The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-04-10
''The Voice Is The Voice Of Jacob,
But The Hand Is The Hand Of ESau"
MANY PAPERS FALL FOR CANNED DOPE" SENT OUT BY
ADVERTISING FIRM-PEOPLE WILL INITIATE NEW
LAWS REGARDLESS OF EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION
WAGES REDUCED AND BOARD RAISED.

There is an advertising and news
agency in this state known as the
Wood & Reber Co. 1t makes a spe-
cialty of furnishing to the small week
ly papers advertising and news notes.
A friend of mine who runs a weekly
newspaper tells me how the firm
works. They send out occasionally
paid advertising matter to be placed
in the columns of the weekly press
and each week send out also news
articles which the papers are free to
use. 1t often happens that these arti-
cles appear without anything to dis
tinguish them from the editorial eX-
preston of the paper. The casual
reader is led to believe that it is strict
| ly original stuff from the pen of his
home editor. l imagine that Wood
and Reber do not care particularly
whether their firm name appears in
connection with the published articles
or not, as long as they are published
OF the stuff they send out they would
prefer that their firm name did not
appear. Some of this canned dope
has been appearing in some of the
smaller papers of this state which
bears all the earmarks of having been
! inspired by the State Employers AS
sociation. Attacks upon direct legis-
lation, the program of the Joint Legis-
lative committee, the eight-hour initia
tive bill have appeared at stated inter
walls in the weekly press which F2Is
evidently the work of the press agent
who makes his living writing for the
Wood & Reber Co. AS Wood & Reber
are not a philanthrOpic concern, nor in
business for the health of the stock
holders, it is not hard to imagine some
connection between the advertising
concern and the State Employers AS
sociation other than purely friendly.
It's a cute game-malling the balls
and getting the small weekly press to
throw them in return for a little ad-
vertising iudiciously distributed, The
State Employers Association through
its executive committee broke into
print shortly before the Seattle muui-
cipal election, solemnly warning the
voters against blindly signing initia-
tive petitions. The said voters took
the hint-that is, all but about 25.0o0
of them or nearly enough to place an
initiative measure upon the ballot.
Sadly the Employers Association pom
dered over the unfeeling action of the
voters in not needing the gentlemen
who are self-entrusted with saving
/ this state from the rocks of freak
legislation" The advertising agency,
through which medium the hand of
the Employers Association does not
appear, is much craftier, much more
indeed. For ways that are dark and
tricks that are vain, the heather
Chinee is NOT alone peculiar.
Everything that the opposition can
think of to discourage the voters from
signing initiative petitions is being
done. Our opponents don't trust the
peOple-never did. They are not will
ing to take a chance with the elector-
ate. They say the bills are clearly I'M
constitutional Setting themselves as
kind of self annointed supreme
court, as it were. They get into an
argument as to who shall pay the cost