The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-02-01
GOOD SPEAKERS
STATELAb
CONVENTION
City Authorities Get Severe
Roasting From Judge
w. w. Black
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more than all the others combined.
From 1890 to 1912 the total wealth
in the United States jumped from 65
billions of dollars to 1877 billions, an
increase Of 287 per cent, while at the
same time wages increased only 95
per cent. In manufacturing industries
in 1909 labor received 45 per cent--a
positive decrease. Two per cent of
the people own go per cent of the
wealth. Two millions of people own
20 per cent more wealth than 98,000,-
900; 65 per cent of the people own
less than per cent of the wealth.
Who, said the speaker, produced all
this wealth-and who grabbed it? A
voice from the hall said Harry
Thaw." eyes," said Bradford, t"and
you NUTS stood around and let him
do it. Now / want to offer you word
of advise: don't be satisfied with a
little shorter workday and a little
higher wages, and Christmas pres
ent every four years when your boss
has made an extra good plucking, but
get down to study of fundamentals
and make some progress toward a
change in our system of production
and distribution that will insure you
the product of your labor"
Capital and Labor Not Twins
Bradford went on to say that the
idea that capital and labor can sleep
IN the same bed and that their in
terests are identical is "pestilential,
pestiferous and cannot stand"
The speaker also made strong
plea for free speech, saying we cannot
afford to refuse to hear the message
of anyone. He urged political unity
and solidarity, and pointed out the
need for daily metropolitan news
paper, and in closing called attention
to the grave dangers of militarism. At
the close of his talk he was given a
vertiable ovation and rising vote of
thanks.
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, one of the
best known women labor agitators
in the world, addressed the conven-
ton on the plight of the prisoners
jailed as result of Everett's Bloody
Sunday" of November 5. Miss Flynn
was heartily applauded before speak
and received an ovation at the close.
She confined her remarks to clear
statement of the case of the prison
ers, urging that the individual dele
gates urge compliance with the ap-
peals for aid received by local unions
and pointing out that if labor did not
defend itself when attacked it would
not be only l. W. w. members who
will be killed in labor disturbances,
but labor unionists would be treated
in like manner.
The speaker stated that there was
something bigger than a mere free
speech fight involved in the cases, the
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
citation and it's campaign for the open
shop being at the bottom of the trou-
BILE. She said the only crime of the
prisoners was that they were not
killed on the fatal Sunday-if they
had been killed there would be no
trials. They are not murderers; the
real murderers are not in the jail.
In concluding Miss Flynn declared
we should now serve notice on the
master class that violence does not
divide the forces of labor, but serves
to drive US together for the protec-
ton of our common rights.
At the close of Miss Flynn's re-
marks, Chairman ]. G. Brown, of the
resolutions committee, stated that in
the resolution on the subject which
the convention had adopted the day
before, through an oversight local
unions had not been asked to support
the demands of the defense for a con-
gressional investigation, and asked
unanimous consent, which was grant
ed, to add clause to that effect to
the resolutions.
A collection was taken up from
among the delegates to purchase to-
bacco and periodicals for the boys in