The class war in Maine. ‘If ever a strike was unavoidable and justified this one certainly is,’ so says organizer Sam French of the walkout by workers at a Maine textile mill against atrocious conditions, including routine sexual harassment of women and girls.

‘Strike in Skowhegan, Maine’ by Sam French from The Weekly People. Vol. 16 No. 47. February 16, 1907.

I.W.W. TEXTILE WORKERS IN CONTEST WITH LOCAL CAPITALISTS.

Marston Mills Closed Down After an Unprecedented Amount of Ill-Treatment and Degradation–All Hands Go Out For Right to Organize–French’s Letter on Situation.

Chicago, February 6. The General Executive Board of the Industrial Workers of the World has issued the following circular:

A FIGHT AT SKOWHEGAN!

The Industrial Workers of the World Resist the Oppressions and Brutalities of Employers.

To I.W.W. Men and Women Everywhere!

Fellow Workers:

Organizer Sam French was sent to Skowhegan last week. His report is published below. When the letter arrived at headquarters today we considered it the strongest appeal we could send out. You well understand how a special effort is needed to help our fellow workers in fights that are inevitable. Send what help you can and send It quickly. Address contributions to Sam J. French, Skowhegan House, Skowhegan, Maine and notify W.E. Trautmann, 310 Bush Temple, Chicago.

Chicago, February 2, 1907.

LETTER FROM ORGANIZER SAM FRENCH.

In all the mill strikes ever seen this one is assuredly the best display of industrial solidarity that ever occurred.

There are about 175 involved in the strike all of them with 4 or 5 exceptions now members of the Local.

The Marston Mills in which the trouble occurred are owned by local cockroach capitalists of whom one Wallace Blunt is the President. The mill has always had a bum record and Blunt has boasted of his ability to keep unions out and smash them if they attempted to come in. Grievances innumerable have always existed, for instance in summer the windows were nailed down to keep the women from opening them and recently when the thermometer was ranging from zero to 46 below the weavers had to work without any heat. They had to put on so many wraps and clothing even to binding strips of cloth around their feet, that they finally couldn’t work until steam heat was furnished sufficient to make the place fit to work in. And they go to work at 6 a.m. in this weather–isn’t that the limit?

The trouble came about in the following manner: The women in the finishing room joined the Local. The next morning one of the most active of the girls, a good worker who has been employed there off and on for a number of years and made as good wages as anyone in there, was discharged on the pretext that she had spoiled a piece of cloth by bad mending. Of course, a committee took the matter up and asked to see the cloth that the bosses claimed had been spoiled. The bosses refused to show the goods but claimed that the work was spoiled. It was customary to put meeting notices up in the mill, but now when a notice was put up the officials of the mill tore it down and declared with reference to the case of the victimized girl that they would not listen to or have anything to do with any committee from the union or their employes.

The following Sunday Paul Vandoorne was here and a good meeting was held which had a good effect on the members who were in hope that trouble could be warded off until spring, or till organizations had been started in other woolen centers, but the next morning 42 men were laid off indefinitely on the claim that business had suddenly become slack. Although everyone knew that the mill was loaded with orders and had been advertising right along for weavers and in fact were now surreptitiously seeking weavers.

Every worker, man, women, boy and girl in the mill, including the engineer and fireman walked out of the mill and went home. The fireman blew the steam out of the pipes and pulled the fires from under the boilers and inside of an hour the temperature of the boiler room was some 23 below zero–everybody has skidooed and the poor overworked bosses had to go down and get up steam and stay all night in the mill to keep the place from being ruined by the frost. The engineer who Is also the machinist and electrician walked out and went to the hall with the rest of the workers. Such a united move certainly never occurred before in a woolen mill and if the bosses had realized that the spirit of the I.W.W. had so permeated the employes, they would undoubtedly, have hesitated to put the screws on so swiftly. The strikers are a splendid group of workers and have the respect of the workers and people as a whole in this vicinity. This is the result of good propaganda work carried on by Comrades Wright and Hapgood and their friends who are S.P. men–but oh, how different from the New York bunch of S.P.ites. These men are clear and honest and have the confidence of the workers. Wright is a good organizer and has done excellent work. In getting the workers together and holding them in line.

The others declared that if these men were to be locked out in this manner that the concern would have to lock all hands out. There was no other stand to take in the face of the fact that this move of the bosses was a ruthless attempt to crush the life out of the union of the employes. This decision was arrived at about 2:30 in the afternoon and thereupon there occurred the most splendid display of Industrial solidarity that ever occurred in a woolen mill.

Everybody is sticking like a brick and my presence here has encouraged them greatly. All kinds of rumors had been spread by the Company lackeys that the I.W.W. wouldn’t stand by the strikers and that it didn’t amount to anything anyway. It would have done you good to have seen the reception I got when I spoke to them on Sunday afternoon. Every afternoon we hold a meeting in the hall and the display of enthusiastic optimism is inspiring. Myself and Wright instruct and encourage them and work up all the plans we can think of to work for a successful outcome, and in this we have the hearty co-operation of all the active members who show a fine spirit. We have gotten out circulars and given our side to the newspapers and are spreading a correct knowledge of our position throughout the whole district. Some of the young men and women have gone to work in other towns in Maine and Massachusetts, so as to avoid being a burden on the relief committee in case the fight is prolonged. Those who are not out on committee work following the afternoon meetings enjoy themselves dancing and singing in the hall. They have a plano, violin, accordion and graphophone in the hall and both Americans and French are a good-humored crowd. If we get together enough money next week to be able to relieve those who will begin to be stuck for money this spirit can be kept up. There will be others willing to go to other towns to work, if we can furnish them their fare as we have already done in a few cases. A concert and ball will be held, which will help some, and we have started out a series of collection books in charge of the relief committee which will bring in some ready cash for immediate needs. I am establishing connections in Massachusetts and Rhode Island where we can send collection books and tickets for the sale of an oil painting donated by one of the comrades who is considerable of an artist.

