For the Industrial Workers of the World, 1914 was a year overshadowed by arrests, convictions, and unemployment. As the sharp recession that began in 1913 cast millions of American workers into the ranks of the unemployed, the IWW turned much of its energy to organizing demonstrations demanding relief for the hungry and unemployed. Fewer than in previous years, some strikes were successful and new free speech campaigns were launched in various western states. The arrest and trial of Wobbly troubadour Joe Hill was closely followed throughout the year in the pages Solidarity. The Industrial Worker had ceased publishing in late 1913.

What follows is a collection of notable events and situations that dominated the pages of Solidarity in 1914.

Strikes: It is tough to organize and win strikes in a climate of high unemployment, but the IWW was involved in several dozen job actions including street car workers in Buffalo, railroad workers in Sacramento, dock workers in Philadelphia, shoe workers in St. Louis, newsboys in Saskatoon, and perhaps most interesting, motion picture workers employed by Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

Free speech: From Juneau Alaska to Tarrytown, New York, free speech battles continue to be an important focus. Now that the IWW is organizing unemployed workers, police crackdowns become more frequent. While several fights end badly, the IWW wins its battle with authorities in Des Moines.

Ford and Suhr: In January, Solidarity headlines called for members to rally in support of fellow workers who had been arrested and harmed in events such as the Wheatland hop riot. In particular, Richard Ford and Herman Suhr were two I.W.W. leaders who were charged with murder for their role in events that led to the hop riot. In June, the paper began to advertise a general strike of hop-pickers with a demand for the release of Ford and Suhr. The hop pickers’ strike ends on September 1st with Ford and Suhr still in jail.

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Joe Hill: The IWW song writer and organizer was arrested in Salt Lake City on January 10th, accused of the murder of a grocer, former police officer J.G. Morrison, and his son in Salt Lake City. Hill was arrested after the authorities learned that he had been treated for a bullet wound the night of the shooting and was later identified by Morrison’s second son. He was convicted of first-degree murder on June 27th and sentenced to death. After some reports of failed appeals, the year ends without much certainty of Hill’s fate.

The Unemployed: The IWW made concerted efforts to organize unemployed workers to demand jobs and adequate relief. In February, Detroit police attacked and clubbed marchers who demanded “WORK—NOT CHARITY.” In March, 90 men, calling themselves Kelly’s Army, boarded freights in San Francisco in what they hoped would be massive cross country mobilization of unemployed workers heading for Washington DC. Demonstrations take place later in the year in New Jersey and Minneapolis, while in Seattle Wobs organize the Unemployed League of the Pacific Coast.

Debate: In July, after an explosion in New York City was alleged to have been caused by I.W.W. leadership, a printed debate appeared over several issues between members Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Joseph J. Ettor touched on some of the questions of legitimacy and solidarity. The debate began when Ettor attempted to dispel the rumors of I.W.W. involvement in a way that appeared to repudiate Arthur Caron, a known anarchist who was killed in the explosion, by saying that the I.W.W. denied him membership because he did not even have a job. This initial article spurred a conversation about whether having employment was a necessary condition of being an I.W.W. as well as the causes and legitimacy of violence in a violent society.

