The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-10-17
(By e. p Marsh, President Washing
ton State Federation of Labor.)
ARTICLE II.

ARTICLE II.
Last week | wrote of the difficulties
under which our organized labor
| forces labored to secure remedial
labor legislation. If that was true
with us, it was equally true with the
! farmers of this state. They too had
had their legislative agents at Olym-
pia bucking the same game and with
practically the same results. But for
some years the idea of joining forces
was foreign to the agents of both or
ganizations. The farmer had been
taught that he could not possibly have
anything in common with the city
wage-earner. The union laborer was
an industrial pirate who did nothing
but disturb business conditions and
didn't disturbed business conditions
mean ruin to the farmer? Sure! And
the things we were told about the
( farmer He was a slave-driver who
drove his farm laborer from sunrise
to sunset for $25 month and found.
Not in our class at all.
But after awhile our forces at the
legislature met and got acquainted
and they made an interesting discov-
cry. Though there was no particular
understanding between them nor no
effort to join forces, yet somehow our
people were never opposed to bills
fathered by the farmers nor were
they opposed to our labor measures.
That couldn't "just happen;" there
must be a community of interests. So
they began warming up to each other.
Each knew by bitter experience how
| the cards were stacked in the legisla-
tive halls so they began fixing up
| little deck of their own.
Early in the session of 1911 a joint
headquarters was established and a
mutual program agreed upon. For the
first time in the history of the state,
team work appeared between the joint
forces of wealth producers. Legisla-
ton of import to both forces was
passed at this session, the progress
of which was greatly facilitated by
this union of forces.
But that was only the beginning,
The legislative servants of the people
understood each other but the people
back home had to get better acquaint-
ed. The system which made it pos
sible for legislature to override the
will of the people had to be smashed.
There was but one way to place real
Legislative power in the hands of the
people. DIRECT LEGISLATION was
the key to the puzzle. GO AFTER
THE BIG THING, was the cry
So a conference of joint forces was
called to meet in North Yakima in
September 1911. Twenty-Five or
thirty people were present represent
ing four organizations, viz, the State
Grange, State Farmers Union, Direct
LEGISLATION League and State Fedora
tion of Labor. 1t was an earnest, de-
termined set of men and women and
representative Of the best type of clti-
zenship within the confines OF our
fair state. They had diverse opinions
and the courage of their convictions,
One group thought the recall OF
Judges" was the only way out. An
other group was equally insistent that
the initiative and referendum ranked
ahead of the recall in Importance.
But all were agreed that there must
be a permanent organization effected
to carry on whatever program might
eventually be determined on. When
men and women agree on funda-
mental, details work out as matter
of natural sequence. The Joint Leg
islative League, an organization which
has stirred the denizens of the jungle
of special privilege and which is de-
stined to stir them some more, came
into being.
Because it is the basic principle OF
J popular government, direct legislation