Mother Jones Speaking in Montgomery, West Virginia
- Title
- Mother Jones Speaking in Montgomery, West Virginia
- Description
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Photograph postcard of labor organizer Mother Jones speaking at a gathering in Montgomery, West Virginia (not far from Paint Creek) in 1912. Her audience included Black and white men, women, and children. Her speech that day stirred inspiration to keep up the rebellion: “I don’t care how much martial law the Governor of West Virginia proclaims. I have had martial law proclaimed where I was more than once, but I didn’t stop fighting… If they proclaim martial law, bury your guns. You can tell [the governor] that if you see him” (Ayers & Savage, 2018).
She traveled throughout the area making appearances and, in the following days, went on to give a similar speech to Cabin Creek miners, turning a strictly nonunion area into a pro-union district ready to follow Paint Creek’s lead by striking in demand of union recognition. - Source
- WVRHC OnView 037994
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- Community Resistance