Date	Article title	Place	State	event description	Source
1/2/1914	Capitalist Murder in Shelton	Shelton	Connecticut	A two-month-old child is dead of exposure and starvation after police and armed thugs broke into a striker's house and drag him and his wife to the police station, leaving their children alone in a house with broken windows. In addition, a rent strike is declared when a number of landlords send eviction notices to a number of strikers.	Solidarity
1/2/1914	Free Speech and Brutality in Kansas City	Kansas City	Missouri	After a week of demonstrations in the streets by local 61, policed begin to violently beat and arrest demonstrators. To escape police brutality, the local takes the event to a nicer neighborhood and arrests become more peaceful. 85 men are presently in jail and men and money are needed to support.	Solidarity
1/5/1914	Start Boycott on Free Eating House	San Francisco	California	IWW members boycott the free eating house because the kitchen employs non-union workers.	Salt Lake Tribune
1/10/1914	The Case of J. Hill	Salt Lake City	Utah	On January first, a former police officer, J.G. Morrison and his son were shot in their grocery store by two men wearing masks. Joe Hill, an I.W.W. member, was arrested four days later. He had been treated for a gunshot wound the day of the shooting.	Solidarity
01-10-1914	Joe Hill Arrested After Seeking Treatment for a Gunshot Wound	Salt Lake City	Utah	Joe Hill, an IWW member famous for his songs, sought treatment for a gunshot wound to the chest following an argument over a woman. Three days later he was arrested for the murder of a grocer and his son that had occurred the same night as his injury.	Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, 307-8
1/12/1914	Ettor Addresses the Strikers at Tacoma	Tacoma	Washington	IWW organizer Joseph Ettor addresses a crowd of striking smeltermen, encouraging them to continue their strike until they win their demands.	Salt Lake Tribune
1/24/1914	Hamilton-Brown Shoe Strike	St. Louis	Missouri	Strike still in progress	Solidarity
01-24-1914	Ford and Suhr Convicted for Murder of District Attorney	Marysville	California	Following the death of Yuba County District Attorney Manwell during a clash between workers and authorities, IWW members Richard Ford and Herman D. Suhr were convicted of starting the riot. Despite Suhr's mental handicap, both men were sentenced to life in Folsom State Penitentiary.	Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, 298
1/30/1914	Shelton Strike Ended	Sheltion	Connecticut	Mill worker's strike ends when a neutral committee headed by a socialist, S.E. Beardsley, decides that I.W.W. tactics are not helpful in the strike. Author calls out the committee a group of strike-breakers.	Solidarity
1/31/1914	Ford and Suhr Convicted	Marysville	California	Richard Ford and Herman Suhr are convicted of second degree murder for their part in leading the Wheatland hop riot.	Solidarity
2/12/1914	Hungry Unemployed Clubbed in Detroit	Detroit	Michigan	A riot breaks out at a demonstration in Detroit after a demonstrator raises a red sign that reads "BREAD OR REVOLUTION -- WHICH?" on one side and "WE WANT WORK -- NOT CHARITY" on the other. Police destroy the sign and a fight breaks out between police and demonstrators.	Solidarity
2/27/1914	Leather Workers Strike in St. Louis	St. Louis	Missouri	Several hundred trunk and bag workers vote unanimously to strike for an eight hour day, the abolition of the contract system, the abolition of piece work, a minimum wage of $10 for women, and a 40 cents per hour scale.	Solidarity
3/4/1914	Jobless Army Begins March	San Francisco	California	One company of 90 men, mostly Wobblies, in Kelly's unemployed 'army' is discharged and independently reorganized. They, too, will continue marching to Washington D.C.	The Sun
3/5/1914	Enter Church and Are Taken out by Police	New York	New York	Hundreds of men following the lead of IWW organizer Frank Tannenbaum enter St. Alphonsus' Roman Catholic church as part of an unemployment demonstration. They were arrested in the church shortly after their arrival.	Salt Lake Tribune
3/13/1914	Sacramento's Brutal Treatment of Hungry Army of Unemployed	Sacramento	California	"Men on march to east driven from city at point of gun and marooned on river islands. Many unarmed out of works clubbed, jailed, or sent to hospital. Several reporters killed."	Solidarity
