The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-11-10
|. w. w. TREATED
WITH HUMANITY
Mayor Supplies Host of Prisoners With Tobacco
by WaY of Answer to Criticism of Himself

myself, however, if it had been neces-
sary," the mayor added.
Gill said that Police Chief C. l..
Rockingham purchased the tobacco
carried to the l. w. w. s, and pre-
sumed that that official paid for it.
Questioned as to whether it was Gus
tomary for the mayor or chief of police
to buy tobacco for prisoners in the
city Jail, Gill said:
well, the taxpayers needn't worry
about that-the city won't be present
ed with bill for it, If the chief
doesn't pay for the tobacco, l will
settle for it myself"
The mayor declared the city now is
holding the l. w. WIS in Jail in vio-
latoin of the law ''for another city
that promised to come and get them
in the morning, but that didn't" and
that his treatment of them is the same
as he would accord other detained
witnesses"
"These men haven't been charged
with anything" said Gill today "Per-
sonally, l have no sympathy with the
l. w. WIS. The way | have handled
them here in the past ought to be
proof enough of that, but l don't be-
lieve | should have these men tortured
just because l have them in Jail.
ut has been customary to let de-
tanned witnesses smoke in jail / am
not treating these l. w. WIS different
ly than l would anyone else"
Blankets Badly Needed
The mayor declared that the reason
he had the prisoners furnished with
warm blankets was because more than
200 of them are held in quarters so
small and stuffy that they would suf-
focate unless the windows were
opened.
when the windows were opened"
the mayor said, "it became cold in the
Jail, and ! got them the blankets to
keep them from freezing to DEATH"
Answering criticism here that the l.
w. WIS should have been searched by
the Seattle police before being allowed
to depart for Everett, Gill declared
Are we to search every person who
leaves on a train or boat out of Sc
,attle?" he said. 1--WE had no more right
to search these men than we would to
stop and 'frisk' a party of members of
the Employers Association who were
going away on trip. l believe they
took the guns they had with them in a
box and that this was carefully hidden
on the boat. 1t is ridiculous to sup
pose that these men would walk
through the streets of the city with
the revolvers in their pockets.
No Fight in Seattle
Because Everett has been reduced
to state of anarchy by their high
handed methods of dealing with this
situation it is no reason they are 60
ing to attempt to bring their fight
down in Seattle, at least while l am
mayor
eff l were one of the party of forty
/ w. WIS who was almost beaten to
death by 800 citizens of Everett with
out being able to defend myself, |
probably would have armed myself if
intended to visit Everett again.
IF the Everett authorities had an
ounce of sense, this tragedy woCld
have never happened. They have
handled the situation like a bunch of
imbeciles, and they have been trying
TO unload these men onto Seattle. You
don't see any disturbances here, be-
cause we don't use nickel methods
The mayor charged that Everett
officials were inconsistent in their
handling of this situation. He said
that they permit candidates for Of
flee tC violate the city ordinances by
speaking on the streets and yet run
the l. w. WIS out of town if they en-
Geavor to mount soap box.
"Why hasn't a Benson supporter
just as much right to speak in the
streets as Mcbride or Hughes sup
porter?" said Mayor GslL