‘Frank Little’s Funeral’ from Solidarity. Vol. 8 No. 397. August 18, 1917.

Funeral Cortege Most Impressive Ever Witnessed in Butte. A Protest of Organized Labor Against Organized Tyranny.

The history of this city is replete with unusual incidents–with occurrences that, to one not familiar with conditions here must seem extraordinary.

In the Heinze days strange things happened; bitter enmities were engendered and lives were lost, and since that time many almost incredible things have happened. “Happened” is not the best word, perhaps we should say “engineered.”

Many men have been killed, and in a great many cases no one has been apprehended. This condition has naturally led to peculiar state of mind In the people of this district; they have seen so many crimes committed: so many men die lingeringly with miner’s consumption, and so many queer things in general, that nothing less than a most particularly shocking event ever stirs more than passing interest.

The public was dumbfounded at the Speculator mine disaster, people stood aghast yet in the short time that has elapsed since that terrible catastrophe they have almost dismissed it from their minds; that is, most of those who lost no friends or relatives have become less keenly resentful. This is due in part to the war, registration, conscription, etc.

But in all the lurid history of Butte no event ever occurred so startling, so savage, of such sinister, evil portent as the inconceivably vicious murder of Frank Little, a cripple, last Wednesday morning.

Every decent-thinking man, woman and child in this community was stricken with horror when the news of this frightful crime was published. Not one could comprehend it, many refused to believe it at first, but finally came the moment when we were forced to admit that here in Butte, our own home town, a crime more terrible than any atrocity of which the belligerents of Europe, or even the “Unspeakable Turk” of our childhood recollections, have ever been accused.

The realization was forced home, and then came the thought, “What kind of brutes, what fiends in human form, could perpetrate such an outrage?”

Little was practically a stranger in Butte. He came here in his official capacity as an organizer for the I.W.W., for the purpose of trying to affiliate the Metal Mine Workers’ Union with the organization he represented. He was extended the same courtesy as has been shown by us to the representatives of every other labor organization who have presented themselves to us, and in this connection he addressed several meetings of our union.

The papers endeavored to magnify every utterance of this man to the proportions of treason; yet most of the things he said are, and for many months have been, heard wherever men congregate and discuss current events.

Be that as it may, the grewsome fact remains that Frank Little was foully murdered–and his murderers are still at large.

But the working people of this district are AROUSED and every one in Butte now realizes it.

NEARLY PEOPLE  SEVEN THOUSAND–to be exact, 6,800–FOL LOWED FRANK LITTLE’S BODY TO ITS LAST RESTING PLACE. Electric workers, street car men, blacksmiths, machinists, boilermakers number of other unions marched as a body, the Pearce-Connolly Club, wearing their colors, marched near the head of the procession, which was led by hundreds of women and children, mothers with babies in their arms or push carts. Thousands of miners were in line. WHAT INDUCED THESE THOU SANDS OF WORKING PEOPLE TO MARCH?

Simply their determination to call a halt on such murderous tyranny. It is high time that the public shouts awaken to the fact that here in Butte we have the most unscrupulous, merciless band of cut-throats to deal with that ever disgraced a city, and that our only protection lies in compact, powerful organization.

No single happening could more effectively demonstrate the necessity of organization, and no one thing has ever forced that fact home so thoroughly.

What protection has any working-man against being treated the same way?

You must THINK, and you must realize that unless we win this strike and perfect the organization of labor in Butte, that such crimes will become common.

Further violence was promised by the writing found on the card fastened to Little’s body, and unless we are united–unless we stand as one man–you may feel sure that the lives of others of our class will be snuffed out by the same gang that murdered Frank Little.

If they are allowed to escape, if they are not apprehended, nothing is more sure than that, emboldened by success and immunity from punishment, they will murder other workingmen.

It is impossible to exaggerate the enormity of this crime and the effect? will have on the labor situation in Butte, unless every working man and woman makes it his or her business to do everything possible to render such things impossible hereafter. The most effective answer to the deadly menace aimed at labor is to rally to our support, to bend every effort to help us win this strike.

The murder of Little is an open threat against labor. The purpose is to terrorize the miners and intimidate those who have heretofore supported.

The most widely read of I.W.W. newspapers, Solidarity was published by the Industrial Workers of the World from 1909 until 1917. First produced in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and born during the McKees Rocks strike, Solidarity later moved to Cleveland, Ohio until 1917 then spent its last months in Chicago. With a circulation of around 12,000 and a readership many times that, Solidarity was instrumental in defining the Wobbly world-view at the height of their influence in the working class. It was edited over its life by A.M. Stirton, H.A. Goff, Ben H. Williams, Ralph Chaplin who also provided much of the paper’s color, and others. Like nearly all the left press it fell victim to federal repression in 1917.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/solidarity-iww/1917/v8-w397-aug-18-1917-solidarity.pdf