Industrial Democrat (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 34, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 20, 1910 Page: 1 of 4
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YEAR
OPPOSED T
t-ACE AND PLent
PITTSBURG COUNTY COITION
VOLUME 1
Echoes of the Election
The contemptible and cowardly sup-
pression of the Socialist returns In the
recent primary by the democrat elec-
tion thieves and ballot-box stuffers
baffles every effort to get at the tacts.
Tabulated returns from every county
in the state should have been pub-
lished ten days or two weeks ago. yet
they are still withheld.
From the best reports obtainable
the Socialists vote in the state will
not exceed twenty thousand for the
aimple reason that practically every
precinct was short on ballots.
1 had intended to publish in these
columns reports anu communications
from various parts of the state on the
results, but the job is a physical im-
possibility—there are too many.
Anyway, they are all alike. Short-
age of ballots, refusal ?o admit watch-
ers, insults and intrigue of every con-
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, AUGUST 20, 1910
OKLAHOMA MINERS IN DESPERATE STP
Fh,. Month.., Enforced Idfen... Brin,. Thou-nd. W.,e Worker, to Poverty'. Door-Mine
emp o orce Open Shop” Cod.tiong and Reduce the Mine Worker, of the Southwest to
NUMBER 34
imni r
Four months of idleness has reduced
the miners of the coal regions of Ok-
lahoma to dire distress^, almost to
itirvition, and agents are going over
the state soliciting aid from union
labor organizations to help the miners
carry on the long struggle.
Five thousand miners walked out of
the Oklahoma mines on the first day
of April' They have not worked an ^
hour since, in the mines. They went
out on a strike because the union la-
bor contract with the mine operators,
which had been in effect two years,
■ E -tm; J<
vi'.' •«! Socfrtj
Owner.
Slavery
ceivable nature at the bands of the j expired at that time, and the miners
election officials Is the report in prac- m»d« demands for increased wages
that much talked of Open Shop-
plan, where the miner has to get
leave of absence from the company
to go to towu; and should he happen
to load a few pounds of dirt in his
car of coal he is docked from 600 to
1000 pounds on each car, thus keeping
him continually in debt to the com-
pany. Then he is compelled to do all
of his trading in the company’s
"Pluck “
tically every instance and from prac
tically every county in the state.
The Haskell machine has run rough-
shod over all opposition, violated the
law in every county and made the
primary election law of Oklahoma
laughing stock for the world.
Socialists must commence now and
-wage an aggressive campaign until
the polls close November 8. They
must see to it that Socialists go to
the polls, and that a fair count is se-
cured. if this is successfully accom-
plished the halls of the next legisla-
ture will reverberate with the echo of
revolution.
Campaign Expenses
There is a law on the statute books
of Oklahoma looking to the limita-
tion of campaign expenses.
For instance a candidate for gov-
ernor in this state is supposed to bo
limited to $3,000.00 for campaign ex-
penses, according to law, and must
file a sworn statement of bis account I
with the election board within ten I
days after the election.
IHtring the campaign just closed
Lee Cruce maintained headqua. • rs at
the Leo-Hucklna hotel In this city,
while Uocklebur Bill swung his shingle
from the second floor of tne Thread-
Kill. A strong staff of clerical help
wa» maintained through:.i; tlie cam-
paign and it is reported that at least
one of the candidates exceeded his
limitation in printing and advertis-
ing alone.
Information as *o the pretentious-
ness of the headquarters of Mr. Ross
and the republican eand’dates is not
in the possession of ihi« office, bat
the expense items referred to above
would several timet over exceed the
legal expenditures, to eay nothing of
the regulation corrupt ion fund, auto-
monies. Sunny Bro»k and cigars
Yet every mothers son In the race
swore before God and man that he liaO
spent $3,000.00 or less.
And these are the men who ask you
to place the reins of government In
their hands for four more years.
Y’ou like it, do you
and other concessions which the
erators refused to grant.
The miners knew it would be a long
atruggie. But they thought sixty days
would see it over. They were prepared
for that much idleneaa. But it has
been more than twice aixty days, and
no settlement yet ia in sight. Aa soon
at the miners quit they commenced to
seek other work. They found desul-
tory employment in a few instances.
