The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-03-10
IS SCENE Of FIGHT d:
AGAINST ORGANIZED LABOR:

NEW YORK, March Son last
Monday In Seattle, .sevehty-four men
began their trials for murder in the
first degree. These men are workers
who are to be hanged If vengeful
officials, who helped a mob kill five
OF their fellow workers in Everett,
WASH. Just four months previously,
can force that terrible injustice.
Seattle Is now the latest scene. in the
organized fight Of organized CONNER
cial interests Of the Pacific Coast to
forbid all organization to workers.
The trials in Seattle are the cul-
mination Of the "battle" that took
place Nov. s between a sheriff's mob
Of several hundred armed persons
and a smaller group of striking
workers and their sympathizers.
These latter were on a boat coming
to exercise legal and moral right
OF free speech. The so-called "bat-
tie" was In fact a slaughter Of the
helpless men on the boat. From the
three sides of the dock slip into
which the boat had been permitted
to enter, the workers received the
shots from the rifles and other arms
of the sheriff's deputies and gunner
and "citizens." The deputy who was
killed, and for whose murder" the
survivors of the unhappy crowd on
the boat are now being tried for their
lives, may have been killed by the
cross-fare of the deputies on the three
sides Of the slip, or he may have been
killed by the return fire of some one
on the boat whose, life had been
placed in jeopardy by the acts Of the
sherinrs mob.
For the murder Of the five men on
the boat and for the wounding Of
about fifty others on the boat no one
who killed them or. wounded them is
to be tried.
AS usual in these false prosecu-
tons Of labor (Which have become so
frequent-and so especially frequent
and vindictive on the Pacific coast)
the wrong men are being prosecuted.
Those who "incited to riot" and who
did actually riot and kill on that
"Bloody Sunday" Of Nov. 5 were the
sheriff's and mayors and Commercial
clubs forces Of law and order" The
incentive with them was the resent
ment Of the lumber trust (Which con-
trolls the shingle mills and banks in
Everett) at the strike Of the shingle
weavers in the mills.
Shameless Defense.
When the Committee on Industrial
Relations issued e statement Of the
facts Of Nov. 5, quoting the state
ments Of Mayor Gill, OF Seattle and Of
others who had Sc1ndemned the kill
ing of the workers;< some members of
the Everett Commercial club sent out
to all newspapersof.:A America a not
ably bold and shameless. defense OF
the massacre. Under a seeming
sting Of guilt these Representatives OF
the interests which were arrayed
against the denounced the
Committee lstrlal r, Relations
and the NatiohSi|., Labor Defense
counsel for having: dared to lift a
voice against both the crime Of the
slaughter OF workers and the crime
of seeking to hang those who were
not killed at once. This ''denuncia-
ton by the conspfrators against the
workers strung together proved false.
hoods and the s1reds of flimsiest cir.
cumstances throughout all the weeks
of the strike. BY: those falsehoods
and pointless circumstances they
sought to justify the murder OF mer
who had at least: as much right to
land in the town ais had the strike
breakers who had been imported tc