The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-02-02
EVERETT'S INDUSTRIAL WARFARE:
REPORT OF PRESIDENT E. P. MARSH

a meeting of the Chamber of Com
merce many years ago in Everett. at
a time when the unions were i'm the
very zenith of their power and pros
perity when Everett was eniovfng q
building boom and al. the trades
numerically strong That meeting
was called to discuss some labor mat
ters then under Investigation. A
gentleman, then prominently identi-
fled with the First National Bank.
volunteered the statement that there
were more savings bank deposits i'm
Everett, representing the savings of
work people, in proportion to popu-
lation, than in any other city in the
Northwest. The large majority of
, Eyeretts unionists are Of the sober.
industrious variety, owning their own
homes, maintaining the city's schools
and churches and all civic institutions
But the "open shop" bugaboo had
hit this powerful clique in the Com
mercial Club and hit it hard. Everett
had not recovered from an industrial
depression that had been statewide.
affecting the locality where no unions
existed as well as the organized local
ity. 1t occurred to these gentlemen
that here was a chance to take
fling at its ancient enemy, the trade
union movement, by declaring in eff
feet that the CLOSED shop" policy of
the unions was responsible for all the
industrial ills Everett has suffered.
AS well ascribe the seven year plague
of locusts that devastated ancient
Egypt to the trade unions of that
period. There had to be a goat and
union labor and it's "closed shop"
policy was 1T" Our whole economic
system was on the verge Of delirium
tremens when the European war hap
pened along to check the disaster that
was imminent and the Everett unions
had no more to do with bringing that
about than the mythical man in the
moon. open shop is d catch word
that covers a multitude of employers
in their artful pastime of skinning
the America workman coming and
going, in the practical operation of
which the average citizen not a men,
Der Of trade union knows little The
trade unionists know from bitter ex-
/ perience. So the Commercial Club
went on record for the "open shop"
and the artful manipulators therein
sat back and expected the trade union
movement of Everett to go hurtIing
to ruin. But it didn't hurtle-not
noticeably.
Enter the Industrial Workers of the
World.
A million stories and rumors have
been told the world concerning the
activities Of the Industrial Workers
of the World in Everett, the treat
ment accorded to them and their sub
sequent action. These rumors | shall
utterly disregard and chronicle here
indisputable facts. The bare facts are
hideous enough and disgraceful
enough to make US wish to forget the
nightmare we have been through, re-
habilitate the name of our fair city
in the eyes of the world. wipe the slate
clean of terrible mistakes of judgment
and commission, adopt a more kindly.
Christian spirit in dealing with our
veXatious social problems
! never have and do not now sub
scribe to the doctrines and industrial
practices of that organization. can
mot see in the direct action. sabotage
methods of that body anything con-
structive, I believe that as changes
come in our method of production and
distribution it will be because of
growing intelligence on the part of
thoughtful, practical people, A revo-
luton is going on in the minds of
the people today, bloodless, physically
peaceful, but none the less sure. The
whole viewpoint of society toward the
human productive unit is undergoing
a profound change. 1t is noticeable in
the work Of countless social agencies
throughout the length and breadth of
the land; noticeable in the broadening
out Of government regulation and
supervision over humble, everyday
affairs of the average man; work
mans compensation and minimum
wage legislation opened an entire new
field Of humanitarian endeavor on the
part Of state and federal governments
which they are rapidly exploring; the
well-being of the producer Of today
is becoming the immediate and press
ing concern of society and is being
rapidly so recognized. In this scheme
of social construction l doubt the fit
ness of an organization whose "hand,"