davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
STRIKING HOP PICKERS
BRUTALLY MURDERED
WHILE PEACEFULLY ASKING
FOR BETTER SANITARY
CONDITIONS ARE SHOT
DOWN IN COLD BLOOD.

Seventeen hundred men and six hun
dred women working in the burst hop
fields near Wheatland, Cal, were pro-
vided with six small toilets.
Scattered thickly throughout the
fields were low tents made of gunny
sacks or primitive shelters of rough
lumber thrown together in the shape
of an army tent From the whole
grew a stencil that would rival Ander-
sonville prison. In the morning from
ten to twenty women could be seen
waiting in line before each toilet.
Against these intolerable conditions
and for an increase of pay a commit
tee representing 1000 strikers waited
upon the owner. The owner asked for
time to consider and at the expiration
of the time answered the strikers
with a sheriff's armed force that killed
one and mortally wounded four of the
workers.
All but about 200 of the strikers left
the burst fields Not an l. w. w. was
found in the whole camp, although the
authorities tried to lay the blame for
the whole disturbance on l. w. w.
agitators.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
KICKER COLUMN.

One of the great advantages of the
commission form of city government
is the ease with which the tracks from
the seat of government to the offices
of big business are covered up.
The defenders of this form of gov
ernment used to bring out as one of
their main arguments the point that
you could always place your finger on
the one who is to blame for any mis-
use of public funds or mismanagement
of affairs What the Commonwealth
would like to know is, whether all
this undercurrent of dissatisfaction
which breaks out in fierce denuncia-
tion of everything connected with
commission government on the part of
some of its formerly most enthusiastic
defenders has any real foundation or
not. Complaint is made that the col
umns of the daily press are closed to
any criticism of the present city ad-
ministration. The columns of the
Commonwealth are not, provided you
can back up your complaints with
facts. We can place a copy of this
publication in every home and office
in short order So now either come
through or forever hold your peace.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
THE FETCH OF
FLAG WORSHIP

The following editorial by Victor L.
Berger, appearing in the Social-Demo-
cratic Herald, strikes home and if our
politieal-business buncome patriots
would read something of this sort then
emerse their heads in a bucket of seal
ing wax long enough to let the idea
take root, we would likely hear less of
their wild yaporings on the flag and
patriotism.
THE proletarians in general are
patriotic in the highest sense.
They not only build the cities. rail
ways and workshops. but they also pro,
tect them against fire and flood And
it is the working class that furnishes
the soldiers, or at least the over
whelming majority of them. 1t is the
working class that has TO do the fight
ing, although they have nothing 10 do
with the declaration of war
III the railroad managers and the
bankers and the capitalists should have
to do their own fighting, a war would
not last long
And it is no more than right that
the workingman as a whole should
love their country as a whole They
will inherit il as soon as they make
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
SOCIALIST ACTIVITY.

Nearly 1000 persons gathered at
Union Square, New York, to protest
against the conditions which led to
the recent factory fire at Binghamp-
ton, in which thirty-one working girls
lost their lives.
The following resolution, introduced
by Paul Kennaday, former secretary
of the American Association for Labor
Legislation, was unanimously adopt
ed:
"Resolved, that this mass netting
assembled in Union Square, Saturday,
August 2, 1913, sees in the recent fire
at Binghampton and in the conditions
that permit in this city, two years
after the Triangle fire, renewed proof
that to secure the right to work with
out danger 10 life and health, the
workers must rely upon themselves;
and
That in the failure 10 appoint a
commissioner Of labor to enforce the
labor law, we see the placing Of politi-
cal advantage and personal patronage
above the welfare Of the people Of this
state. for which failure to protect us
and to carry out campaign promises.
we pledge ourselves TO hold our rep
resentatives responsible
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
PAPER MILL GIVES PICNIC.

