Mother Jones
28-665: Bonner Hill; William E. Glasscock The Paint Creek–Cabin Creek Strike , or the Paint Creek Mine War , was a confrontation between striking coal miners and coal operators in Kanawha County, West Virginia , centered on the area enclosed by two streams, Paint Creek and Cabin Creek . The strike lasted from April 18, 1912, through July 1913. After the confrontation, Fred Stanton, a banker, estimated that
56-560: A cartoon in The Masses called "Poisoned at the Source" depicting the president of The Associated Press , Frank B. Noyes , poisoning a well labeled 'The News' with lies, suppressed facts, slander, and prejudice. It was accompanied by an editorial by Max Eastman claiming that the AP had not only suppressed the facts of the strike, but that the AP had a profound conflict of interest. Despite
84-535: A force of over 5,000 miners from the north side of the Kanawha River joined the strikers' tent city, leading Governor Glasscock to establish martial law in the region the following day. The 1,200 state troops confiscating arms and ammunition from both sides lessened tensions to some degree, but the strikers were forbidden to congregate, and were subject to fast, unfair trials in military court. Meanwhile, strikers' families began to suffer from hunger, cold, and
112-516: A second attack. Another miners' raid on Mucklow killed at least two people a few days later, and on February 10 martial law was imposed for the third and final time. Mother Jones was arrested on February 13 in Pratt and charged in military court for inciting riot (reportedly for attempting to read the Declaration of Independence ), and, later, conspiracy to commit murder. She refused to recognize
140-580: A secret trapdoor in her room, a message sent to pro-labor Indiana Senator John Worth Kern . Governor Hatfield released Jones, without comment, after a total of 85 days imprisonment. The Senate's Kern Resolution of May 26, 1913, led to the United States Senate's Committee on Education and Labor opening an investigation into conditions in West Virginia coal mines. Congress almost immediately authorized two similar investigations into
168-560: A teacher, becoming the superintendent of schools in 1887 before leaving education to become the clerk of the county circuit court in 1890. He was admitted to the bar in 1903 and began practicing law. He worked as an attorney for Senator Stephen B. Elkins . At Elkins' recommendation, Glasscock was appointed as the internal revenue collection for the District of West Virginia in 1905 by President Theodore Roosevelt . In 1908, Glasscock resigned from this position to run for governor. He ran as
196-544: Is located at 38°12′26″N 81°23′14″W / 38.20722°N 81.38722°W / 38.20722; -81.38722 (38.207149, -81.387354). According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 0.30 square miles (0.78 km ), of which 0.29 square miles (0.75 km ) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km ) is water. As of the census of 2010, there were 602 people, 248 households, and 167 families living in
224-684: The Colorado Coalfield War , which began as a strike against the Rockefeller -owned Colorado Fuel and Iron company in September 1913 and saw the April 20, 1914 Ludlow Massacre . William E. Glasscock William Ellsworth Glasscock (December 13, 1862 – April 12, 1925) was an American politician who served as the 13th Governor of West Virginia as a Republican from 1909 to 1913. Glasscock worked for several years as
252-598: The Kanawha River . The population was 482 at the 2020 census . The Pratt Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Until its incorporation in 1905, the town was known as Clifton. It was renamed Pratt after the owner of the Charles Pratt Coal Company, Charles Pratt . Many of the structures built by that company, including the miners' clubhouse for and various company houses are still standing. Pratt
280-486: The 55 mines on Cabin Creek. However, miners on Paint Creek received compensation of 2 1 ⁄ 2 ¢ less per ton than other union miners in the area. When the Paint Creek union negotiated a new contract with the operators in 1912, they demanded that operators raise the compensation rate to the same level as the surrounding area. This increase would have cost operators approximately fifteen cents per miner per day, but
308-670: The AP's denials, its local AP representative, Cal Young, was also a member of the military tribunal passing judgment on the strikers. The AP responded with two suits of criminal libel against Eastman and Young in November 1913 and January 1914. Both suits eventually were dropped. The AP's specific reasons for dropping the suits, and its general relationship to labor, are explored in Upton Sinclair 's 1919 exposé The Brass Check . The United Mine Workers of America , Mother Jones, and Baldwin-Felts Detectives would all be involved in
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#1732787558457336-562: The Kanawha County Sheriff Bonner Hill and a group of detectives attacked the Holly Grove miners' settlement with an armored train, called the "Bull Moose Special", attacking with machine guns and high-powered rifles, putting 100 machine-gun bullets through the frame house of striker Cesco Estep and killing him. Sarah Blizzard led a group of women to damage the railroad tracks used by the train to prevent
364-473: The Republican nominee for Governor of West Virginia in 1908, beating Louis Bennett Sr. by 12,133 votes. In his last year as governor, he declared martial law three times, sending troops to quell violent Coal Wars . Glasscock then returned to practicing law. Glasscock was born on a farm near Arnettsville, Virginia, now part of Monongalia County, West Virginia on December 13, 1862. He was educated in
392-428: The age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in
