of his trial.

IS THIS A “SQUARE DEAL”?

HMP, Def Fund, IUB Apr 13, 1907

Nothing has happened in Theodore Roosevelt’s career as president of the United States that so entirely discredits his fitness for that position as the recent reference by him to Debs, Moyer and Haywood, as being “undesirable citizens.” The two latter are soon to appear in court and stand trial for their lives, yet the “chief magistrate” of the nation, oblivious to the ordinary rule that anyone charged with crime is presumed to be innocent until his guilt is proven, has made public an opinion that must be prejudicial to their interests. It is an outrage that ranks with the unlawful acts of the mine owners and McParlands of Colorado. Neither of these men has ever been convicted of any crime, yet their case is prejudged in advance of their appearance in court. It is a shameful and brutal spectacle.

IWW, Gen Sec Trautmann, Ex Brd St J, IUB, Apr 13,1907

The facts are these: The president addressed a letter to Congressman James S. Sherman in which certain matters in dispute between himself and the railway magnate, E. H. Harriman; entirely without warrant and apparently with the sole purpose of creating prejudice against Moyer and Haywood, he denounced the conduct of Harriman in the following terms:

It shows a cynicism and deep-seated corruption which make the man uttering such statements, and boasting, no matter how falsely, of his power to perform such crime, at least as undesirable a citizen as Debs, or Moyer or Haywood.

Fellow-worker Haywood, awaiting his trial in Idaho, gave out the following statement:

 

I do not desire to make an extended statement with regard to President Roosevelt’s reference to me in his letter to Congressman Sherman.

The president says that I am an “undesirable citizen,” the inference being that, as such, I should be put out of the way. His influence is all-powerful, and his statement, coming as it does, on the eve of my trial for my life, will work me irreparable injury, and do more to prevent a fair trial than everything that has been said and done against me in the past.

President Roosevelt is the leading exponent of the doctrine of “fair play and a square deal,” but his reference to me in his letter to Sherman demonstrates that he does not practice what he preaches.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: The Industrial Union Bulletin on Roosevelt’s Square Dealings with Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone”

Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs for the Appeal to Reason: Kidnapping Case Brought Before Congress

Share

Their only crime is
Loyalty to the Working Class.
-Eugene V. Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday March 12, 1907
Girard, Kansas – Eugene V. Debs Fights for Our Idaho Comrades

From the Appeal to Reason of March 9, 1907:

KIDNAPING CASE IN CONGRESS
—–

Appeal Succeeds in Placing Facts of the
Moyer-Haywood Case on Record
in Washington.
—–

BY EUGENE V. DEBS.
Staff Correspondent Appeal to Reason.
—–

HMP, Pettibone Moyer Haywood, AtR, Feb 16, 1907

Washington, D. C., March 2.-At the opening of congress this morning, the Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone case was introduced, together with petitions for investigation and the dissenting opinion of Justice McKenna, of the supreme court. Senator Carmack, of Tennessee, presented the case on the floor of the United States senate, with the request that it be admitted to the records, and this was consented to.

The introduction of the conspiracy was a great surprise to most of the senators, but when the statement was made that the demand for an investigation was backed by two millions of organized workers, the unanimous consent which was necessary, and without which it would have failed, was given by the senate, excepting that Heyburn, of Idaho, requested that the decision of the supreme court be included with the dissenting opinion of Justice McKenna, to which no objection was made on our side.

The foundation is now laid for a congressional investigation and both senators and congressmen agree that, in obedience to the demands of organized labor, this will certainly to be authorized by the next session of congress. Senator Carmack has been particularly helpful in this matter and Senator Lafollette, of Wisconsin, has also treated me with great courtesy.

With this impending congressional investigation, which will develop all the facts in the conspiracy and reveal the whole horrible truth to the people, it is now perfectly safe to predict that Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone will soon have been rescued from the clutches of their kidnapers and would-be murderers and walk forth free men without a blemish upon their honor.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs for the Appeal to Reason: Kidnapping Case Brought Before Congress”

Hellraisers Journal: Kidnaping Anniversary Edition of Appeal to Reason, Edited by Eugene Debs & Consecrated to “Holy Cause of Emancipation.”

