The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-02-01
GOOD SPEAKERS
AT STATELABOR
CONVENTION
City Authorities Get Severe
Roasting From Judge
w. w. Black

IVpdDiy tiic DlSSSoC oCdtc SolVeil-
ton of the Washington State FEEDER
alton of Labor that has ever been
held took place in Everett last week.
Space does not permit of a general
report of the affair but we feel duty
pound to quote briefly some Of the
Dest speeches that were maze at the
Convention.
All the old officers were reelected
but the date of the next Convention
was changed to June so as to enable
the Federation to draw up the political
demands of the body and to endorse
the candidates who are in sympathy
with organized labor and will intro
duce legislation and work for the
organized workers of the state.
Among the speakers were;
Judge W. W. Black
Hon. w. W. Black, for eight years
judge of the Superior Court of Sno-
homish County, was introduced by
Vice-President Francois as "the only
non-partisan democrat in the county,"
The applause which greeted Judge
Black was in distinct contrast to the
lack of fervor with which the mayor
mad been greeted. The judge opened
his remarks with the extempore state
ment that he felt that "every wage
worker should belong to some labor
organization. Capital" he said, sis
necessarily organized. If have a mill
and employ 100 men, am the organ
ization, and dealing with the men
singly can break them to do my
bidding, but if those men organize in
to one body they make themselves
powerful and cope with my organiza-
ton.
"We should judge labor organiza-
tons by their aims and purposes, not
by the mistakes they make, l am
in full and hearty accord with any
organization striving to better the
conditions of wage workers, to shorten
their hours of labor, raise their wages
and better their working conditions,
for in SO doing they are raising the
standards of the entire community.
All wealth is created by labor-cap-
ital is the product of labor-but labor
never gets a fair share of it's own
product"
Judge Black went on to say that
any man who willfully and knowingly
opposes the purposes of organized la
Dor is an enemy of society. Further,
it is not enough merely to grant labor
more wages, but it should have it's
share in the management of industry
on equal terms with the employer.
The judge deplored violence, and
stated that in this country, with the
legislative powers in the hands of the
people, the entire question of capital
vs.. labor could be settled by legal en-
actment, and proposed federal eight
hour day to apply to all.
Speaks For Plain Citizens
In closing Judge Black welcomed
the delegates to the city on behalf of
the plain citizens, particularly specify
ing that he was not speaking for the
officials, who have in the past swell
coined" some labor delegates in a
manner more forceful than polite.
James Z. Bradford
James E. Bradford, progress candi-
date for governor in the recent cleo
ton, introduced some dynamite into
the proceedings of the Washington
State Federation of Labor convention
Brdaford was introduced by President
E. P. Marsh as "a man to whom the
labor movement was profoundly in
debted. The man who must be given
credit more than any other one man
in the state for the defeat of the ref
erendum measures"
The speaker lost no time in get
ting down to some fundamental facts,
quoting the constitution of the state
of Washington, which states "re-
currence to fundamental principals is
necessary to the preservation Of in
dividual rights" He stated that i'll
the past 70 years we have not come
within gunshot of prosperity, and pro
ceeded to point out some facts which
prove most depiorable condition in
this land of the free and home of the
brave.
Thirty-nine per cent of the little
over 100000 families in the United
States receive less than $700 per year
income, and "A per cent less than
$1,000. Only 10 per cent Of the wage
earners of the country receive mo-
than $1,000 per year, 40 per CEN
make from 5000 to 1000, and so PEI
cent receive less than 5000 per yea
while nine-tenths of the women worl.-
ers get less than 800 year. Ana
this does not allow for unemployment,
which means 20 per cent reduction
from the figures quoted.
Unequal Wealth Distribution
Out of 12,5O0,0O0 families, said Mr..
Bradford, 100000 own less than
M IN