The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-11-29
BIG BUSINESS
SHOWS HAND
TRIES TO GET THE SCALP OF
PROGRESSIVE MEMBER OF
INDUSTRIAL INSURANCE
COMMISSION.
(By Special Correspondent
OlymDia. Wash

Olympia, Wash.
A most brazen effort of Big Busi-
ness interests to shape the policy of
the Industrial Insurance Commission
was pulled off in Olympia last week.
The annual report of the commission
was in preparation and certain por-
tions of same had been agreed upon
by majority of the commission.
The minority lin this instance Mr..
Pratt, who represents the Saw Dust
Ring'O was opposed to the publica-
ton of those sections of the report
dealing with First Aid" and Safety
Appliances He (Pratt) must have
counselled with the interests" and in
doing so gave advance information of
what the contemplated report was TO
contain. These interests must have
concluded that it would be death to
their plans to permit the public to
know the facts gathered by the COM
mission in their experiences of the
operation of the law.
Anyway, there assembled in Olym-
pia Ames, of the Puget Mill Co.; Pat
ton, of the Atlas Lumber Co.-Jones
and-James, of the Metal Trades as
sociation, and DR.. Thomson, of the
State Medical association.
Did they seek the commission to
give their reasons for the suppress
sion of the facts contained in the con-
templated report? No! They wait
ed on the governor, and demanded
the immediate removal of Hamilton
Higday, a member of the commission.
Why didn't they also demand the re-
mival of J. H. Wallace, since it is I'M
derstood that Wallace and Higday are
agreed as to the contents of the re.
port?
Mo- Higday was to be their goat
If they could secure his removal and
one of their ilk in his place they
would then be in control of the COM
mission and could suppress that
which they sought to.
They must have reasoned that the
man who was not direct represen-
tative of labor, but who saw things
in the true light, in the interests of
humanity, was more dangerous man
to Big Business than the chosen rep
resentative of labor or perhaps they
argued that he was man without an
organization back of him and there
fore more easily disposed of
There was a "hot time" in the gov
ernor's office at this occasion. "The
interests" had dictated the states
policy before-why not again?
Long and loud they talked-mem-
bers OF the commission were sent for
and then the atmosphere grew more
tense These Interests" were not in
the habit of openly facing those whom
they Sought to get" 1t was, to say
the least embarrassing, when they
had no sane argument, no reason 9th
er than that of more dirty dollars at
the cost of humanity.
We are told that the LIE was pass
ed Horrible!! Who dared to tell Big
Business that they LIED?
Sensational? Yes-every depart
ment in the whole building tip-toed
through corridors and whispered of
the outcome. Finally after weary
waiting (of those on the outside) ad-
journment came Big Business de-
parted-news gatherers sought inter-
views-nothing official to give out
was the reply
The morning Olympian, the admin
istration's mouthpiece, said Nothing
official to give out by any of the
parties interested, but so far as can
be learned Higday will remain on the
Industrial Insurance Commission as
long as Hay is governor and the
charges made are concerned and his
removal will have to be secured in
some other manner than through Gov
ernor Hay" g%n
Had the administration dealt this
way with Big Business when the re-
moval of Mrs Blanche Mason was de-
manded a year ago and on a few 9TH
er occasions-what might have been.