Share

There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday February 19, 1907
From the Appeal to Reason: Kidnaping Anniversary Edition

This week’s edition of the Appeal to Reason commemorates February 17, 1906, the one-year anniversary of the state-sponsored kidnaping of the valiant leaders of the Western Federation of Miners, under the banner:

Labor Is Forging The Thunderbolt
for the Conspiracy!

Eugene V. Debs is the special editor of the first page of this edition, and raises his voice on behalf of our imprisoned comrades:

HMP, AtR Kidnap Anniversary Edition, Feb 16, 1907

THESE are the three comrades whose kidnaping under the most extraordinary circumstances ever recorded we are celebrating with a special edition of three million copies and with fresh consecration to the holy cause of emancipation for which they have offered up their liberty and jeopardized their lives.

Verily, “it is an ill wind that blows no good,” and “God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.”

At first glance the kidnaping of our comrades by the chief magistrate of a state sworn to execute the law against kidnapers, and who, if not a perjurer is a felon, and if not a felon a perjurer would seem to be a monstrous crime without a feature to redeem it from execration. But not so. What else, or what less than this would have served to arouse the working class of the whole nation like an alarm blast from the trumpet of an avenging deity?

What else could have lashed the stagnant waters of organized labor into foaming billows, tossing high their spray of life and discontent?

In all the history of labor there is no event to equal it. A year ago the names of Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone were known to but a few thousands in the Western states; today they are hailed and honored by millions, who applaud their fidelity and honor their fortitude.

And thus are heroes snatched from the common multitude.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Kidnaping Anniversary Edition of Appeal to Reason, Edited by Eugene Debs & Consecrated to “Holy Cause of Emancipation.””

Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Now in Girard Assisting Appeal to Reason in Effort to Save Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone

Share

There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday February 10, 1907
Girard, Kansas – Debs Rallies Readers of Appeal to Reason

From The Girard Press of February 7, 1907:

Eugene Debs, Wilshire's Magazine, Nov 1905

Eugene V. Debs, twice the candidate of the Socialist party for President, has been in Girard during the past week, and is assisting in preparing matter for a special edition of the Appeal to Reason.

“The Kidnaping Edition” of the Appeal to Reason is now one week away from publication, and orders for Number 585 have already surpassed the one million mark. On the front page of this week’s edition, we find Comrade Eugene Debs rallying the troops of the Appeal Army to:

Turn on the Light! Spread the Truth!! Every labor and every Socialist paper is engaged in this righteous and supremely important work.

Now is the time to widen the circulation of these heralds of light and truth.

Let the workers everywhere bestir themselves as never before in this crucial hour, so fraught with possibilities for weal or woe to the American people.

Let every atom of latent energy and determination be aroused and the cloud that now threatens will be dispelled and the cause of Justice triumphantly vindicated.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Now in Girard Assisting Appeal to Reason in Effort to Save Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone”

Hellraisers Journal: Debs Indeed on Deck of Appeal to Reason, Calls for Action: “We Must Fight!”

Share

If they hang Moyer and Haywood,
they’ve got to hang me.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday January 27, 1907
From the Appeal to Reason: “We Must Fight! by Eugene V. Debs

HMP, We Must Fight, EVD, AtR, Jan 26, 1907

THE supreme court and the president of the United States have left us no other alternative. We have got to stand up like men or crawl on our bellies like cravens.

There is no compromise.

The class struggle is as clearly reflected in the supreme court decision and the president’s action as if traced in the skies in letter of fire. All the powers of capitalism, from Standard Oil down, are combined against Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone, and find expression along the political line all the way from Ruzvlt [Roosevelt] to McPartland [McParland] and along the judicial line all the way from the supreme court of the United States to a police magistrate in Idaho.

It is not a case of punishing crime that law may be vindicated, but the violation of law that crime may be committed.

