His songs participated in every strike
In 1910, he joined the Industrial Union of the World while working on the docks in California. The Industrial Workers of the World is a radical wing of the American Federation of Labor. At that time, skilled workers joined the Federation of Labor and radical workers joined the industrial unions. The difference between them was whether they were reform or revolution. The slogan put forward by the Federation of Labor is "Better working conditions, higher wages." The banner promoted by the industrial unions is "abolition of the wage system." They officially broke off in 1905.
Although the American Federation of Labor did not advocate violence, they also advocated "direct action" at the time, such as work slowdowns and machine sabotage. The World Industrial Union claims to have 100,000 members, but every time it takes action, the number of participants is disproportionate to the number. But its actions were really active. In the first few years of the 20th century, industrial unions directly led or indirectly participated in at least 150 strikes.
Joe Hill devoted himself to the cause of unions and intervened through songs. He was an active agitator. Louis Morey, (a trade unionist) describing the 1912 workers' strike in British Columbia (Canada) said: "Hill stayed in our strike camp for more than a week. I had not known him before, but it was strange that much The workers knew him well. Hill wrote a song, "Where the Fraser River Goes," on the first day of the strike, and it was sung by everyone."
Morey also mentioned Joe. Another characteristic of Hill: He often came and went freely at the strike site. To put it simply, it's a bit like Chu Liuxiang in Gu Long's works, who leaves no trace in the snow and moves erratically.
American scholars are still unable to chronicle Hill's activities in the United States because his footsteps are fluid and unpredictable. The blue-eyed, dark-haired man was constantly in Philadelphia and Hawaii. In 1905, he sent a Christmas card from Cleveland to his assistant in Sweden. In 1906, he wrote a manuscript for a Swedish newspaper describing the tragedy of the San Francisco earthquake that year. His personal letters describe how he helped plan strikes and advance union causes throughout the United States, but what people often find in newspapers at the time is conflicting information.
Even at the time, there was some confusion. Because whenever a traitor tipped off the authorities to break a strike, the police never caught Hill. Morey wrote: "One thing that always bothered us was that Hill disappeared without a trace during every raid by the authorities."
It is said that in January 1911, Hill also Together with hundreds of union members and Mexican rebels, they took control of the northwestern Mexican city of Tijuana. They want to overthrow the rule of Mexican dictator Díaz and establish a country of "workers' freedom" in this city. But later the Mexican army crushed their dreams. Of course, when Hill was approached about this, he denied having done so. This further intensifies Hill's mysterious characteristics - he seems to be able to appear anywhere, but also seems to have never been anywhere.
Hill's songs are also part of his mystique. He was a talented creator who left many tunes and poems in the union, on the road, and in prison. He expertly composes music for piano, violin, banjo or guitar. Hill's reputation grew even more when his fellow union members combined his singles into "Songs of Fire."
"Rebel Girl", "Missionaries and Slaves", "Workers of the World, Wake Up", "Have I Always Been a Fighter", "Treading", "What Do We Need", " "Blood Gives You Strength"... A series of simple, easy-to-understand and popular songs seem to have grown wings, floating in large political rallies, street corners filled with demonstrators, and homeless people, inspiring them infinitely. The anger and courage to accuse this unfair world.
Hill's "Preachers and Slaves" is considered the best song he wrote in America. There are still singers singing it in the United States now! The song satirizes those religious leaders who require laborers to accept the fate of this world and place their hope in the next life:
Preachers come to preach every night,
Tell you what is bad and what is good;
If you ask why you are hungry,
He will answer you nicely;
There is plenty of bread in heaven,
then you You will get it;
Work first and pray and sleep on straw,
There will be sweet buns in heaven when you die.
He never died