[MIG HT IS R IGHT |O i I PerIOr anizaCion Ls oo
THTE UMBERJ Co
"AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL"
VOI, , I I. ALEXANDRIA, LA., THURSDAY, JAN. 9, 1913. NUMBER
THE STRIKE AT MERRYVILL
The strike at .lcrrvville is still on. It has been on sixty
days now. The boys still have the plant closed down tight.
Nothing but starvation can whvip them, and this is the game
the Association i, trying to, play.
TO ARM.S, YO(I REIELS!
'his %trike at Merryville ia a batl to maintain rights old
cr than o rtanized s')ciety its'lf . In forcTing it the Iiuml ber
Kings have chalrlenge civilization itself. for the strike was
brought on hv the order of the American I ,umber C'ompanv
discharging every man who w\as in any way, even as a wit
nces., connected \ ith the defense in the (;rahow trial. For
this o,rder the I'nion-hatin.g Santa Fe Railroad is responsi
PEONAGE AT MERRY VILLE
.We understand that certain imaginary officials of the
imaginary State of Louisiana have denied that anything even I
savoring of peonage exists at Merryville, so we submit to the I
people of the world the following affidavits, which need no
comment to prove our contention:
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Parish of Calcasieu.
Before me, James C. Meadows, a Notary Public in and
for the Parish of Calcasieu, State of Louisiana, on this day
personally came and appeared Joe Jones, who, upon his
oath deposes and says: That he was approached by a colored
man on Orleans Street, Beaumont, who told him that they
wanted hands at Merryville, La., for a new job; he was told
that he would receive his pay every Monday night, but
Monday night is passed and no pay.
That when he came to Merryville, La., he was put to
work in a mill that was inclosed in a plank wall about eight
feet highi that he and others worked under an armed guard;
said guards kept watch on them everywhere they went, and
at night; that he was sick and wanted to come in town to get
some medicine; that one of the guards at the gate told him he
could not get hack without a pass, and they (the guards)
would not let him come out till he worked a while and until
they found out he was sick. After getting out he would not
go back. He said they certainly made them work hard for
the price of $ .7, per day, and that they charged them $4.rY)
per we( k board.
tHe said that you could not get out of the inclosure unless
tou had a pass.
His
Attest: JOE X JON ES.
J. A. MARTIN. Mark
11. T. PENSON.
Sworn to and subscribed before me in the presence of J.
A. Mlartin and H..T. Penson, lawful witnesses, this i th day
of Dec., 1912. JAMES C. MIEAIOWS,
(Seal) Notarv Public.
o-
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Parish of ('alcasieu.
Beforec me. JIames C. Meadows, a Notary Public in and
for the Parish of Calcasieu, State of Louisiana, personally
came and appeared R. I. Aycock, who upon his oath deposes
and says that he was helping to fire at night at saw mill "B."
That he was working between the 17th and i6th day of No
vember, t'92, after the strike at lcerrvville, when during a
conversation with one of the guardis, he (the guard) said "he
would he glad if some of them g ( d n B. of T. WV. would
start something he woul\\ d like ti kill some of them, to set an
SI'ANl) ['.'1'. IBOYS!
'hicago, Ill., January 4th, 1913.
Mr. Covington Hall.
Alexandria. l.a.
Fellow \orker :
Your wire ,of the ;rdt inrt. at hand and ,,Intcnts of the
same carefully iH( tcd. In rcplI will state that a spec ial ap
peal has been sent to all local: to make an extra effort to Qend
funds into Merrvville local. All H.ayw:od lMeetings West.
are to he used to collect funds. With best wishes, I am
Yours for Industrial Freedom,
VINCENT ST. JOHN,
Gen. Sec'y-Treas., I. W. W.
ble. It is backing the Southern Lumber Operators Associa
tion in its savage war to destroy all labor organizations, re
gardless of affiliation, in the South. Therefore, we contend
that the fight being made by our Union at Merryville has be
come the concern of every Labor Union on earth, of every
workin, man, woman and chill, of every lover of human
liberty in the world.
ARISEI
I)on't let these splendid fighters at Mlerryville be starved
back into submission. )Don't le, the Union-haters and liber
tv-crucifiers re-establish the old race-destroying peon system
in Western ILouisiana. Help these fighting lumberjacks to
example, like they did at Grabow." He says to me, "you see t
George Gardiner or Jim Estes and be sworn in and help ,,s w
kill them." George Gardiner would get us out of it.
R. L. AYCOCK.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 18th day of Dec.,
A. D., 1912. JAS. C. MEADOWS. a
(Seal)
Statement of N. T. Smiley and Wm. Marsh Under Oath.
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Parish of Calcasieu.
A Mr. Smith came to me (N. T. Smiley) and my friend fi
(Wm. Marsh) and asked us if we wanted to work at Merry- d
ville, and we said yes, wc wi~tu uork. And then we asked v
about the conditions at Merryville and he (Smith) said there e
was no strike and no trouble at all and also said there was no a
stockade to put us in after we got there. In order to verify tl
his (Smith's) statement he taken us before Gus. Martin (dep- v
uty sheriff) and had him tell us that everything Smith said n
was true. They then taken us on a train at DeRidder to come
to lerrvville, and then the train stopped at a cut some place c
between Neal and Merryville and he (Smith) told us to get I
off; so we got off and were met by some strikers who told us e
the strike was on, and after Smith strapped a big long six- t
shooter on him, we told him he told us a lie, and he said noth- t
ing, so we went on to town and found the conditions just the r
opposite of what Smith told us. )
And a man who said he was a deputy sheriff and had t
charge of a gate to the stockade, said no man could go in or %
out without a pass issued by one James L. Estes for the Am. I
Lbhr. Co.
