Ralph Chaplin papers, 1909-1948
0.5 Linear Feet
The Ralph Chaplin Papers consist chiefly of correspondence, some addressed to his wife, Edith, and his son, Ivan; poems, notes, and other writings. It also includes his autograph album from Cook County (Ill.) Jail (1917), drafts of poems written while imprisoned at Leavenworth Penitentiary (1918-23), and a negative photostat of "Digest of California criminal syndicalism cases", written by the California branch of the IWW's General Defense Committee, 1926. Poems, flyers, newspaper clippings, and prison documents comprise the printed material found in the collection.
The papers largely concern the period of Chaplin's IWW activism (1917-26), particularly his prison experiences. Also of note are a report by A. W. Curtis on the Centralia (Wash.) trial of IWW lumbermen; papers concerning the publication of Chaplin's pamphlets and books; and the organization, activities, and publications of Technocracy, Inc., a group promoting the technocracy movement (1933-34).