Some tried farming. But moat of
them are unfamiliar with any kind of
work except mining. Consequently
those who did not get out of the coun-
try at once have lived as best they
could for months, until, according to
the agents going over the country in
their behalf, the women are without
adequate clothing, and the babies are
crying with hunger.
Every local labor union in the state
has been asked to contribute to the
miners, and most of them responded
promptly with money which they had
on hand for just auen emergencies, or
i hjve about raising their assess-
| ments in various ways. Union labor
leaders say that th? state will take
care of the situation and that they will
keep the miners from suffering for a
year, if it it necssary to keep the fight
up that tong.
Some of the tales of distress coming
frem the homes of foreign miners who
cannot speak English, and therefore
are handicapped in finding employ-
ment of any character are most pit-
able. One instance is cited where a
mother and six children were found al-
most without clothing and actually
starving. The father and husband
had been gone two weeks looking for
work and found none.
Me store. Can you blame
the merchants of that, city from pray-
iug for the return of the miners’ or-
ganization? In 1907 the total earn-
ings of the miners, ore miners and
furnace-men. was $26,770,000. and in
the year just closed, which has been
a more proseproua year, the total
wages earned was $17,970,000. The
wages and conditions have been re-
duced $8,800,000, which the business
men of that city formerly enjoyed
Now it goes into the coffers of the
coal barons who hoard it away in
New York, Chicago or some other
city. This is why the business inter-
ests of Alabama, City of Birmingham,
have at last discovered the real cause
of the depressed business conditions
of their city.
We believe that the public and bus-
iness men of the Southwest realize
that this is a fight for their existence
as veil as ours. We have had no ad-
vance in the past sevent (7) years,
and we feel that the small advance
we are asking at this time is
Sion that right is might, and this time [every member having the same rl-rht
right will prevail regardless of the
fectiy justifiable;
per-
consequences, be they what they may.
'Tis true also that influences are at
Work to betray us into the usual path
of deception, but all the arts and sci-
ences of both professional construc-
tion and jugglery of words and fig-
ures will not avail the owners any-
thing, as we have gone through too
many experiences to allow ourselves
to be deceived by any such methods,
for we have men representing us who
are at least the mental equals of the
coa! operators and who are quite call-
able of looking after our interests.
I must give great credit to our sec-
reiary-treasurer for the masterful way
ia which he has carried out the duties
of his office. As far as the coal corn-) ship,
pany of this place is concerned, and
the treatment the miners have re-
ceived from them, there is not to much
to complain of. as there are quite a
number of miners here who have been
carried by the company store until
the disagreement In Kansas City las'
week when almost all of them were
shut off. 1 know of some W'ho were
sent for by the store manager and
asked (f they would agree to go to
work (under open shop) if the whistle
blew.
There has never been any attempt
to start these mines to work and we
know that tbey are subject to the
instructions of the railroad intersts,
to make his nominations and all were
submitted to a vote of the party mem-
bership.
We receive our campaign funds
from the small change that is donated
by our party members and will not
accept any money from a corporation
or any one who has selftsh interests
to serve, thereby being free from any
obligation to serve their interests If
elected.
Each and every one has filed his
resignation with me, same being left
undated. We are in a position to re-
call them from the office any time
they do not see fit to carry out their
pledges to you. this being done by a
majority vote of the party member-j
To further prove that we can
do so will cite the fact that we have!
solidarity by scattering our brothers
| Into strange lands so they will lose
' -* • 'ranchlse be-fore the fail election
»ll upon all friends of labor to
am v-e miner in his struggle for hts
life, home and family
Pittsburg County socialist
PARTY,
H. M SINCLAIR.
Secretary.
To McAlestsr Citizens.
TO THE OFFICSAM AND ALL
CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF Mc-
ALESTER. GREETING: —
We the members of the working
class, in convention assembled, do
hereby denounce any and aii at-
tempts that have or may be made
tending toward the suspension or cur-
tailment of the general public im-
provement work of the city and we
heartily endorse ail efforts of our city
officials and citizens in extending
and rushing to completion ail work of
a public nature.
