Short Excerpt from CHAPTER FOUR
Mother Jones and the Bloodshed in the Southern West Virginia Coalfields
When Mother Jones was put on the stand, Judge Jackson asked her if she gave such advice to the miners telling them to use violence. She replied, “You know, sir, that it would be suicidal for me to make such a statement in public. I am more careful than that. You’ve been on the bench forty years, have you not, judge?” When Judge Jackson said “Yes,” Mother Jones proceeded to ask him, “And in forty years you learn to discern between a lie and the truth, judge?” Following the exchange, the United States Attorney jumped to his feet shaking his finger at her and said, “Your honor–there is the most dangerous woman in the country today. She called your honor a scab. But I will recommend mercy of the court–if she will consent to leave the state and never return.” Mother Jones replied that she didn’t come into the court asking for mercy, but that she came there looking for justice, adding, “And I will not leave this state so long as there is a single little child that asks me to stay and fight his battle for bread.”To read Chapter Four in its entirety, get your copy of "Don't Buy Another Vote. I Won't Pay for a Landslide." today!