This strike can be won and it MUST be won. The prestige this local through its active men like Wright, Hapwood and others has gained in this vicinity for the I.W.W., and the absence of such adverse influences as labor fakirs or pure and simple Socialists gives us a great field to work in. If we win this strike all Skowhegan, Madison, Fairfield and Vassalboro shops, not only in the woolen and worsted but in other trades as well can be organized. What is left of the pure and simple unions. In this town are co-operating with us in a Moyer-Haywood protest meeting which we have arranged for next Sunday afternoon and which will be a great opportunity for I.W.W. propaganda. All I have talked with in the various trades agree that the I.W.W. Is the proper thing and that it would be a splendid thing to have this whole district organized in it. The shoe factory here which has some 350 hands I believe can organize at once. I was to Madison today with Wright and got the paper mill employes interested. They have two unions–Sulphite workers and Paper makers. They agreed that they would be stronger with only one on the I.W.W. plan. I am to get the floor at next week’s meeting of the Sulphite workers union. A crowd of them will be down on Sunday. We are to send three collectors among them on pay day. The woolen workers up there are not organized and its up to us to organize them. As this cockroach concern in Skowhegan cannot stand beg shut down for any long period without going into bankruptcy it is only question of how much funds we can get and how soon we can get them, in order to win this strike. It will mean the reaping of a wonderful harvest in this state where a strike has never been won by the A. F. of L. and where the A. F. of L. cuts a very little figure, thus leaving the field open for us to sweep if we can tackle it in a systematic campaign. If you are in a position to keep one in the field, I believe I could bring you quicker and better returns from here, than by going elsewhere.

The following statement was issued and sent to Mr. Blunt yesterday by registered mail. It is self-explanatory except as to the discharge of North Wallace J. Blunt,

Marston Mills, Skowhegan, Me. Sir:

In view of the fact that we, have been given to understand that the officials of the Marston Mill have alleged that they do not know what the employes are on strike for, and that no declaration of their position or demand, has been made by them, we have decided in order to remove all differences from the situation and to give you no further chance to continue to imagine that you do not know what we want to authorize our committee, whose names are here appended, to send to you this note thereby informing you that our position is that we demand:

1st, That all those employed at the Marston Mills on January 7th, 1907, be reinstated.

2nd, That the fining system in the finishing room be abolished.

3rd, That Charles North, overseer of the finishing room be discharged.

4th, That the many minor grievances be discussed and settled.

5th, that a committee of employes to be elected for the purpose of aiding in adjustment of any grievances that may arise, be recognized and treated with by the mill officials, whenever a grievance is referred to it by anyone or all of the employes.

A statement containing the above letter will be sent broadcast so that it will be up to Blunt to cut out saying that the strikers are out without saying what they want. If ever a strike was unavoidable and justified this one certainly is.

In the finishing room a girl would be fined for poor work and then after the greater portion of her pay was held back for the fine, she was compelled to do the work over again for nothing. Thus it paid the Company to have a girl so bothered that she did the work poorly the first time, since by this system when the cloth was mended over again it cost them nothing. Downright robbery! Then to cap the climax. Overseer North was the kind of human brute that would say to a girl; “Here damn you, if you don’t do better than this I’ll stick my finger up your…and turn your…around and bring you to your senses.”

If any women of my family worked for him, I think I’d want to do more than merely having him discharged. Everyone claims that North’s influence has been the main cause of the mill having become such a rotten joint to work in. He boasted when the union was first started that it would be smashed up the same as the S.T. and L.A. and all previous unions were in that mill. But there is a better class of workers on it now than there ever was and he’ll have his hands full this time.

As usual, the press and pulpit has misrepresented the strikers. Father La Croix at mass last Sunday denounced the out-of-town bums who come here and stir up trouble and said that if the thing became serious and the militia were to be called out, he would be willing to fire the first gun himself.

We roasted him in the meeting in the afternoon and his own parishioners applauded us, which is a good sign. He will lose more than he will gain by that attitude, thanks to I.W.W. and Socialist propaganda.

Now fellow workers, take my word for it, this is a grand chance for us to show what we’re made of. Back us up here and the I.W.W. will be put on its feet in Maine. Urge the Schenectady boys and the mine workers to aid us with all the funds they possibly can at once. The thing is vital and must be carried through successfully.

From now on I will drop a short note every day and let you know how things are going.

Hoping for success, I remain fraternally,

Sam J. French,

Skowhegan House, Skowhegan, Me. Further comment superfluous. Workers, come to the rescue! Send contributions to Sam J. French, Skowhegan House, Skowhegan, Maine.

New York Labor News Company was the publishing house of the Socialist Labor Party and their paper The People. The People was the official paper of the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP), established in New York City in 1891 as a weekly. The New York SLP, and The People, were dominated Daniel De Leon and his supporters, the dominant ideological leader of the SLP from the 1890s until the time of his death. The People became a daily in 1900. It’s first editor was the French socialist Lucien Sanial who was quickly replaced by De Leon who held the position until his death in 1914. Morris Hillquit and Henry Slobodin, future leaders of the Socialist Party of America were writers before their split from the SLP in 1899. For a while there were two SLPs and two Peoples, requiring a legal case to determine ownership. Eventual the anti-De Leonist produced what would become the New York Call and became the Social Democratic, later Socialist, Party. The De Leonist The People continued publishing until 2008.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/the-people-slp/070216-weeklypeople-v16n47.pdf