We realize that the special inter-
ests are seeking to do all In their
power to weaken the working class
during the present lockout of the
already done so in one instance where mlners of thl8 district and in support
one of our nominees did not demean J of thu for the right to live
himself in the right way and to the, 88 Im>n 8hould
satisfaction of the membership 'Ve d**mand the expansion of
. and aS8ur*nX >ou as both mines are connected with the
that we are going to fight an honor 1 - - - M w,tu the
able fight regardless of all Intimi-
dations heaped- upon us by our en-
emies. and when we keep our city
| from being a BIRMINGHAM of today,
j you will thank us for it.
FRED W. HOLT,
Secretary-Treasurer, District 21, U
W. of A
CONDITIONS IT DOW
BT E. L. GOODMAN.
TO THE LABORING PEOPLE OF
OKLAHOMA:—The mine workers of
districts *14, 21 and 25. on the first
day of April. 1910, laid down their
tools to await the making of another
contract or agreement between them
and the operators’ association of the
j Rofk Island and M. K. & T. railroads
I and will have to depend on the ae-
I tJon of these two giant corporations
or pull away from them entirely. Any
way we know that it is no- a ques-
tion of prices in this fight, but is a
question of whether or not we will
allow ourselves to be driven back
into slavery. We know full well that
once they get us Into the condition
of the peons of Mexico and Alabama
that we will be ready to accept any-
thing they may see fit to hand us.
So being forewarned by precedences
we are, therefore, forearmed and will
fight to the last ditch to defeat the
coal barons of Oklahoma In their ef-
fort to reduce the mine workers to
slavery.
Owing to the destitute condition of
our
street paving and public improvements
most of our members at this time I *n *e,M?ral 80 that work may be provid-
ani forced to say that we will no*, be 6,1 durln* this period of extraordinary
able to carry on as strong a campaign tadu8trlal depression,
as we would like to but will have a Believing: It to be for the best inter-
few speakers in this county between ests ot a11 loyaJ c,,l*ens that work be
now and election time and trust that
you will turn out and try and learn
more about what Socialism really is
and not be misled by "quack theories’*
which have been sent out by capital-
ists poison your minds against So-
cialism.
We are not asking you to vote for
us because we are good fellows but J
only for you to vote for the interests
of yourself and families aud if you
do that you cannot vote a republican
or democratic ticket this campaign
provided for ail unemployed and
locked out miners, we hereby resolve
that we consider it the duty of every
city official and couniy official to
open up all the public work possible
and assist our brother workers in the
•druggie of man against mammon and
greed.
PITTSBURG COUNTY SOCIALIST
PARTY.
H. M. SINCLAIR,
Secretary.
_ .i
To the Miners.
The Socialist platform contains the
following plank:
.................... —■»».„*»,{ , The Socl*,,*t l,arty »t Oklahoma
after due consideration and delibera-f de,l,nnd8*th® state ownership and eon-
tlon, realizing that public oiAnlon is a ,,<>l °f 8,11 h lndl,8,rle8 «nd means of
great factor in determining the pol-* ^ran*|,ortat,ou as AM collectively used
Strike Resolutions.
The Socialist party of Pittsburg
county in mass convention assembled
every
icies of ail public servants In
capacity, hereby resolve that,
Whereas; tho coal mining industry
is a very important factor in all the
branches of trade, the men employed
the people of Oklahoma; such as
COAL and MINING Industries, the oil
indstry, the cotton ginning nnd com-
pressing and cotton spinning Indus-
tries; the stock yards, packing and
_______ _ I southwest comprising these three
ADDRESS OF SECRETARY HOlT di8trlct8 reJ'I* ctlvely, Kansas, Arkan
sas, Oklahoma and Texas.
