The barbarous, entirely deserved, reputation of Texas goes back to its beginnings. Here, a desperate proletarian plea for help by comrades locked up in a hell-hole of a San Antonio prison.

‘Rotten Conditions in Rotten Texas’ from Voice of the People. Vol. 2 No. 48. December 4, 1913.

Fellow-Workers and Comrades:

Knowing that we all follow the trend of labor in all its phases and that we try to bring the standard up and educate the workers so that they all will be ready for the Industrial Democracy, or all be working for it until it is established, but, while the Industrial Democracy ls forming, let’s pay some heed to the rotten, unbearable conditions that exist in the Rotten State of Kirbyites (Texas). In speaking of rotten conditions let us dwell first on those that exist while one is a prisoner “under the Law.” Law in the State of Texas is a farce, more so than in any other State. A man going up for trial in (Bexar Co.) San Antonio, on the most flimsy evidence is, railroaded without the semblance of “justice.” If they see they can not convict a man they throw his witnesses in jail and threaten them and, most generally, a witness does not stand up under the third degree and, naturally, their object is gained, that of sending a person to the penitentiary where he is doled out to the “Managers” on the penal farms.

First of all, we see men who are not convicted, only “charged” with some “offense or crime,” being led around the streets with chains around their necks like wild animals, something that does not happen in any other State in the Union or in the world, not even of the darkest parts of Africa or in Exile Siberia. Russia is considered the worst country on earth but one has to come to Texas to see the outrageous treatment and brutalities such as no other country or State would allow. If one happens to be unfortunate and belongs “up north” then look out, for they then try every way under the sun to have him convicted and all the time, Texas is advertising for the Northern people to come down and settle in the “beautiful State of Texas.”

In the jails one finds the most filthy conditions, worse than hog pens, food unfit for hogs to eat, let alone human beings and, if one makes a request for more or better, he gets even worse than he was served before and then if he complains, he is threatened with all the tortures from bread and water down or up.

In Pearsall, Cotulla and Carrizo Springs one is threatened with starvation on any pretense and without provocation; in San Antonio one gets thrown in the dungeon on bread and water and then the cook is told to cut up some potatoes and meat and heat it up and give it to the S-  of a B-‘s; they don’t need any more, and all of this talk comes from those whom one would look to for redress of grievances and, surveying the situation and finding things existing like the above with the “higher ups,” how in the world can one expect to get any other than Texas “justice,” which is known the world over as the most brutal existence. So, you workingmen and farmers, before you jump out of the frying pan into the fire before you come to such a hell hole as Texas, think twice. In the San Antonio jail a man must never get sick for, if he does, and he meets with the convict doctor, he will give you any old kind of dope and threaten to poison you if you don’t shut up. Did you ever see another place in the world where they would put a convict under sentence of two years, to work administering to the sick? The only way one can get anything from him is to pay for it, and all the “dopes” get well taken care of, but the sick HE tells them he will POISON them if they ask him for anything. Oh, workingmen, investigate this and see if it is not the truth and don’t ever let yourself be found in the State of Texas, as ii you don’t want to be treated worse than they treat the men in Russia or in the Penal Colonies of Great Britain.

In San Antonio County jail there are 11 men who have done nothing other than voicing their ideals and going to the rescue of the working class in Mexico, and who had the misfortune to fall into the hands of one of these man-hunters, who cannot hold high office, “Sheriff,” in the State of Texas, unless he has some notches in his gun, or can boast of how many men he has killed, or what a good shot he is.

One more thing before I close, remember that there is no question being raised in the trial of these men, but the Red Flag and the principles of all true and liberty-loving rebels, and that it is your duty to go to their assistance and see that no harm comes to these men through the “Laws” of Texas, for these men are of your class, and I know you don’t want it said that some of our own class went down in defeat before the altar of Mammon because YOU failed to grasp the meaning of their struggle.

Send all funds for this case to Eliza Alleman, Box 62, Sta. A., San Antonio, Texas, and don’t forget that with your assistance all will be on the firing line once again.

ALL REBEL PAPERS, PLEASE COPY. S.S. 44.

The Voice of the People continued The Lumberjack. The Lumberjack began in January 1913 as the weekly voice of the Brotherhood of Timber Workers strike in Merryville, Louisiana. Published by the Southern District of the National Industrial Union of Forest and Lumber Workers, affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, the weekly paper was edited by Covington Hall of the Socialist Party in New Orleans. In July, 1913 the name was changed to Voice of the People and the printing home briefly moved to Portland, Oregon. It ran until late 1914.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/lumberjack/131204-voiceofthepeople-v2n48.pdf