Catholic Clerical Quandary: The Lawrence Strike of 1912
When the wages of workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts textile mills were reduced because of a new state law limiting the maximum number of working hours per week for women and children to fifty-four, the exploited mill hands of all ages and both genders struck. Catholic clergy, especially those from...
| Published in: | American catholic studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
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| Published: |
American Catholic Historical Society
2006
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| In: |
American catholic studies
Year: 2006, Volume: 117, Issue: 4, Pages: 33-54 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | When the wages of workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts textile mills were reduced because of a new state law limiting the maximum number of working hours per week for women and children to fifty-four, the exploited mill hands of all ages and both genders struck. Catholic clergy, especially those from poorer areas, championed the workers, many of whom were their parishioners. Their support began to erode, however, when the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) or Wobblies assumed the leadership of the strike, William Cardinal O'Connell returned to Boston from Rome, and Father James T. O'Reilly, the leading cleric in Lawrence, cut his vacation short and returned to the city. Although the Wobblies had warned workers against violence, their calls for direct action and their ultimate goal of abolishing the wage system exacerbated tensions in Lawrence. Soon there were clashes between workers and the militia who had been mobilized to protect property. Two citizens were killed, one of whom was shot, the other bayoneted. Led by O'Reilly, and with the approbation of the Cardinal, clergymen began to deemphasize the injustice to which workers were subject. They stressed instead the need for order and the threat to the church and society posed by the revolutionary nature of the IWW and by socialism. After two bitter months in what was frequently hailed as a Wobbly victory, the strike was settled on terms favorable to the workers, convincing churchmen it was necessary to increase their support of traditional unions as a means of undercutting the appeal of labor radicals. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-8534 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American catholic studies
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