NATHAN THOMAS SMILEY,
WILLIAM MARSH.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 19th day of Dec..
1912. JAM1ES C. MEADOWS,
(Seal) Notary Public. I
----0
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Parish of Calcasieu.
Before me, James C. Meadows, Notary Public, in and
for theParish of Calcaiseu, State of Louisiana, on this day
; personally came and appeared E. B. Sanford, who upon his
' ath deposes, and says: That he came to NIerryville about io
ldays ago and that he got a job with the American Lumber
S'Co.; that he received a pass from said company entitling him
to pass at any point in the work day or night. That they told
l him that the wages paid was two dollars per day and up, but
Sthat they paid him $r.y7 andl down to $1.;o per day. That
A New Year's Call
-O---
To All Members of Forest and Lumber \Vorkers.
Fellow Workers: For weeks and weeks the brave Lum
berjacks have been on strike at Tlerryville, ILa. They have!
stoodl together as one man against Peonage and the Black-list,
of the American Lumber Co. The strikers aim to win and
they will win the Tlerrvville strike if only you will answer
their call for help to feed their hungry wives and babies.
They do not beg you, they Appeal to you for funds to keep
them from actual starvation and they will carry this strike
on to victory. Call a meeting of the members of your local,
call on all workers who are not members, give them all a
chance to contribute to the strikers. Form committees on
every job for the purpose of raising funds and sending the
same to the fighting Lumberjacks at Merryville. Remem
win the fight for liberty through all the South. Hear and
heed their call tor help for, mingled with it is the cry of the
child peons in the cotton mills and canning factories, the sob
of the baby convicts of the cruel Southern Oligarchy! Broth
crs and sisters of our Mother Labor, we appeal to you to act,
and art at once! Rush funds and provisions into Merryville
Ioday. Do not put it off until tomorrow, for tomorrow may
never come! DO IT NOW! Send all funds and provisions
to Lee Lovejoy, Financial Secretary, Merryville, La.
Register all letters containing funds, else they may never
icach destination, for the law-abiding Lumber Kings are
sabotaging our mail.
Get Busy! United we stand-divided we fall!
they had guards all over the works; if you wasn't busy at
work, you would have to show your pass to every guard you
.net. That they did not fail to work a man for his money.
E. B. SANFORD.
Sworn: to and subscribed before me, James C. Meadows,
at Merryvilh La., this 31 day of Dec., A. D., 1912.
JAMES C. MEADOWS,
(Seal) Notary Public.
- -o---
flerryville, La., 12112112.
Before me, James C. Meadoi - a Notary Public in and
for the Parish of Calcasieu and State of Louisiana, on this
day personally came and appeared appcared Dee Sampson,
who upon his oath, deposes, and says: That he was approach
ed by one Williams, on Orleans Street, Beaumont, Texas, who
asked him if he did not want to go to Merryville, to saw mill,
that he would receive $1.75 or $2.00 per day, and that if he
was a good man he would receive a raise. That he in compa
ny with others got aboard at Beaumont and came through to
Merryville. That about two miles from Merryville a man
came through the train and fastened down the windows and
locked the doors. The conductor asked this man why he lock
ed the doors; he answered, to keep any one from coming into
the coach and talking with them; then the conductor told him
that if he wanted his men he would have to guard them. This
man then unlocked the doors. When the train was pulled be
yond the station or between stations, when he with others was
taken off the train and guarded with guns into the stockade
with guns. Hsi
Attest: DEE X SIMPSON.
ED. LEHMAN, Mark
C. T. BELT,
J. C. FURZIA.
At the same time and place Louis Olande, who upon his
oath says that the above statements are true and correct, and
that in addition to above, says, J. L. Estes told them not to be
afraid; that before any harm could come to them there would
he some shooting done, and when they were placed inside the
stocskade, he told them they were safe.
That during the time he was in the stockade he saw the
guards whip two colored fellows because they wanted to get
out.
Attest: * LOUIS ORLANDE.
ED. LEHMAN,
C. T. BELT,
J. C. FRUZIA.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 12th day of Dec.,
A. D., 1912. JAMES C. MEADOWS.
(Seal) Notary Public.
her, an injury to one is a concern of all; every struggle won
by workers is one step nearer industrial freedom. Send
donations to Lee Lovejoy, Secretary Strike Committee, Mer
rvville, La. JAY SMITH,
Sec'y Southern Dis't.
t
1l Trees don't care who fell them. Th'ey make just as good
r lumber when felled by the hands of a negro, a Hindoo, or any
o. ther race, as when coming from the hands of a white Ameri
p can citizen. In hiring men, employers pick according to mus
e i cle and skill, not nationality. The interests of all who work
I. in the woods and mills are the same.-The Industrial Work
aer('
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