The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-03-29
(By Albert Brilliant

(By Albert Brilliant
The third week of the most pro
nouncedly labor trial, in whicl
Thomas f. Tracy, member of the |
w. W., is charged with being an abet
tor in a conspiracy which eliminated
in the shooting of Deputy Sheriff JEFF
ferson Beard at Everett city dock OF
Sunday, November 5, began or Mon
day before Judge J. T. Ronald, OF tn,
King County superior court, with test
mony for the state by Mayor d. d
Merrill of Everett.
Attorney George f. Vanderveer, If
his usual searching manner of cross
examining witnesses, brought Out
many striking Inconsistencies on the
part of the mayor. The first of the
paradoXes was that after the commit.
tee of supposed |. w. WIS came to
see the mayor on about August "a
and threatened him with invading the
town and burning it up, he complied
with their request and released one
of the |. W. W. speakers. 1t was also
brought out that the mayor knew of
the entire trouble of the city, but did
not take advantage of his office in
putting stop to the trobule.
Mr.. Mayor, you said that the |. w.
W. were q ~urez:nng crowd. DID
you ever receive a letter from Sec
rotary Mailer of the Seattle |. w.
W." He replied: 81 don't remem-
ber." At this time Vanderveer sub
mitted a file Of letters. The mayor
looked at them. 81 might have re-
ceived them, but did not pay any
attention to them, as it was out of
my jurisdiction, l referred to Com
missioner Kelley"
"You did,"
eyes sir"
care you sure you did?"
"Then why did you reply to one ?"
Vanderveer produced a letter with
the mayors signature, whereupon the
mayor said: eyes, this one | did
reply"
"ln that letter to which you replied
about August % | see this statement:
When man breaks a law or an ordi-
nance it is the duty of the city auth
critics to arrest him and give him a
trial in your courts Did you discuss
this statement with the committee OF
August 31?"
81 don't remember"
isn't it fact that you said tc
that committee that you would give
them fair chance? What did YOU
mean-to give them a chance to burr
up the city? If it is true that the
w. w. had violated the city's ordin.
ance, why did you not arrest them Q
Vanderveer persisted
81 had nothing to do with that sid,
of it."
"Why is it that none of the /. w. w
who were arrested were ever charged
with violating any street speaking or
dinance?
81 don't know; had nothing to de
with that side Of it,"
isn't it a fact that you said tina
you read the |. w. w. papers imme
diately after the committee of |. w
W. had visited your"
eyes sir"
Vanderveer continued that the !
W. were open in their method o
handling the free speech situation
and if the mayor had cared to Sc
that the laws were enforced if an,
were violated, he could have done so.
Left 1t All to the Sheriff
The mayor again stated how the or
ganization of the citizen-deputie
came into existence, and that Sheriff
McRae had charge of the situation
He was asked if he did not state t
one by the name of Sully, an Everett
man, that the radical bunch in tn
Commercial Club took the entire situa
ton out of his hands and placed it i
the hands of the sheriff. He replied
Not in those words"
81 want to ask you, some time i
the month of August, 1916, shortl
after the arrest of 40 l. w. W. fo
violating a street speaking ordinanc,
if you did not have a conversation i
your office with President j. G. Brow
Of the Single Weavers' Union, Pres
dent E. P. Marsh of the Washingto
Federation Of Labor, and Willial
Blackman of the United States labc
J department."