Last Saturday the wage slaves of
the paper mill at Lowell were given
their second annual free picnic. Two
hundred chickens besides an unlimited
amount of pop, peanuts, popcorn,
candy, chewing gum, etc, were gratu-
ously distributed among the faithful
workers who help the pious John d.
to amass still greater wealth. OF
course these picnics are given to the
worker from the lofty sentiment Of
brotherly love. The idea of keeping
the workers satisfied with their lot
and having their minds kept free from
the pernicious teaching of the III
double-dub-yous never enters the head
of the boss We understand that the
management of the paper mill was
somewhat put out by the way the Com
monwealth commented upon the picnic
last year. We have tried TO tone our
comments down a little this time.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
BULLETIN OF THE So
CIALIST EDUCATION
AL BUREAU
SOCIALISTS TO MAKE A
CRITICAL STUDY OF THE
SCHOOLS OF THE STATE
STEPS BEING OUTLINED TO
ESTABLISH STUDY CLUBS.

These bulletins are sent to every
Socialist paper in the state that have
any reason to believe in alive. Pos
sibly twenty thousand people read
them. 1t costs the management of
these papers real money to print and
publish them week in and week out.
During the next twelve months you
and l want to make critical study Of
the schools. We want to touch on
many educational topics that are rap
idly forcing themselves upon the
proletarian movement. We want dis
cussion, even contradiction. In addi-
ton to the regular bulletin sent alike
to each paper there will be special
articles written by revolutionary teach
ers for exclusive publication, some in
this paper and some in others.
Early in September outlines and
suggestions for study club work will
begin to run in all our party papers
willing to print them. You will not
want to miss any of this. This bureau
has incurred the bitter hatred of the
master class and that in itself is some
proof of efficiency and power. Our
bulletins are being read by our bitter
foes. They do not miss copy.
Now, here is what I want to say and
to which all the above is mere pre-
lude: See that the Socialist press of
this state is supported I want to talk
to hundred thousand people. Go out
today and get first the Socialist voters
and then the other fellows to sub
scribe for this paper. I am going to
devote my best energies toward MAX
ing thinking Socialists out of every
reader and scores of ahler comrades
will do likewise. The Aditor starves
and ducks collectors every day of his
life just because you fail to do your
duty to the cause. He has more brains
than any capitalist editor and can fur
nish better copy. You know this.
Then help him make good. Cut the
capitalist papers if you cannot support
the working-class papers. Cut them
anyhow. We want daily out of this
weekly Help me make it a daily.
Tell the teachers that we are going to
publish educational articles. Get the
subscription of every teacher and
every school director and every par
ent. Then get the old maids and the
bachelors. haven't the nerve to keep
on asking the editor to print these
articles unless you dig in now. I'll
write myself blind if you will boost
our press. Start now.
J. e. SINCLAIR.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
SOCIALIST ENCAMPMENT
ATTENDED BY 10000

Oklahoma City, Okla, Aug. 6.-The
largest political meeting ever held in
southern Oklahoma took place today
when Kate Richards O'Hare, Ameri-
can secretary to the International So
cialist Bureau, and one of the national
organizers of the Socialist party,
opened the encampment of the Social
ist party of this state at Sulphurs
Springs The encampment marks the
first in a series of thirty. By a con-
servative estimate, there were 10000
persons in the crowd that came to
listen to the Socialist speakers. Seven
hundred covered wagons, resembling
the prairie-schooners of the gold rush
days, are in camp here.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
HOW TO READ THE
CAPITALIST PAPERS

Skip page with its glaring and decevng headlines IT'S
of the of the daughter OF OLD doo
TO the empty headed pocketed Duke of Dinkeyyine
daily record of crime disease and disaster most
which the very system the lying sheet uphols
editorial just to satisfy yourself that IT'S edo
a and mental prostitute turn over 1--WE or SIX pages
ush and the patent ads and there away
you find small item OF news tha Is
really worth while you always ind IT. Tor quite
find In either have to read more
the lines than there is them
Really the best read capitalist sheet IS not TO rea "
your money the Socialist and labor papers ana ~
mi sure Of getting all the real news. ,---,,r
E. REYNOLDS.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

