Industrial Workers of the World

"Behind the Bars"

A glorious Sunday afternoon - I look out on glorious sunshine - through the bars of my little eight by four cell. I am thinking of many things. Frequently I hear childrens voices (my cell overlooks a lane), Sunday School children I suppose. I strain and pear through the bars but cannot see them. The childrens prattle grows fainter and fainter and finaly dies away.

A motor hums past; then a tram-car rattles by and all is silent again. I sit on the hammock, put my feet on the opposite wall and try to read Mathew Arnold.

I am disturbed. Many clattering footsteps pass my cell door, the other prisoners going to church, and present I hear the droning of the sermon. I am glad I am spared the mental torture of attending church, for the words no religion are written in large letters on my door.

Again I try to read and again I am disturbed, but this time it is my own turbulent, uncontrolled thoughts that surge through my mind.

Sunday afternoon. How is the Local?

How are the boys on the wharf?

How is the outside world and how are the twelve rebels in the East ? All the local incidents of the class struggle fly like ghostly shadows to and fro in my mind.

Grand old Monty goes East to carry our fiery cross - as industrial "Peter the Hermit" - to rally the working class forces for the Crussade, not to wrest Jerusalem from the Turk, but to snatch the twelve rebels from the master's bastille.

What shall we do ?

What did Galilao do ? What did Bruno do ?

What has every true man done, who has been inspired with a truth, they keep on with courage and persistancy until they change the minds of men. What others have done the I.W.W. can do. Is the class struggle less a truth than the law of gravitation ? Did jail, torture or death cow those who fought for religious differentiation ? Did jail and deportation stay early trade unionism ? And what shall we do ?

What have the workers ever done, as the final means, to release their fellow workers but shown their industrial might.

The humblest worker can help in this. The humblest worker can give his moral, financial and physical support in saying "These men shall be released." Fifteen years - hell it makes me shudder to think of it. Fifteen years of this - behind the bars. No that can never be; rather we will make it fifteen years of the bitterest working class activity and agitation the world has ever known. Working class freedom always relies upon working class courage. The human mind is susseptible to reason and change - in that rests progress. With persistant action we can say with Arnold "Might is right 'till Right is Ready" and then when the light of knowledge as lit up the minds of enough workers they will insist -

Circumstances and numbers will decide the exact details for the releas of those behind bars. And this I solicquolise in my little narrow cell. The glorious sun is sinking low now. I am happy. I am glad. The ruling class has been unable to jail my ideas. I finish the day by humming over to myself a few rebel songs and thus closes a glorious Sunday afternoon - behind the bars.

Lletwaskcim Direct Action 21 July 1917