Smith tells of I.W.W.’s free speech fight with the Kansas City authorities and the split it caused in the local Socialist Party. From the old guard of the Western Federation of Miners, I.W.W. founder Walker C. Smith would play a leading role in the organization for years, including as editor of Industrial Worker. Like many from that tradition, Smith was a revolutionary Socialist (though opponent of the Socialist Party) as well as industrial unionist. Smith often wrote about the “Yellows” of the Socialist Party, highlighting the activity of the “Reds” in their organization to shame them.

‘Respectable “Socialists” Too Respectable for the I.W.W.’ by Walker C. Smith from Industrial Worker. Vol. 3. No. 33. November 9, 1911.

‘Kansas City Has Been Placed on the Map’ by Walker C Smith

Kansas City is built on a bluff, but they can’t bluff the I.W.W.

The I.W.W. has succeeded in putting K.C. on the map and today in that hilly village the principal topic of conversation is the One Big Fighting Union of the working class.

It is conceded that the authorities had to back down and they made quite a neat job of it. Chief of Police Griffin. Judge Burney and Clark, together with the public persecutor, saved their face through the medium of the Board of Public Welfare. This board consists of well meaning, old fossils, recently retired from the cockroach strata of society, who spend their lime and the “dear public’s” money in sprinkling cologne on the dunghills of capitalism or in poulticing boils on the body politic. With the threat of “ONE THOUSAND MEN FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER AT LEED’S FARM” haunting them like a spectre, these souphouse reformers went straight up in the air. Kansas City under normal conditions cannot care for its “unfortunates” and the present business depression, coupled with a threatened I.W.W. invasion made these sentimental gentlemen throw up their lily white hands in holy horror.

On Wednesday night with six arrests, the “hobo agitators” numbered two dozen. These boys were kangarooed to the tune of $500 each for which they thanked the judge in sarcastic terms. One of them, charged with speaking on the street so as to blockade traffic, stutters so it took him several minutes to tell his name and occupation. Trifles like this, however, never block the road of capitalist justice. This last haul filled all available space at the municipal farm and since then no further arrests have been made, although the meetings are being held exactly as heretofore. On Friday night the speaking started at Sixth and Main, as usual, and the box was moved up to 12^th and Grand. This is the busiest section and the crowd that had followed the speakers and singers, together with those who quickly gathered, became so large as to block traffic—for the first time. Doyle, Saunders, Lyons and myself were the speakers and the cop on the beat—well, he beat it, accompanied by the jeers of the crowd. Saturday was spent in putting out “Bulletin No. 1,” which was a statement of the position of the I.W.W. On Saturday morning G.E.B. member Tom Halcro, and I, went to the board to get a permit to see the boys on Sunday. We were told to return at 3 p.m. and upon doing so were taken down to the office of the chief of police.

Some of the members of the board were there and they endeavored to manoeuver it into a conference with Halcro and myself protesting that we had no power to take action and telling them that the men in jail were the only ones who could settle the fight. Notwithstanding this the conference continued for three hours and assumed the appearance of a treaty council between equal powers. It conclusively demonstrated the tremendous power of organized might and clearly showed that we are building the new society within the shell the old. We are gaining general recognition as a fighting force disputing1 control with tine powers that be. The court stenographer was present and took down notes until Halcro and I launched into a detailed explanation of the aims and objects of the I.W.W. in which discussion he became so interested as to forget his work. Each of us spoke about fifteen minutes, showing how improved machinery, subdivision of labor and trustified methods had produced a class with no property except their labor power, and how the I.W.W. proposed to organize this labor power. In answer to questions we stated that we regarded the flag just as we would any other piece of cloth, for we “had no country” but were citizens of the world. We laughed at their endeavor to connect the death of Sullivan of Spokane with the I.W.W. and told them that what we meant when we said “We’ve got the goat of the chief of police” of K.C. was that the police department had cold feet and was nor arresting men for doing the same thing the incarcerated agitators had done. Halcro gave a good explanation of what is meant by the term “revolution.” He said that free speech was the safety’ valve of discontent and if that were denied the workers could not be educated and organized. This stops all possible chance of a peaceable solution and the result would be a bloody revolution and the destruction of that which had required centuries to build. When we had finished the chief dropped his former attitude, offered us cigars, and commenced to praise us saying we were too intelligent to be in such a movement without having some immediate personal purpose.

He wound up by saying something to this effect: “Let us be man to man—just what is your game anyway?” When we stood by our guns he seemed greatly surprised and to cover his confusion the head of the board of public welfare stepped forward and proposed to parole the men. The rules were let down so that Halcro could carry the proposal to the whole bunch in jail and he saw them Sunday afternoon. The boys signed the paroles and according to present advices will be released on Wednesday.