The Howling Dervishes of Arlington
by the aid of such political and Off
cial stimulants as they can procure,
are still rousing themselves to high
er and higher degree of fanatical
frenzy. AS the time draws nearer for
Comrade Sinclair to begin his duties
as principal of the Garfield school,
their fury is something pitiful to be-
hold.
Bounded on every hand by the state
laws of their own making, they are
making frantic appeals and exhorta-
tions in the hope that a higher power
will come to their aid and prevent the
obejct of their venomous wrath from
teaching school in their midst.
The Arlington Chornicle is out with
one-half front page besides other mat
ter scattered throughout the paper
dealing with the school question. 1t
is reported that evidence is being
collected at various points touching
upon the activities of j. H. Sinclair,
principal of Garfield school at Arling-
ton and secretary of the educational
bureau of the Socialist party, formed
for the purpose of capturing school
boards in this state and installing only
teachers of class-conscious Socialism,
and this will be presented to the state
board of education sometime in the
near future in conjunction with an at
tack upon the certificate of the teach
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
Arlington School Controversy
RIDICULOUS ABSURD FLINIsY CHAEHEs FILED
WITH COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT JONES CHARGES
TO BE LAID BEFORE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

er, in an effort to secure it's revoca-
tion. An investigation of Sinclair's
activities inside and outside the school
room is being made, particularly in
the Grays Habor country, where he
taught during the strike of millmen
about eighteen months ago. The evil
dence will be assembled and presented
to County Superintendent Mrs. Lizzie
Jones, who will forward it to Olympia
together with affidavits asking that
Sinclair be disbarred from teaching in
the schools of the state.
The following are some of the alb
surd and ridiculous charges filed
against him:
Refused to run when charged upon
by Hoquiam guards.
Standing on a platform apparently
directing the movement of strikers.
Called down the police.
Hired a theatre for Dr. Titus to
speak in.
Taught that Adams and Hancock
were smugglers, Jefferson and Grant
were buns and Miles Standish a
blood-thirsty guy.
Presided over an |. w. w. meeting,
Kept a boy after school to explain
Socialist doctrines.
Marching in the ranks of strikers.
Unprofessional conduct in speaking
in Everett on the Arlington school
nnpStinn
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
THE LITTLE RED BUTTON.

Two mountains never meet but
two men do" and when on the coat
lapel of those two men one sees the
little red button with the clasped
hands Of international comradeship
and solidarity and notes the eyes grow
bright and the kindly smile of those
two brother warriors in the great bat
tie for the common good one instinct
lively feels that after all life is worth
the living Really. comrade, there Is
nothing better 10 make you realize
that you ARE alive and life IS good
than TO enlist under the little red ban
ner and get into the fight for social
betterment
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

uncrowned king, a voting sovereign,
the silent partner of his big brother
the capitalist, etc.
OF course you know better, but you
will have TO submit 10 the same treat
ment that your hypnotized brother
does until the spell is broken. The
question is, how to break the spell
That is easy Give him a home
remedy. Get him to subscribe for the
Commonwealth Wen transform him
from an humble slave into a standup,
straight revoluuonist Try il; get him
10 subscribe az once.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

Once more a dastardly attempt to
murder defenceless workingmen has
been checkmated by the prompt and
cool-headed action of officials OF the
l. w. w.
On Thursday, July 81, the "piok-and-
shovel artists" on the streets of Sedro-
Woolley went out on strike.
Their initial demand was that they
be paid the wage agreed upon when
they commenced the work. They had
been promised two-fifty per day and
the boss wanted to pay them off at
two-forty.
Every man on the job quit except
five Turks; but as they were getting
$275 they refused to quit
Not being members of any kind of
a labor organization, and never having
been in strike before, they were of
course somewhat green" but they
had good Judgment, however, to come
to the l. w. W. for help. The secre-
tary of the Loggers' Local No. S1S
gave them all the assistance in his
power. Hand bills were gotten out
advertising the strike. These were
mailed to the secretaries of the l. w.
w. locals in all of the large towns of
the Northwest, also all incoming
trains were picketed and the result
was almost a complete tieup.
The secretaries in the various towns
must have done their work pretty well
for after two days spent in Seattle
and Tacoma hunting for scabs the
"boss" returned with just four. And
only one of these could speak any
English. As soon as the new arrivals
were made acquainted with the situa-
ton they were perfectly willing to
"come OUT with the bunch. All other
methods of breaking the strike hav-
ing failed, violence was attempted,
but as the strikers were perfectly
peaceable this was rather a hard mat
ter to stage.
After some days of this kind of
thing the secretary noticed that some
of the strikers were drinking pretty
freely, though they were not supposed
to have any money; also noticed that
they were fraterniZing lot with GER
tain persons of rather questionable
character.
Feeling that something was not
right he sent in a hurry-up call for
help. In answer to this call the writer
hastened to Woolley on the next train.
l found the strikers in an ugly mood.
They were determined to make the
tie-up complete by running the five
scabs out of town. They wer very en-
thausiastic over the matter. They
told me that "THE WHOLE TOWN
WAS BEHIND THEM" They said
that any number of business men"
and other prominent citizens" had
promised them help. They even told
me that the chief of police had prom
ised not to interfere. These stories
were repeated to me so often and
with so much vehemence that l was
compelled to believe that they were
true.
I lost no time in telling them to
cut it out. I pointed out to them that
the l. w. W. positively would not
sanction any such procedure.
showed them that in all probability
the whole thing was "frame-up" for
the purpose of getting the strikers
into trouble.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