420-631: The copper mining industry in Michigan, and mining conditions in Colorado. One theme of the Senate hearings was an attempt to identify the number of deaths related to the strike, and responsibility for them. One source estimates "perhaps fifty violent deaths" without estimating the effect of the conditions in the tent camp. The strike came to national attention in July 1913, cartoonist Art Young published
448-493: The following years, the Battle of Matewan and the Battle of Blair Mountain . The violence on Paint Creek and Cabin Creek began with a United Mine Workers of America strike in April 1912. Prior to the strike there were 96 coal mines in operation on Paint Creek and Cabin Creek, employing 7,500 miners. Of these mines, the forty-one on Paint Creek were all unionized, as was all of the rest of Kanawha River coal field except for
476-684: The influence of the UMW, the strike was conducted without violence for its first month. However, on May 10, 1912, the operators on Paint Creek and Cabin Creek hired the notorious Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency to break the strike. Baldwin–Felts responded by sending more than 300 mine guards led by Albert Felts , Lee Felts , and Tony Gaujot Activist Mother Jones arrived in June, as mine owners began evicting workers from their rented houses, and brought in replacement workers. Beatings, sniper attacks, and sabotage were daily occurrences. Through July, Jones rallied
504-455: The jurisdiction of the military court, and refused to enter a plea. Jones was sentenced to twenty years in the state penitentiary and acquired a case of pneumonia. New governor Dr. Henry D. Hatfield was sworn in on March 4 and immediately traveled to the area as his first priority. He released some thirty individuals held under martial law, transferred Mother Jones to Charleston for medical treatment, and in April moved to impose conditions for
532-573: The local public school system and graduated from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia . In 1888, he married Mary Miller . He died in Morgantown, West Virginia and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery . This article about a West Virginia politician is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pratt, West Virginia Pratt is a town in Kanawha County , West Virginia , United States, along
560-536: The operators refused. The union called a strike for April 18, 1912. Their demands were: After little debate, the Cabin Creek miners decided to join the Paint Creek miners and declared their own strike. After the strike began, the national United Mine Workers pledged full support, hoping to spread the union into Southern West Virginia, a longtime goal of the union. The UMW promised full financing and any aid it could provide to support strikers. Partly because of
588-459: The strike and ensuing violence cost $ 100,000,000. The confrontation directly caused perhaps fifty violent deaths, as well as many more deaths indirectly caused by starvation and malnutrition among the striking miners. In the number of casualties it counts among the worst conflicts in American labor union history. The strike was a prelude to subsequent labor-related West Virginia conflicts in
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#1732787558457616-459: The strike settlement. Strikers had the choice to accept Hatfield's somewhat favorable terms, or be deported from the state. The Paint Creek miners accepted and signed the "Hatfield Contract" on May 1. The Cabin Creek miners continued to resist, with some violence, until the end of July. Mother Jones remained under house arrest, in Mrs. Carney's Boarding House , until she smuggled out a message through
644-561: The town was 41.3 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 551 people, 239 households, and 163 families living in the town. The population density was 1,911.8 inhabitants per square mile (733.6/km ). There were 251 housing units at an average density of 870.9 per square mile (334.2/km ). The racial makeup of
672-516: The town was 98.00% White , 0.54% African American , 0.18% Asian , 0.18% from other races , and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population. There were 239 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who
700-448: The town. The population density was 2,075.9 inhabitants per square mile (801.5/km ). There were 280 housing units at an average density of 965.5 per square mile (372.8/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White , 2.5% African American , 0.2% Native American , 0.2% Asian , and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 248 households, of which 27.0% had children under
728-478: The unsanitary conditions in their temporary tent colony at Holly Grove. Mother Jones and Sarah Blizzard organized an “umbrella march” when pro-union women marched through the valley with umbrellas. On October 15, martial law was lifted, only to be re-imposed on November 15 and lifted on January 10 by Governor Glasscock, with less than two months left in office. On February 7 Mucklow was again attacked by miners with at least one casualty. In retaliation that evening,
756-553: The workers, made her way through armed guards to persuade another group of miners in Eskdale, West Virginia to join the strike, and organized a secret march of three thousand armed miners to the steps of the state capitol in Charleston to read a declaration of war to Governor William E. Glasscock . On July 26, miners attacked Mucklow, present-day Gallagher , leaving at least twelve strikers and four guards dead. On September 1,
784-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.79. In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males. The median income for
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