The case against our comrades is notorious in court annals for the utter defiance of all law, state and national, statutory and constitutional, that has marked its proceedings from its inception. Indeed, the case, to be properly understood, must be traced back at least as far as the purchase by the mine owners and smelter trust of the legislature of Colorado, at the current Colorado rates per head, thereby defeating the eight-hour amendment which the people of that Guggenheim state by a clear majority of nearly 50,000 votes had commanded these political perverts to enact into law. This was followed by the military despotism of the infamous Peabody and his sodden satraps, who emblazoned the escutcheon of his murderous administration with the immortal shibboleths: “To hell with the constitution,” “To hell with habeas corpus” and “To hell with any court that decides against us.” These are some of the foundation stones of the fabric of law and order which Ruzvlt sent Taft out to Idaho to commend to the people of that state.

This law and order cry issues from the brazen throats of political hirelings, the tools of capitalism, to conceal its own crimes.

When such monsters as Peabody and Gooding and such misshapen degenerates as McPartland talk about law and order in the lurid light of their own crimes, and President Ruzvlt sends his fat special emissary to the scene of these crimes to give them the backing of the national administration, all in the name of law and order, and this in the very shadow of a dungeon in which innocent kidnaped American citizens are guarded by criminal body-snatchers-when it comes to this, then, indeed, has justice fled to brutish beasts, all law is miserable mockery, and even hypocrisy, used as she is to sickening saturnalia, is nauseated and deserts the scene.

That our comrades have been kidnaped and are unlawfully held by legalized brute force is admitted; there is no question about it, not even by the supreme court. That the preconceived purpose is to do them to death, regardless of their innocence, has been apparent from the start.

It is not as individuals that these workingmen are to be murdered, but as the incarnation of class-conscious organized labor that they must be annihilated.

That makes the issue my issue and their cause my cause.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Debs Indeed on Deck of Appeal to Reason, Calls for Action: “We Must Fight!””

Hellraisers Journal: Little Henrietta Haywood asks, “Will They Hang My Papa?”-by Luella Twining

Share

There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday December 20, 1906
From the Appeal to Reason: The Cry of Big Bill’s Little Daughter

HMP, Henrietta by Twining, AtR, Dec 15, 1906

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Little Henrietta Haywood asks, “Will They Hang My Papa?”-by Luella Twining”

Hellraisers Journal: U. S. Supreme Court Rules Against Moyer, Haywood, and Pettibone in Habeas Corpus Cases

Share

There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday December 8, 1906
U. S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of State-Sponsored Kidnapping

Kidnappers Special by BBH, detail, AtR, May 19, 1906

The U. S. Supreme Court has ruled that kidnapping is legal as long as it is accomplished by the Governor of a state, or, as in the case of the kidnapping of Haywood, Moyer and Pettibone, done through a conspiracy between the Governors of two states: Colorado and Idaho. The lone voice for actual “law and order” upon the Court was that of Justice McKenna whose dissenting opinion states in part:

Kidnapping is a crime, pure and simple. It is difficult to accomplish; hazardous at every step. All the officers of the law are supposed to be on guard against it. All of the officers of the law may be invoked against it. But how is it when the law becomes the kidnapper?

When the officers of the law, using its forms and exerting its power, become abductors? This is not a distinction without a difference—another form of the crime of kidnapping distinguished only from that committed by an individual by circumstances. If a state may say to one within her borders and upon whom her process is served, I will not inquire how you came here; I must execute my laws and remit you to proceedings against those who have wronged you, may she so plead against her own offenses? May she claim that by mere physical presence within her borders an accused person is within her jurisdiction denuded of his constitutional rights, though he has been brought there by her violence?

[…..]

No individual could have accomplished what the power of the two states accomplished. No individual or individuals could have commanded the means and success could have made two arrests of prominent citizens by invading their homes; could have commanded the resources of jails, armed guards and special trains; could have successfully timed all acts to prevent inquiry and judicial interference. The accused, as soon as he could have done so, submitted his rights to the consideration of the courts. He could not have done so in Colorado. He could not have done so on the way from Colorado. At the first instant that the state of Idaho relaxed its restraining power he invoked the aid of habeas corpus successively of the Supreme Court of the state and of the Circuit Court of the United States. He should not have been dismissed from court, and the action of the Circuit Court in so doing should be reversed.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: U. S. Supreme Court Rules Against Moyer, Haywood, and Pettibone in Habeas Corpus Cases”