use of their brains for themselves.
They have created these cities with
their magnificent palaces, museums,
libraries, art institutions, schools, etc,
and by right these belong to them,
and not to the capitalists.
This brilliant culture of our coun-
try-art, education and literature-is
by right an inheritance of the white
race.
"And a nation that will own its coun-
try again will be a nation that will
have a real reason to become patriotic
again. And I hope that America will
be among the first.
"The flag fetch is silly when it is
not hypocriticaL And it is hypocriti-
cal when it is not silly.
at is a remnant Of feudal barbar-
ism, when it represented the feudal
allegiance Of the vassal to the "coat Of
arms" of his lord-usually emblematic
of some carnivorous beast or some
bird of prey.
Il despise every fetch. The green
flag OF the prophet Mohamet, or Of Ire
land is as dear 10 me as the red flag
of the Socialists or the star-spangled
banner. A flag is a piece Of dry goods
that one can buy for rs cents In any
department store.
II is the idea that is behind il that
Continued on Page Four)
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
THIS MEANS YOU

Now what we want to know is, do
you really want to better the intoler
able conditions under which you live?
DO you know why such a vast majority
OF people submit uncomplainingly TO
conditions that a savage would revolt
against? Well now, read this careful
ly. The worker of today, like his an
cestor. the serf and chattle slave Of
the past, has been hypnotized. He has
been told that he is free, that he is an
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
MurderOus Plot FOiled
ARMED THUGS LIE IN WATT WHILE AGENTS OF THE
BOSSES AND POLICE ATTEMPT TO START TROUBLE.

BY holding them in the hall until
after II p. m. got them cooled down
so they dispersed peaceably If the
''broadcloth mob" could have kept
their stool pigeons and thugs sober
this would probably have ended the
affair. for there was no proof of any
crookedness. But stool pigeons will
talk when they are drunk, and acting
upon hints gathered in this way an in
yestigation was begun in a quiet way
that has brought to light one of the
most oold-blooded attempts to commit
wholesale murder that | have ever
been personally cognizant of. Accord
ing TO the evidence thus secured IL
appears that at the very time the
strikers were being ribbed up to go
and start trouble with the scabs an
armed mob was laying in ambush for
them, ready, presumably, to shoot
them down to the last man. While
the strikers were being made to be-
lieve that the police were not going
to interfere, THE WHOLE POLICE
FORCE OF SEDRo-WOoLLEY WERE
LODGED IN THE SAME BUILDING
WHERE THE SCABS WE'RE HERD
ED, and according to one authority
they stayed there ALL NIGHT"
That there was any plot, or that there
was any desire on the part of any
one to do more than preserve the
peace will of course be denied; but
to one in the least familiar with such
things it can never appear as any
thing else than a deliberate attempt
to incite the strikers to violence so
that they might be murdered with a
shadow of legality. 1t is almost in
credible that christian gentlemen" in
the twentieth century would even har-
Dor thought of such proceeding.
A reason for this proceeding might
possibly be found in the fact that the
4. w. w. and Socialists of Sedro-
Woolley hold title to some very valu-
able property, and certain interests
are very desirous of getting it away
from them.
The Labor Temple property Isl
worth approximately SIX THOU
SAND dollars. On this property there
is a mortgage of about five hundred
dollars, interest and all. For several
months there has been persistent
attempt to disrupt the Socialist local,
with the evident intent of making it
impossible for them to meet their!
share of the mortgage. I am sorry to
say that this attempt has almost sue
ceeded, and WILL SUCCEED if the
comrades don't wake up and tend to-
their knitting. The same tactics have
been tried with the l. w. w. but they
won't work worth a cent; we refuse
to disrupt" and now the only hope
of getting rid of the l. w. w. is to get
them involved in some kind of trouble
and get them run out of town, la
Kernel Blather
Comrades! A bunch of people that
would deliberately plot to get peace
able strikers into riot so they could
murder and drive the organization
that is backing them out of town, just
for the sake of getting possession OF
few dollars worth of property, will
do anything that the human mind can
conceive of in the way of crime.
1t is up to you! Will they succeed
or will they not?
JOHN McSLARROW.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