I, as a participant in the present
struggle, wish to give to the public
at large a true statement as far as
the miners of Dow, Oklahoma, are1
THE MINE WORKERS EXPLAIN
TO THE PUBLIC WHAT THE PRES-
ENT FIGHT BETWEEN THE MIN-
ERS AND THE OPERATORS MEANS
Stand firm in this struggle, men ln the actual work of production must <I1°Id 8,0j'a8e Industries, the telephone
for there are no privations too hard “e capable, faithful and courageous,
for us to bear until victory perches! the character of the work is such as
upon our banner, AND DON’T FOR t0 cause much loss of life and limb ” KATK MANAGEMENT ot the
GET THAT IN THIS BATTLE FOR * and 18 80 strenuous as to shorten the
lines, the lnterurban electric lines,
etc., such Industries, to be under the
TO THE BUSINESS MEN AND SUR- j'co^rnei at th<8 time.
HAD TO BE HELPED.
Most of the capitalists who re-
cently had to be "helped out" of
difficulties in the East arising
from excessive commitments in
second-class stocks are rich men,
but do not rank with those capi-
talists whom our only living ex-
president called malefactors of
great wealth. A man worth
$29,000,000 is not nowadays look*
ed on in Wall street as a great
capitalist. He does not belong
with the Rockefellers, Morgans,
Archbolds, Vanderblls, Fricks and
Phippses. Financiers ot this cali-
ber, it Is true, get overextended
at times, as H, H. Rogers did in
1906, but their enormous resources
always pull them through. They
have banking and credit facilities
d ruied to men with fortunes of
$15,000,000 to $20,000,000.—Chic-
ago Record-Herald.
Had to helped out, did they? And
miliionaries, too! And all the while
the capitalist press has been assuring
us that conditions are "sound” and
everything prosperous!
ROUNDING COUNTRY IN THE
COAL CENTERS OF THE SOUTH
WEST:
w« have gone into this conflict
knowing full well our responsibilities
from a commercial standpoint. Jills
fight is not only a fight to save our.
organization but a fight to keep our
BREAD THE SOCIALIST PARTY
THROUGHOUT THE BROAD LAND
STANDS WITH YOU TO THE END.
Dow, Oklahoma, Aug. 15.
SOCIAlISfS IN SriNPATH!
BY H. M. SINCLAIR.
The strike has now been on for
about nineteen weeks. The men at
this place are just as firm and solid
as they were the first day they re-
ceived orders to lay down their tools,
notwithstanding the fact that they
are aware that they have to depend
on what contributions tbey receive
people from being forced back into I fr°m ,he publlc after havinB exhaust
slavery. j ed th® treasuries of their districts.
Let us see what It means to your Th<?Jr are *uRy determined to win this . _____ _
business men of this city and sur- ■ fi*ht n° nlatter how Ion* It may take, j Ing for your suffrage
rounding towns for the miners to • and we have ali com« to the conclu
Let the combination and concentra-
tion of Industries go on. W« would
raUwr pay tribute to a trust than a
email dealer The only way to put
small capitalists in touch with the
wage class is to take away the profits.
iose their organization. Take Birm-
ingham, Alabama, as a basis to work
upon. A little over two years ago
the business men of that city organ-
ized their vigilant committees, law
and order leagues, to assist Governor
Comer ln stamping out the miners’
organization in that field, which they
did by driving them from their homes,
and when the miners were furnished
tents to shelter their wives and babies
those same men n arched in large num-
bers out to their great, white city and1
with knlve and axes cut their tents
to ribbons, smashing their furniture
ajnd driving them from the state
What are those same business men j
doing today? They are appealing for j
the reorganization of the miners' or-
ganization in that field. Why? Be-;
cause under the organization the min-;
er could trade where he pleased and i
no city In the south could compare,
with Birmingham Saturdays and Mon-'
days when the miners and their wive*
crowded the street cars rushing to
town to spend their wages with the
various merchants Such Is not the
case today, they are working under
To the Citizens of Pittsburg County:
Greeting:—In this coming campaign
I wist, to call your attention to the
fact that the Socialist party has a j
full state ticket and most of the county 1
ticked filled out and nominated in the
primary of August 2nd, and are ask-;
These nomina-
tions were made in our own ranks,
Will You Help the Miners?
