Haywood in Indianapolis speaking to miners gathered fro the U.M.W.A. convention.

“I Carry Two Guns” Says Haywood’ by H.G. Creel from The Chicago Daily Socialist. Vol. 2 No. 80. January 28, 1908.

One Is Due Card in Socialist Party, Other in the Western Federation–Rousing Mass Meeting in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 27. Conveying the heartfelt thanks of Moyer, Pettibone and himself and bearing fraternal greetings from the Western Federation of Miners, William D. Haywood addressed a capably audience in Tomilson hall, the largest in Indianapolis.

During the course of his address the western miner declared himself in favor of greater reciprocal relations between the United Mine Workers of America and the Western Federation of Miners. During the convention of the former organization he will address the body advocating this move.

An Industrial Republic

Haywood took up the unemployed problem, declaring there could be not unemployed under Socialism. He made an appeal for an industrial republic wherein the congressmen and senators would represent the industries in which they were engaged, rather than machine politics.

He denounced a social system with millionaires at one end and paupers at the other and insisted that in Socialism only lay a remedy for present social and industrial abuses.

Haywood appeared on the platform promptly at 8 p.m. and was introduced by John H. Walker, president of the U.M.W. of Illinois.

Thunderous Applause

When the audience caught sight of the miner a thunderous applause greeted him. Again, when introduced by Chairman Walker, the big miner was obliged to wait several minutes while the assembly cheered.

At length he was allowed to proceed and began

“Comrades and fellow workers”—

“Hurrah for Haywood!” came shout.

“I hope you’ll all do that for yourselves,” replied the miner. “From within the working class must and will come its own victories and its own emancipation.

“To those of the audience who are delegates to the United Mine Workers convention I want to express the deep, thanks of Moyer, Pettibone and myself for the splendid support given us by your organization.

Speaks for Steve Adams

“But I want to raise my voice in behalf of Steve Adams. He, too, is a victim of the Mine Owners association. A tale was concocted by McPartland and Orchard and Adams was told if he did not substantiate he would be taken from the jail and given to the mob. He has since repudiated the confession made under that coercion.

“He has had two trials. In the first the jury stood 7 to 6 for acquittal: in the second the jury stood 8 to 4 for acquittal. By the law of mathematics it will take four more trials to free Adams.

Message to Gooding

“When the officials of the Western Federation of Miners were taken to Idaho Governor Gooding publicly stat d that we should never leave the state alive. Just as Moyer crossed the state line from Idaho to Colorado he sent this message to Gooding:

“I have just left Idaho: I am still alive.

“The working class and the working class alone was responsible for that message. And if the working class as a unit would adopt the platform I shall  advocate here tonight there would be no armies of unemployed in the future.

“When the time comes and the working class stands together, the capitalists will not be able to close down a factory or shut down a mine.

“Our lawmakers should not be politicians, but workingmen A man should go to congress not because he is an astute political schemer, but because of a thorough knowledge of the industry and the conditions of labor in the industry he represents.

“If that were the case now “Frothing Bob” would not be rounding the Horn with a fleet death-dealing battleships.

Hits Back at Roosevelt

“And please to remember that he sent on his journey by the prince of peace, Roosevelt–he’s the winner the Nobel peace prize, remember.

“That’s not very complimentary language, but I can’t forget that while I was unjustly imprisoned, shackled and bound behind bars he wrote a letter intended to hang me and my comrades.

“Then he sent Taft to Aida county Idaho, to help out in the election. At the former election Aida county went Republican by 1,300. After Taft came there Gooding lost the county by 4,300 That’s what the workers think of both of them.

Carries Two Guns

“He said I was a dangerous men and carried a gun. I carry two guns. Here they are; one’s a paid-up card in the Western Federation of Miners and the other is my certificate of membership in the Socialist party.

“The capitalists say we Socialists have no reverence for the stars and stripes, we revere it too much to see it again float over a bullpen. It never shall float over another bullpen cause the working class says “No!”

“Before the emancipation of the working class is a reality, however, it will have to say No to other things. If any politician tells you there’s no class struggle here, you tell him doesn’t live in this country. To eliminate the class struggle the working class as a whole must be united.

Miners Closer Together

“And so, I repeat, I hope for a clos affiliation between our two bodies of mine workers. The Western Federation will meet the United Mine Workers more than half way. By joining wo could do much toward ridding ourselves of the Pinkertons who infest both organizations.”

More than $50 was collected for the Steve Adams defense fund. Haywood was preceded by Howard H. Caldwell of Dayton, who described the pittiful condition of the unemployed in his home city

Haywood will address the United Mine Workers one day this week, after which he goes to Boston to begin an extensive lecture tour under the auspices of the Western Federation of Miners.

The Chicago Socialist, sometimes daily sometimes weekly, was published from 1902 until 1912 as the paper of the Chicago Socialist Party. The roots of the paper lie with Workers Call, published from 1899 as a Socialist Labor Party publication, becoming a voice of the Springfield Social Democratic Party after splitting with De Leon in July, 1901. It became the Chicago Socialist Party paper with the SDP’s adherence and changed its name to the Chicago Socialist in March, 1902. In 1906 it became a daily and published until 1912 by Local Cook County of the Socialist Party and was edited by A.M. Simons if the International Socialist Review. A cornucopia of historical information on the Chicago workers movements lies within its pages.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/chicago-daily-socialist/1908/080129-chicagodailysocialist-v02n080.pdf