The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-12-05

The convention served a good pur-
pose in cleaning up conditions to some
extent at least in the Northwest. The
employing public was given a first
hand impression of the magnitude and
effectiveness of the labor movement
which it never could have gained
through years of contact with a pure
ly local movement. One of the notable
results achieved was a settlement on
terms of victory to the union of the
Seattle teamsters' strike which had
been on for months. The presence of
international officers of the teamsters'
union in Seattle with the added pres
tige of the convention itself, undoubt-
edly had a great deal to do with this
settlement. AS a result of the con-
vention, too, the feud between the
rival building trades councils in Sc
attic was ended and the two bodies
united in one organization.
The surprise of the people outside
of Seattle was the publicity given
through the columns of the Seattle
Times. The colonel has been a no.
torious opponent of trade unionism
and venomous in his criticism of what
he was pleased to term the dynamic
reds" within the labor movement.
The Times devoted two pages a day
to the work of the convention, embel-
lished with numerous cuts and photo
graphs. We do not believe the colonel
experienced any change in heart-in
fact, we heard him say he believed in
compulsory arbitration and that if he
had his way he would put the labor
unionist who boycotted and the en-
ployer who locked out his men, both
in jail The convention held a news
value for the time greater than any
other happening in the Northwest, and
the Seattle Times proposed to main
tain its reputation as the most up-to
date news purveyor in the Northwest
There is no getting away from the
fact that the Seattle Times is read by
the masses, regardless of the esteem
or hatred in which it is held. And the
colonel displayed business sagacity OF
a high order in playing up the con
lvention to the limit.
Harry Ault and Frank Gates, editor
and business manager respectively OF
the Seattle Union Record, put out a
souvenir edition of which they have a
right to be proud. 1t was put out in
magazine form, 1872 pages exclusive OF
the cover, and was beautifully embel
lished with individual and group
photographs of men prominent in the
labor movement both in state and ma
ton. Full halftone photographs OF
Governor Lister and Mayor Cotterill
with greetings to the conventions from
each official, were prominently dis
played. The whole edition is artistic
and beautiful in design and congratu
lations are in order to the men who
labored to make it possible.
We stated on several occasions that
we believed that the visit to the Far
West for the first time of many in
ternational officials would be produc-
tive of much good, both to interna-
tional officers and our western move
ment. We have a broader grasp of
the national movement and our Off
cials who live in the East have a bet
ter conception than ever before of the
needs in an organization way of this
section of the country. Several heads
of national organizations have assured
their western locals that the next few
years will see more attention paid to
solidifying the ranks of labor in the
West. Many of our unions have been
carrying on the work of organization
on this coast unaided. Not because
eastern officials had any desire to ig-
more us but because they could not be-
lieve industrial expansion had reached
such a magnitude in this part of the
country until they came and saw for
themselves. There will be no cessa-
tion on our part in the work of or
ganizing the unorganized but we feel
that we will have material help from
the parent body that will greatly aid
us in building up a powerful labor
movement in the Northwest.
We feel that the convention left
undone the things it might have done"
but after all 1t has been we'll worth
while and will leave lasting influ-
ence for good upon our western labor
movement.