The suppressed play, THE Col
onel and His Friends, for sale at
the Commonwealth and Socialists
meetings. 25c per copy. First 80
copies went like wildfire.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

Prof Maynard Shipley two
who invited to write the ndetemnae
be used basis discussion
held in Washington, crmnoogy
economic and historical jurisprudence
legal and scientific magazines of Europe
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

Emma Goldman will lecture at
Liberty Hall Sunday, 2:30 p. m.,
SUBJECT, Love and Marriage"
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14
Shipley Goldman Debate
Liberty Hall, Sunday, 800 pm.

MISS EMMA GOLDMAN THE TALENTED AND
WORLD RENOWNED EXPONENT OF ANARCHY WILL.
DEBATE WITH PROF. MAYNARD SHIPLEY OF INTER
NATIONAL REPUTATION IN SCIENTIFIC AND SoCIO-
LOGICAL FIELDS
QUESTION
RESOLVED THAT THE BALLOT AND POLITICAL
ORGANIZATION ARE NOT NECESSARY TO WORKING
GLASS EMANCIPATION.
THIS rs RARE OPPoRTUNIAY TO HEAR
THE REPRESENTATIVES, OF TWO GREAT SOCIAL
PHILOSOPHERS. YOU CAN THEN LEARN THE DIFFER
ENCE BETWEEN ANARCHISM AND SOCIALISM AND DE-
eide FOR YOURSELF AS TO WHETHER ECONOMIC
EMANCIPATION MAY BE HAD BY THE BALLOT OR BY
FIGHTING FOR 1T.
THESE TWO UNCOMPRoMISING DEFENDERS OF
THEIR RESPECTIVE PHILOSOPHERS DEBATED THIS
QUESTION IN JEFFERSON SQUARE HALL, SAN FRAN
CISCO TO CROWDED HOUSE. EACH FEELS AS
THOUGH THE OTHER MET DEFEAT. THIS WILL BE
CHAMPIONSHIP DEBATE. A CHANCE LIKE THIS
COMES BUT ONCE IN LIFETIME IN CITY THE SIZE
OF EVERETT.
The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-08-14

Prof. Maynard Shipley's regular
Sunday night lecture will be put
over one date.
The Washington herald., 1913-02-18
The Literary Test Veto.

Mr.. Taft is perfectly right in his
opinion, as expressed i'll the veto of
the literacy test for arriving immi-
grants, when he says: 1T fails TO jus
tify the suffering and expense which it
would entail" A small fifth OF the to-
tai number of these people are litter
ate, the result of lack of opportunity.
as the Public Ledger argues, and is in
no sense All index. either of ambition
or character of those who knock at our
doors.
Exclusion of individuals on that az
count alone would be cruel and con-
trary to the equality policy OF Il free
country. But supposing the bill should
pass over the veto, would it accom-
plish its aims? Emphatically no! There
are exemptions in that bill which re-
duce the proportion of immigrants to
whom such a test would apply, with
the result that members of families
whose male head would be considered
an illiterate will suffer expulsion,
though well educated or proficient in
the elementary rudiments; while, on
the other hand, many minors or illit-
crates would be able to slip through"
when the father is able to pass the en-
animation! Thus quid pro quo would
tend TO nullify the intent and purpose
of the test.
This country needs large labor re-
serves, and there. is no sense in de-
priving it of them; nor to impose upon
our government an additional (need-
less) expense, or apon the alien
hardship that he does not deserve!
The vetoed bill, as President Taft
says, contained many valuable admin
istrative provisions, practically all of
them urged on the attention of Con-
gress by the Department of Commerce
and Labor. tits regrettable that these
have been sacrificed for the sake of
Killing off one new provision which
Congress put in the bill of its own in
tiative