The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-04-30
''Come, Let Us
Reason Together"
President E. p Marsh State Federation of Labor, Re-
III views Industrial Situation In Everett-Makes Plea
for Simple Justice for Organized Labor.
MISLEADING NEWS

8 MISLEADING NEWS
s# Aberdeen, Wash, April 2S 1915.
Tuesday night picked up copy down here OF the Ev-
erett Daily Herald The first thing that struck my eye
the column interview with prominent business men OF
Everett anen the alleged terrible riot OF last Saturday
evening noted that the article wound up by stating that
authOrtive statement could be obtained from the union
officials as 1 out of the city, and Business Agent
Mills could not be located
Some very highly colored reports have been printed
about the Saturday night mixup. The Tribune reporter
evidently fortfyng himself for his urd story with
sshot in the arm had Gunmen Laird and White bravely
defending themselves against overwhelming horde OF
noting shingle weavers bent murder The Seattle
Times of Sunday morning had that sixty striking shin
gle weavers attacked little Spartan band of sixcount
Sem six-non- n-unonsts. All of which makes man tired
detailed account of the affair from the standpoint
Of the appears another part OF this paper 1t is
not my intention in this article to reel the story which
the editor will ably tell YOU do wish to make few gen
eral statements concerning the industrial trouble existent
in Everett dealing with the subject as view it, hope
that the business of this city, of them at least
will carefully read what have to say.
# Concerns Us ALL
All of us are concerned in seeing the timber industry
basic occupation giving employment in the aggregate
to two three thousand workmen run steadily without
Friction When mills operating everybody loses
We all agree that fact No OF ever TO-
mentng trouble among the sngle Weavers or any other
body of organized workmen. have always counseled
moderation, counting of the COST before any import
ant decision reached by union forces have always
been in favor of the boys talkng it over with the en-
ployers when differences between them reaching
amicabe agreement concerning the trouble it possible
cannot for the life of why in this instance the
manufacturers should take the arbitrary position that
they ''have nothing to arbtrae 1t is untenable po-
ston for either party to industrial dispute to take
Why Not Show Them?
The manufacturers in the present instance claim that
they pay the old scale of and operate their
mills profit If this be true how much better it would
be to sit down with pencil and paper and figure out the
cost of production with the men, showing them exactly
the shape the industry is in? think employers generally
make grave mistake in not taking their employees more
into their confidence the actual cost OF production OF
able when you ''show them The employer who treats
his men factors in his business entitled to intimate
knowledge of that business rather than mere parts OF
their machinery, finds his working force growing con-
talk between the employer and his might develop
some other way in which operating expense might
be essened and efficiency increased than an arbitrary
reduction in wages.
Nothing so embitters men, makes them hostile to en-
ployer arbitrary reduction of wage schedule with
more explanation than brief statement that they
"cannot pay the wages and operate at profit The
have offered to arbitrate this trouble; the mill
have refused is this position taken by mill men, that
have refused Is this position tenable? Is it not the
natural thing, in view of the position taken by mill men,
that the should look upon this lockout blow
aimed at the existence of their organization 1t their
view wrong the mill very quickly set the boys
right by going fully and frankly into the merits OF the
whole question.
Alleged Violence
Some of our leading business men, and both OF our
daily newspapers have grown much excited over the
alleged violence accompanying this trouble Very un-
fairly think they throw the responsibility upon the un
ion men, Let's analyze this phase of the situation.
labor war in the first place isn't kid glove affair
Men may argue good naturedy about the relative merits
ofMgh law tariff, discuss with equanmity the weather
Wen mans livhood is at stake, he finds himself walk
III the Streets his children growing pnched with hunger,
f worry lines appearing the face of the wife at home,
hhe somebody else is operating his machine at lesser
Fage he isn't apt to thing calmly and udiciousy. Man
b primal in his nature despite the thousands of years of
cue and he resorts to the primitive by instinct when
dsef threatens him and his Very few laboring men are
poophers students of economies They may not un
the economic forces at work but they do sense
;r @ e working conditions that they organized to main
an useraened. Their first instance is to strike at the
dSa reach and that man is generally the one who
them in the labor market