Lalioi unions, Socialist locals and individuals everywhere
should respond to the call of the Oklahoma miners for finan-
cial assistance.
• the fight for living wages aud humane conditions
in the Oklahoma coal mines was begun over four months ago
it was not thought that the strike would last but a few .lays.’
But days have lengthened into weeks, and weeks into months
and the end is not yet.
Four months of unemployment has depleated the treas-
uries of their unions, forced the miners to the ragged edge of
dwpu? aDd 3tarVed their dePeiMlen‘ families to the point of
Every union man in Oklahoma who is more fortunate
than our brother miners, and every other man in whose veins
course the red blood of human brotherhood, should contribute
his mite and help the miners in a just tight against the most
hellish and damnable organization of graft and greed within
the borders of Oklahoma-The Mine Owners Association
r- w °TIi!n>,nf,0m 9hou!,i mai2ed direct to Fred Holt, Sec
L. M. W. of A., Me Ales ter, Okla.
natural life and bring on aches and
| pains of premature old age, and that
reports prove that only one third of
the time will find the operators al
lowing the miner an equal opportunity
to work at wages scarcely equal to
the pay of men In less hazardous oc-
cupations who can have the oppor-l
tunity of laboring two-thirds of the
time during each fiscal year; we there-
fore denounce the present attempts
of the giant combine to destroy the;
miners’ union and reduce the miners
I to worse unditlons than those that'
1 now prevail.
Resolved that the United Mine
Workers of America is the means of
protecting the miner from the ra- •
pacious greed of employers whose!
grasp for profit makes them soulless ’
to the extent that they readily sac-'
rifice the lives of men to save a few
dollars worth of property or profit and
that it Is only by the protection and
upbuilding of that organization that
our brother workers can enjoy the
small liberties they now possess, and under the supervision of the board of
workers In such industries, and be op-
erated not for the purpose of making
PROFITS for the state, but to GIVE
THE WORKERS IN SUCH INDUS-
TRIES THE FULL SOCIAL VALUE
OF THER LABOR."
This is what you are always fight-
ing for and trying to get from your
masters, the operators. The only way
you can ever get It is to vote for It
and the Socialist party is tne only one
that wants to see you get :t.
Why not vote for r/hat you want
and not for that which vou t'en’t want
aud get so much qf It, Eh?
To the Farmers
The Socialist platform contains the
following planks which constitute a
part of the demands made by your
farmers' union and adopted by a re-
ferendum vote of the Socialist mem
bership, June 10th to July 10th:
“I-and now in possession of the
state or hereafter acquired through
purchase, reclamation or tax sales to
be rented to LANDLESS FARMERS
that,
Whereas; the giant combine of op-
erators have Rworn war to the death
against the miners’ union, we declare
agriculture at the pervailing rate of
share rent or Us equivalent The pay-
ment of such rent to cease as soon
as the total amount of rent paid is
j u lhe duly ot overy worker and friend equal to the value of the land and the
i of labor to resent the infamous at- tenant thereby acquires for himself
and his children the right of occu-
pancy. The title to all such Sands re-
main Ing with the commonwealth.”
The question is would you rather
tack made on the miners' union aud ■
| stand by them In their struggle for
j the right to live.
Furthermore, we resolve, that It is
’ the duty of every worker, organized pay oat your own place In rent and
or unorganized, to assist the miners; enjoy all the liberties attached thereto
in this time of need and to keep in: or pay rent to Cruce or McNeal or
mind that if one worker is forced j some other banker and let them still
down, the other workers will be lev- bold the land and make you or some
eled in proportionate ratio until every j other poor devil pay them homage
vested right of the people passes into
the hands of the capitalist class;
therefore be It hereby resolved that
we give the widest publicity to the
nefarious attempts being made to
for living on this earth?
Socialism will not come because a
few think It would be a good thing
i - --------- *■* | to have, but because the economic sit-
I wrec* ttie ■je»i.toy the class nations will soon make it unavoidable.
J
J
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Brown, Marvin. Industrial Democrat (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 34, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 20, 1910, newspaper, August 20, 1910; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc942356/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.