The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-11-06
FOUGHT and LOST
(By E. P. MARSH)

Washington dry by fifteen thousand 1T is the will Of
sweeping the country voters of Washington Tuesday put the state
in the dry colume and by decisive majority which admits of
argument the the people question of Proh
bton do not believe that the bill passed will accomplish that
cn proponents nope Tor but in common with good citizen
accept the result cheerfuy and only express that
entrusted with law enforcement enough
to the limit any and all vioato of the law
M eecen we are TO nave Prohbon in let have it
high upon question submitted to popular 1t seems to be
impossible to inject this question politics engenderng
sap anmosltes Undoubtedly mans candidacy
ed by this question when had particular relation position
the candidate seeking 1t will always thus long Pob
ton Local Option any form dealing the LIQUOR question
dealt with at general election To the writer's mind is
other subject whatever should be considered.
was foegone conclusion that the action the State Fedora
on OF Labor on Initiative Measure No should severely
demned and criticised in Post may
satisfactory but am constrained to hold nevertheless in this
instance This action dark on the part of the
Federation the Trades Councils State Long ago for
the course that would pursued by counted
e AnoWlng 1nat large percentage of membership
composed OF working in the liquor capacity it
Prohibition that would endorse No have been
had we maintained to the end neutral position
any open expression concerned This when
fence would have been comfortable and roostng place
@ mere VIII always be people who will contend that made fatal
OPINION and am not inclined to argue The that
whether mistakenly thousands of men COMPRISING an
aggressive fighting part trade union movement men who
were battle SCARED from industrial conflicts that with
the placing the ballot of No when
the State Federation must be thing for them or
them was not enough for them to lend moral sympathy
ana support They their livelihood only avoca
ton they knew trades to which they given years service being
I have
never planned them do not do
was OF the best in involving the movement but
was the most natural thing in the world
aer glVng freely OF their and
union movement that movement should
ana death struggle We face dilemma of
forgetting the ethical or moral side of Prohibition coming the
e1en OF hese men or leaving them fight their alone The
Board theshed the question angle
% many hours knowing that it coming of lis gave
much time to SOBER careful thought the question finally
"tou dssentlng vote cast lot with had no
apologies TO offer nor have fought lost Did
e same situation again. would as before
hee are some people of small minds have
oert snuaed that the members of the were
liked by the liquor interests In their
untrue ana they themselves hardly worth uarreng with
Inc boys put up remarkably fight
themselves by assessment monthly of their refusing take
ne penny from the liquor their
campaign fund Vtuperation and abuse nduged but little
40 not recall single of their circulars or single
speech deVeed by representatives the involved in which
or abuse was hurled at the opposition They
from the start that they had appeal the reasoning faculties of
he voters rather than to passion and prejudice.
Sealzlng as keeny the evils arising from an ntem
use OF liquor and apprecang the thousands
W gooo people to wipe 1t out still tribute to the men
as Worngmen in that industry They big defeat
ana deserve the respect of trades unonists generally
M all over Let us hope that the
nooo may indeed find rumenerave
Work Iey nave families dependent support the
same as the rest OF us and potentially citizens HAVING
the verdict let's close the book hoping the prob
uonss are right and wrong the state WILL RF
COME IN REALITY DRY" ~ ' DH-