Public Outcry In response to the national campaign to save the life of Joe Hill, thousands of individuals and groups sent telegrams to Utah Governor William Spry and President Woodrow Wilson, urging them to block the execution. Many of the telegrams came from the fledgling organized labor movement. Exercising only a fraction of the membership and clout it would manifest in later years, the pre-World War I labor movement in the United States was often labeled as "radical" and "anarchist" in the hysterical reporting of newspapers owned by large industries. While the I.W.W. did espouse a radical line in addressing inequities in pay and working conditions, the majority of union members in 1915 were part of specialized craft or trade unions. Such as the painter's union that sent this appeal for Hill's life to the Secretary of State. (Courtesy: National Archives and Records Administration) Read this historical document's full text                 About the Program || Joe Hill Home || PBS Home