3/14/1914	Detroit Messenger Boys' Tactics	Detroit	Michigan	Young, striking against Western Union workers, throw rotten eggs at strike-breakers in Detroit.	Solidarity
3/25/1914	The Gould Coupler Strike in Buffalo	Buffalo	New York	1000 strikers from the Gould Coupler Works attack a train that has scabs on board. Nine men are killed and two are fatally wounded. The strike began in January in order to re-instate discharged workers.	Solidarity
3/28/1914	Buffalo Car Men Refuse to Haul Soldiers	Buffalo	New York	Street car men refuse to take the militia to the Gould strike and choose to quit rather than to scab.	Solidarity
3/28/1914	Silk Workers Vote to Strike	Paterson	New Jersey	Silk workers agree to strike for the 9 hour day.	Bemidji Daily Pioneer
4/1/1914	California Strike	Sacramento	California	Strike declared on the S.P. railroad tunnel by construction workers demanding the eight hours to constitute a days work, no more than 12 men to one bunk house, higher wages, proper bedding, and free showers with hot and cold water for all.	Solidarity
4/1/1914	Ohio Miners Also Revolt Against A. F. of L.	Belaire	Ohio	Miners are locked out after bosses refuse the workers' terms for a new contract.	Solidarity
4/1/1914	Heavy Guard	New York	New York	IWW to hold mas meeting of the unemployed in Union Square.	Daily Missoulian
4/2/1914	I.W.W. Solicitors Arrested	New York	New York	Two IWW members arrested while soliciting contributions. One charged with disorderly conduct, one dismissed.	Arizona Republican
4/11/1914	Tobacco Workers Win in Chicago	Chicago	Illinois	After 19 weeks of striking, tobacco workers in Chicago win their demands.	Solidarity
4/18/1914	Strike in California Oil Fields	Taft	California	In the first strike against the Standard oil Co., workers demand an eight hour day, 50 cents more pay, and for their work to be the same as before the strike. The strike has been on for about a month after the company's attempt to add 10 more feet of rivets to the daily tasks of the workers.	Solidarity
4/18/1914	Battling Against Southern Lumber Trust	Bently	Louisiana	The strike of lumber workers is in its 13th week after being called in response to the boss discharging several members of the I.W.W.	Solidarity
5/2/1914	Speech Fight in Denver	Denver	Colorado	Free Speech fight begins April 22nd at 8 o'clock. 25 men arrested so far.	Solidarity
5/2/1914	News of the Textile Locals	Lawrence	Massachusetts	Non-unionized dye house workers shut down the Pacific mill. I.W.W tactics are reported to have been used.	Solidarity
5/2/1914	Police Club Way in I.W.W. Crowd	New York	New York	Massive May Day demonstration leads to the injury of many as police "club their way through the crowd."	New York Tribune
5/7/1914	Marie Ganz Gets 60 Days	New York	New York	IWW speaker Marie Ganz sentenced to 60 days in the work house for her threats against John Rockefeller.	Bismarck Daily Tribune
5/10/1914	Strike Called Off	Naramata	British Columbia	Strike called off after winning only "small concessions."	Industrial Worker 05-15-1913
5/23/1914	St. Louis Shoe Workers	St. Louis	Missouri	The fight between shoe workers and Hamilton-Broen Shoe Company continues and the company's stocks are dropping.	Solidarity
5/23/1914	Help Wakefield Strikers	Wakefield	Colorado	The 1000 men, women and children on strike at the Heywood Bros. and Wakefield Co. factory in Wakefield need support to win against the capitalists.	Solidarity
6/3/1914	More Police to Resist Workers	Tarrytown	New York	In order to quell future demonstrations against John Rockefeller, police add 50 to their ranks and pave the usual protest location with soft tar.	Rock Island Argus
6/9/1914	Jane Est Again Put Under Arrest	Tarrytown	New York	IWW speaker Jane Est arrested for interrupting a religious meeting of the peace forum.	El Paso Herald
6/10/1914	Joe Hill's Trial On	Salt Lake City	Utah	Joe Hill, the I.W.W member accused of murder in Salt Lake City, begins his trial. The author notes that the weapon used to kill the grocer is said to be a 38 caliber Colt revolver, while Hill carries a No. 7 Luger automatic.	Solidarity
6/13/1914	Westing Plant Tied Up	Pittsburg	Pennsylvania	The Westinghouse plant is tied up. The demands are the recognition of the union, the abolition of the premium and bonus system, distribution of work instead of layoffs, and reinstatement of men discharched for their involvement in the A.C.I.U.	Solidarity
