The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-08-17
By f. P. MARSH,
esident Washington State Fedora

cllOI 10 W eluJuoC bhN DlS iulllDSi
strike on terms of fairness to the
strikers have failed. Responsibility
for this failure lies squarely upon
the shoulders of the lumbermen, who
resisted pressure brought from every
quarter and stubbornly persisted in
the attitude once assumed by certain
"malefactors of great wealth." viz,
"the public be damned"
For some time strenuous efforts
were put forth to make it appear that
this entire lumber trouble was an
l. w. w. movement, the men in the
main ceasing from work through fear
of bodily harm. To the last some
of the operators hammered away on
this charge, but it fell flat. The
facts were that the strength of
the |. w. w. lay almost entirely in
the woods. The men in the mills,
both lumber and single, were not
members of that organization nor
in sympathy with /. W. w. methods
Fifteen thousand men were organized
under the American Federation of
Labor within three weeks from the
out who have not as yet been reach
ed by organization; came out be-
cause their minds were set upon the
shorter work day and deemed the
time opportune to join with their
fellow workmen in this shorter work
day campaign.
From first to last the Information
al Union of Single Weavers and
the International Union of Timber
workers held steadily to the policy
of negotiation and conciliation Their
cards were placed upon the table
face up. They appreciated fully the
gravity of the national situation and
attuned their policy to the least dis
turbance of industrial activity nee
essary to aid the government in its
war program. They asked the State
Council of Defense to use it's good
offices to bring about conference
two weeks previous to the strike date.
They asked the representatives of the
state and federal labor departments
to assist in bringing about con-
ference between the contending par
ties. Again and again they sought
directly to bring about conferences
between their officials and the lum-
Der manufacturers looking toward an
amicable settlement. Arrogantly the
lumbermen refused, not only the
peace offers of the men, but the in
tercession of representatives of the
United States government. For ten
days they failed to so much as reply
to the written request for a con-
ference sent them by the federal and
state labor departments, the while
they were organizing to resist the
demands of the men. On July 10
the press of the state carried the
story of their "half million dollar
slush fund.-" and it is significant that
they allowed that story to go I'M
contradicted for one month, until the
storm grew so hot about their ears
that in desperation they denied the
existence of such fund.
The pressure grew so strong that
finally they were compelled to come
into conference, taking refuge be-
hind the plea-whch fooled nobody
that "only the governments war
predcament" brought them into con-
ference. Was ever patriotism"
more shamefully abused!
Through the efforts of the State
Council of Defense a conference was
finally arranged 1t was agreed
that five men should represent the
operators, the two unions to be rep
resented by five men, and neutral
committee of five prominent business
and professional men should sit with
the state council We have heard
much about the "timidity of capital"
1t must be true, for when the con-
terence opened lobby of half hun
dred lumber operators crowded into
the small conference chamber, while
the strikers were represented by but
five conferees. The lumbermen's
lobby was sullen and resentful, and
several of them expressed that re-
sentiment in open, gratuitous insults
directed at j. G. Brown, the spol1es-
man of the strikers. Some of the
lumbermen, while frank in their de-
termined opposition to the demands
of the men, were courteous in their
treatment and discussion of the is
sues, but the composite attitude OF
the lobby was contemptuously hos
tile Their idea of fairness may be
gathered from the following Incl
dent;