No. 1. Free Speech.
Whereas, The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States affirms that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances; and
Whereas, These rights have been and are being infringed on by officials and self-appointed critics, unnecessarily interfering with the free discusion of questions vital to the interests of the Republic: therefore be it
Resolved, that this Conference demands that such illegal interference cease forthwith.
No. 2. United Action.
Resolved, That this Conference call upon all the workers of the world, organized or unorganized, of all nationalities, creeds, color or sex, to united action and demand that, as they create all the wealth, they shall determine the conditions under which they shall work and live, unhampered and unhindered by the capitalist and master classes and that they do their utmost to eliminate these classes.
No. 3. Industries.
The conference urges that all public utilities and industries taken over by the Government be retained by it as public works to be used and democratically operated in the interests of the people and that Congress be memorialized accordingly.
No. 4. Profiteering.
The conference urges that all public utilities and industries taken over by the Government be retained by it as public works to be used and democratically operated in the interests of the people and that Congress be memorialized accordingly.
No. 5. Tax Land Values.
Since all means of life are derived from the land and profiteers are holding it out of use in these times of extreme need, we demand that Congress immediately enact and put into operation the necessary laws to secure the unearned increment thereof which has accrued and tax it in the future to the full extent of its rental value.
No. 6. Transportation To and From the Job.
Whereas, The seasonal and migratory workers have been in the past, and are now-prohibited from recuring work because they have not sufficient funds to take them to and from the job, and
Whereas, The need for such workers at the present time is imperative to do the necessary work so that all may have food, etc., be it
Resolved, That this Conference request the proper authorities to provide such free transportation both to and from the job; and if it is found that this is not possible under existing laws the Conference requests that Congress enact such laws as necessary to make it so.
No. 7. Women Workers.
Whereas, Conditions brought about by the war have forced women into many occupations in which, in peace time, they have never worked, therefore be it
Resolved, That this Committee, urges that every effort be made to organize these women so that they will secure maximum wages and the best possible conditions.
No. 8. Woman Suffrage.
This Conference indorses the Susan B. Anthony Amendment which has passed the House and urges that the Senate pass this democratic measure immediately upon resuming its sessions.
No. 9. The Tom Mooney Case.
This Conference urges a new trial for Tom Mooney and orders that telegrams be sent to the President of the United States, the Governor of California and the Federation of Labor of California in the following terms:
This Conference urges a new trial for Tom Mooney and urges that the life of this innocent man be spared. It requests the President to take the whole case out of the hands of the State of California and its officials, on the ground of Emergency Measure, in order that justice may be done.
No. 10. The British Labor Party.
This Conference endorses the Revolutionary spirit of the British Labor program and extends hearty greetings and co-operation.
No. 11. Russia.
This Conference recognizes the necessary struggles and travail through which Russia must pass on her journey toward a higher state of society.
We compliment the President on his message giving courage to the present Russian Government.
We urge the difference between the soviets and the present Russian leaders; the Soviet is all powerful and can change its servants at will.
If the Russian people desire the Soviet form of government, we have no fault to find with them.
We urge the President and the Department of State to act in the matter and help the Russian People in every possible manner.
No. 12. Vagrancy Laws.
WHEREAS, Advantage is being taken of the Vagrancy laws of the different States to shanghai men and to compel them to work for nothing or at wages much below the prevailing rates now being paid, asserting as a reason “War Necessity,” be it
Resolved, That this Conference condemns these practices and calls upon all State officials to cease such practices and in the event that they refuse to do so we recommend that those resorting to such methods to obtain workers in industries, that they be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and be it further
Resolved, That we demand that the Vagrancy Laws of the various States be repealed or so modified that the workers shall not be subjected to unnecessary hardships or subjected to fine or imprisonment when seeking work.
Proud and haughty.
On my way to prison writes a correspondent for the purpose of visiting in conscientious objector, I was joined by another woman. We began to exchange confidences, in reply to a question I said: “I’m going to see a conscientious objector.”
Her Nose turned up with ineffable scorn and she said: “A conscientious objector. Thank heaven, my man’s not one of them things!” and then she added proudly, “He’s in for forgery.” – Manchester Guardian
Life of “Bo” part toil, part play, but mostly roaming.
“inherent in every man, beneath rags and dirt behind bigotry and prejudice, clouded by ‘isms’ and dogma, there is the good. To find this good, the divine spark, by tolerance and unselfish service, by education and justice to achieve the universal brotherhood, the co-operative commonwealth; often by faltering steps, and slow, but ever upward, to reach the ideal, always of necessity through the practical, the international brotherhood welfare association makes these, it laws, and announces its purpose to govern itself.”
Such is the preamble of the book of laws of the association of the above name, in annual session in this city, its members cat themselves hoboes. is it not surprising to find an organization of hoboes governed by such ideas as are set forth in the preamble? Would you ordinarily accuse a hobo of penning such lines? therefore, the question of what is a hobo and when does a hobo differ from a tramp, a weary willie” or a “gandy dancer.” Our old friend Webster says a hobo is “a professional tramp; one who spends his life wandering from place to place, especially by stealing rides on trains and begging for a living.” Webster is pretty good authority, but it does no harm to ask the organization that sponsors the hobo what its official definition of a hobo is, this is the answer: A hobo is a man who believes that somewhere in this world his opportunity is awaiting him, but that it will not come to him, therefore he must search for it and, in searching, must do enough work to make himself self-supporting to such an extent as the present social order will permit. that to establish himself in any one place permanently unless he has found the great opportunity would be merely to enslave himself to some task. narrow his understanding of the world and its people and shut him off from the great opportunity. it is claimed by the officers of this association that the hoboes are not a socialistic class, but are non-sectarian, non-political and wholly democratic. There are distinct clans. There are the “gandy dancers,” or the men who “walk the ties” from place to place, the shovel stiffs” are pick and shovel laborers, moving from one job to another, then there are the hoboes who follow the harvest fields it is claimed that the hobo is not an idler nor a law violator. He is not a tramp in the sense that he prefers to live without working, the hobo always works when he can find work that he likes and where he likes, if one would be on good terms with the brotherhood one must not class the “peripatetic” burglar, the bare-house stiffs,” nor the ‘mission stiffs”
with the hoboes. The “peripatetic” burglar is nothing more or less Non descripts who hang about the
than a yeggman. Nondescripts who hang about the lowest grogshops and gain a precarious living by “pan-handling” are “barrel-house stiffs.”
“Mission stiffs” are more to be pitied than censured, according to a real gentleman hobo. This class of migratory beings makes a business of being converted in missions for the sake of the loaves and fishes.
When a hobo has passed into the autumn of his life, the rods ride hard, the tracks seem as long as eternity and the elements beat hard upon him he becomes a “home guard.” In other words, he selects a likely town or city and spends his declining years doing odd jobs.
A good hobo never steals. He often finds his purse gaunt and his stomach equally so and, meeting a “dude,” “goes on the stem for a flop,” or, to translate, he begs a dime. A clever hobo can usually combine all his desires best by approaching a comfortable homestead and saying:
“Please ma’am, will you give me a drink of water, I am so hungry I don’t know where I’m going to sleep tonight.”
The association is in session to formulate plans for that indefinite period known as “after the war,” to ask the Government for free transportation to and from harvest fields and to adopt resolutions supporting the Government in the war, but demanding that all forms of autocracy be eliminated.
Before the war the membership of this organization was 60,000, but as 50 per cent were men between the ages of 21 and 31 they are in the service.”And that’s where they ought to be,” said an official, “for is not the soldier a migratory being?”