When the USA joined the war in April, 1917, Ralph Chaplin, the editor of the trade union journal, Solidarity, claimed that opposing the draft would destroy the IWW. The leader of the party, William Haywood shared Little's opinions, but this was a minority view in the party. Little was a strong opponent of the USA becoming involved in the First World War. Sal Salerno has argued that he was a 'fearless and uncompromising agitator, he was repeatedly beaten and jailed for his union-forming activities.' This brought him to the attention of the national leadership of the Industrial Workers of the World and by 1916 was a member of the party's General Executive Board. In 1910 Little successfully organized unskilled fruit workers in the San Joaquin Valley. Olson, James Larkin, James Connolly, Frank Little and Ralph Chaplin.

Foster, Eugene Dennis, Joe Haaglund Hill, Tom Mooney, Floyd B. Debs, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Mary 'Mother' Jones, Lucy Parsons, Hubert Harrison, Carlo Tresca, Joseph Ettor, Arturo Giovannitti, James Cannon, William Z. Other members of the IWW included: William Haywood, Vincent Saint John, Daniel De Leon, Eugene V. On one occasion he was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment for reading the Declaration of Independence on a street corner. Little joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1906 and took part in the free speech campaigns in Missoula, Fresno and Spokane and was involved in organizing lumberjacks, metal miners and oil field workers into trade unions. However, Sal Salerno argues that he had a Cherokee Indian mother and Quaker father.

Little is known about his family background but he told friends that he had 'Indian blood'.

Filthy frank with guns