6/13/1914	Revolt of Rebel Miners in Butte	Butte	Montana	On "Miners' Union Day" A group of rebel workers raid the union hall, smashing windows, throwing things into the street, and blowing open a safe. The author applauds these actions, stating that all other options for dealing with bad union leadership have been tried.	Solidarity
6/20/1914	South Carolina on the Move	Easley	South Carolina	New Local, 537, won a small fight in four hours the previous week.	Solidarity
6/26/1914	Temporary Injunction Is Declared Permanent	Flagstaff	Arizona	The temporary injunction against the IWW in Flagstaff is made permanent.	Coconino Sun
06-26-1914	Joe Hill Found Guilty of Murder	Salt Lake City	Utah	Despite a lack of evidence, Joe Hill was convicted of the murder of a grocer and his son. The trial occurred in a hostile environment where Hill was repeatedly tied to the IWW.	Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, 307-8
6/27/1914	Strike Against Motion Picture Company	Los Angeles	California	The I.W.W is carrying out a strike against the Universal Motion Picture Film Co. Their demands are $3 a day, an eight hour workday, places to wash with soap and towels, good drinking water within 150 feet of work spaces, and toilets at least 6 feet deep.	Solidarity
6/27/1914	Joe Hill Convicted	Salt Lake City	Utah	I.W.W. Joe Hill is convicted of murder in the first degree. In response, his supporters call for funds to take appeal his case.	Solidarity
7/1/1914	Placed on Trial	Paterson	New Jersey	Jury acquits IWW organizer Carlo Tresca of charges  of inciting violence during he silk mill workers' strike.	Grand Forks Daily Herald
7/4/1914	Murder Probably Committed in N.Y.	New York City	New York	Four people are killed in an explosion in New York City. The Press and the authorities suggest that the deceased were I.W.W. agitators who had created the explosives. It is suggested that the explosion was, in fact, caused by other nefarious forces.	Solidarity
7/4/1914	Lexington Ave[n]ue Bomb Explosion	New York City	New York	Elizabeth Gurley Flynn responds to a previous article in which Joseph J. Ettor repudiates Arthur Caron and the other anarchists killed in the New York City explosion, suggesting an alternative way of discussing violence and innocence.	Solidarity
07-08-1914	Joe Hill Sentenced to Death	Salt Lake City	Utah	Joe Hill is sentenced to death after being convicted for the murder of a grocer and his son.	Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, 312
7/18/1914	Big Westinghouse Strike Comes to End	Pittsburg	Pennsylvania	Striking workers decide to return to work en masse. Many are refused employment.	Solidarity
7/18/1914	Strike Ties Up Montana Road	Deer Lodge	Montana	Workers strike against the Milwaukee Railroad Company. 15 men arrested.	Solidarity
7/19/1914	Jail Six for Shooting	St. Louis	Missouri	IWW headquarters raided by police searching for the man responsible for shooting a St. Louis Terminal Railroad worker. Though all people present denied any knowledge of the shooting, six were arrested.	Evening Star
7/22/1914	I.W. Worker Is Held on Charge of Treason	Steubenville	Ohio	Local IWW leader Joseph Coblatz jailed on charges of treason.	Omaha Daily Bee
7/25/1914	Shall Joe Hill Be Murdered?	Salt Lake City	Utah	Joe Hill is scheduled to be put to death on September 4th, 1914 after being found guilty of murder.	Solidarity
7/29/1914	Tarrytown Judge Sends Six to Jail	Tarrytown	New York	Six of the nine Wobblies on trial for holding meeting sentenced to two months in jail.	Daily Missoulian
8/1/1914	Phila. Longshoremen Maintain Solidarity	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Longshoremen in the Marine Transport Workers Union have beaten back an employer attempt to break the union's control of the Philadelphia waterfront. 500 pickets greeted a ship that tried to use a scab longshore crew.	Solidarity
8/8/1914	I.W.W. Clashes With Police in Aberdeen, S.D.	Aberdeen	South Dakota	I.W.W. members are arrested in when street agitation unintentionally turns into a free speech fight.	Solidarity
8/15/1914	Hop Barons Worried Over Labor	Sacramento	California	The Ford and Suhr defense strike is just around the corner. Hindu workers refuse to scab despite being offered high wages.	Solidarity
9/1/1914	Results of Hop Pickers Strike	Wheatland	California	Picket line disbands.	Solidarity