This means that the I.W.W. can speak on any corner in Kansas City, without securing a permit of any kind, where such meetings will not endanger the life and limb of passersby and where no valid objections are raised by abutting property owners. It means the I.W.W. has succeeded in maintaining the right of free speech in Kansas City and has parsed one milestone on the road to industrial freedom. Kansas City has been put on the map, along with Missoula, Spokane, Fresno. Superior and Philadelphia.

“Respectable Socialists’ by Walker C. Smith.

KANSAS CITY SOCIALIST TOO “RESPECTABLE” FOR I.W.W.—HAVE TOO MUCH TO LOSE TO FIGHT—WOULD APOLOGIZE TO POLICE CHIEF.

The Kansas City Socialist, recently, contained a fine article by Steckham regarding the free speech fight. Steckham belongs to the I.W.W. as well as to the Socialist party, and was arrested last Wednesday night in company with another S.P. member named Bowden.

The pinch was made by one of those malodorous maggots commonly known as “fly bulls” on information furnished by a cockroach barber who runs a scab shop at Sixth and Main streets. The two men were subsequently released but the arrest rankled in the breast of Steckham so that his language, in the article was in a manner strenuous. One parlor socialist, Rufus Bleistein by name, on Sunday, October 29, at the socialist city convention, brought forth a resolution against the article. He termed the article “highly improper, highhanded, disruptive, unwise and pernicious individualism, tending to bring the socialist party into disrepute and into unnecessary conflict with the city authorities”; unjust intimations regarding peanut politicians at the back door of the party, and wound up the screed by resolving “that we do hereby condemn said article and in the name of the socialist party of Kansas City do offer our apologies to the chief of police.” After considerable discussion a sidestepping substitute condemning the “scurulous” language was passed by a vote of 21 to 9. The chairman refused to accept an amendment to insert “unladylike” in place of “scurulous.” Borden said the socialist party did contain a bunch of peanut politicians and like other peanuts they needed roasting. He said that if the truth were known the Kansas City socialists had a streak of yellow up their backs resembling a flock of canary birds, and the revolution would probably find all of them hiding beneath their beds.

One of the ballot box maniacs said it was all right for the I.W.W. to fight this kind of a battle as they had nothing to lose. A motion to extend the I.W.W. the use of the S.P. headquarters should their hall be raided by the police, was lost after bitter discussion, 9 for and 21 against. Steckham immediately resigned all official connection with the socialist party so far as active work is concerned and stated that he retained his membership with a faint hope that the party might some day become revolutionary. And this class of shoddy bourgeoise are the ones who constantly prate about the shadow, the reflex, the shield, the political arm arid similar rot. The “political ring” seems to have been reduced to pinfeathers— or pinheads.

Socialists That Fight.

K.C. SOCIALISTS CRY “SHAME” AND GO TO JAIL–“YOUR ROOM IS READY” SAYS “BULL.”

Nearly five hundred persons gathered last night on the steep slope of Sixth street east of Main in expectation of the Industrial Workers of the World meeting. At 7:30 o’clock the meeting began and at 7:40 o’clock it was all over. Eight men were taken to the police station, including two members of the Socialist party, who were merely bystanders, but who were pointed out to the patrolmen by the two policemen not in uniform, who were among the crowd.

Four patrolmen “rushed” the speakers and four were dragged off to the jail amid the cheers of the spectators. Then a small man wearing glasses jumped into the center of the street.

“Wait a minute, fellow workingmen, this meeting isn’t over,” he shouted. “There are more of us willing to go to jail. We, the workingmen, built the jails and we, the workingmen, will live, in the jails. We…”

“All right come on. Your room is ready,” a patrolman interrupted, and he led the little man off. The crowd cheered wildly. But none appeared to further demonstrate the right of the workingman for “free speech,” and soon the crowd drifted elsewhere.

Three of the men arrested last night had just reached the city, brought here by the cry for help sent out when the police first began arresting the orators at Sixth and Main streets. One came from Minneapolis, another from St. Louis and the third from Spokane, Wash. The two Socialists arrested were N.J. Bowden, 1700 the Pasco, and C.F. Steckham, 2838 Raytown Road. Their cries of “shame” when the I.W.W. speakers were arrested brought down on their heads the wrath of the policemen.

The Industrial Union Bulletin, and the Industrial Worker were newspapers published by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) from 1907 until 1913. First printed in Joliet, Illinois, IUB incorporated The Voice of Labor, the newspaper of the American Labor Union which had joined the IWW, and another IWW affiliate, International Metal Worker.The Trautmann-DeLeon faction issued its weekly from March 1907. Soon after, De Leon would be expelled and Trautmann would continue IUB until March 1909. It was edited by A. S. Edwards. 1909, production moved to Spokane, Washington and became The Industrial Worker, “the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism.”

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/industrialworker/iw/v3n33-w137-nov-09-1911-IW.pdf