9/3/1914	Strike at Pickens Mill	Pickens	South Carolina	IWW coordinates a strike of 125 operators against the Pickens Cotton Mill. It is the town's first strike.	Pickens Sentinel
9/3/1914	Military Officers Making Arrests	Butte	Montana	Police raid IWW headquarters in the middle of the night and arrest seven.	Fergus County Democrat
9/12/1914	Hill's Case Appealed to Supreme Court	Salt Lake City	Utah	Judge Ritchie denies an argument for a new trial for Joe Hill.	Solidarity
9/19/1914	Newsboys Strike in Saskatoon, Canada	Saskatoon	Saskatchewan	Newsboys destroy newspapers in reaction to the rise of the price of the paper. The I.W.W. holds street meetings on their behalf.	Solidarity
9/26/1914	Fight Breaks Out in Des Moines	Des Moines	Iowa	Five men are arrested for speaking without a permit and obstructing traffic. Help is needed to continue the free speech fight.	Solidarity
10/3/1914	What Happened in the Ohio Coal Strike	Rush Run	Ohio	Coal Miners involved in the continuing seven month long strike are arrested. Seven men are charged with inciting a riot.	Solidarity
10/7/1914	Des Moines Fight Won	Des Moines	Iowa	Des Moines free speech fight ends quickly because of fast and effective support.	Solidarity
10/8/1914	Four Men Killed in Montana Riots	Great Falls	Montana	Four people killed in two fights between citizens and alleged IWW members along the Great Northern Railway line.	Hayti Herald
10/8/1914	1,500 men Marching to Butte	Butte	Montana	1500 IWW men expected to ride trains to Butte to help with the current struggle.	Bismarck Daily Tribune
10/17/1914	Sioux City Organizing	Sioux City	Iowa	I.W.W. are needed in Sioux City to organize migratory workers.	Solidarity
10/22/1914	The Tonopah Free Speech Fight	Tonopah	Nevada	I.W.W. members are attacked by police while singing and talking in the street. There are no arrests.	Solidarity
10/24/1914	Practical Way to Aid Unemployed	Summit	New Jersey	When 50 weavers lose their jobs in the silk industry, 100 fellow workers divide the remaining work between all to safeguard the workers and their jobs.	Solidarity
10/30/1914	I.W.W. Leader Exonerated	Tarrytown	New York	IWW member Becky Edelson found not guilty of disorderly conduct, which she was charged with for conducting protest meetings.	El Paso Herald
11/1/1914	Unemployed Active in Minneapolis	Minneapolis	Minnesota	After a demonstration of the unemployed, a meeting is held at which the participants resolve to demand that the city employ all unemployed workers and that the work day for employed workers be reduced to eight hours.	Solidarity
11/6/1914	I.W.W. Try to Wreck a Train	San Francisco	California	IWW members allegedly tamper with a switch in order to cause a train accident. The crash was avoided due to the automatic block system.	Hawaiian Gazette
11/14/1914	Active Women Pickets Entertain I.W.W.'s	Stockton	California		Solidarity
11/21/1914	Benj. Legere On Speaking Tour			I.W.W. Benj. J. Legere is on a speaking tour. Lectures include "The Workers' Advance to Industrial Control," "The European War and the Working Class," and "Prison: Capitalism's Reply to Rebellion."	Solidarity
11/23/1914	Thanksgiving Spread in K.C.	Kansas City	Missouri	The night before Thanksgiving, some I.W.W.s stood on the street corner to share the events that led to the fall of the Western Federation of Miners. The next day, there was a big feast in the I.W.W. hall.	Solidarity
12/12/1914	Revolt in Cloak Makers' Union	New York City	New York	A new organization of cloak makers, the Cloak Makers' Propaganda League, forms in order to persuade fellow cloak makers to feelings of solidarity and collective power.	Solidarity
12/12/1914	Seattle Unemployed Organize	Seattle	Washington	Unemployed workers in Seattle form The Unemployed League of the Pacific Coast. The League is explicitly against strikebreaking.	Solidarity
12/19/1914	Ohio Miners Need Aid	Dillonvale	Ohio	Miners who have been out of work for nine months need assistance.	Solidarity
12/19/1914	I.W.W. Men Bring Boss to Time	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	The Longshoremen's branch of the Transport Workers' union held a three hour strike to reinstate dismissed worker Daniel Jones.	Solidarity
12/19/1914	Important Conference	Baltimore	Maryland	The Lithuanian branch of Local 192 is holding a conference to select an organizer to go out and organize workers.	Solidarity