The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-07-19


openly confessed in these words: "The
facts stand prominently in an exami-
nation of modern society: First-The
proletariat is the subject class; and,
second, the special function of the
state is to keep the proletariat in SUBJ
lection" Therefore, any organization
of the proletariat as class must at
once be considered menace to the
privileged classes and be declared ille-
gal. All the activities Of the proletar-
lat furthering its program for a new
society must necessarily be revolu-
tionary and be beyond the law. There
fore, the Socialist politicians illegal
revolution" idea is regarded as alb
surd." Ibid, p. 21).
The /. w. w. is absolutely unequivo-
cal in its statements of tactics to be
pursued. There is but one bargain
that the /. w. w. will make with the
employing class: Complete surrender
of all control of industries to organ
lied workers." (The /. w. W., Its
History, Structure and Methods, p. 10)
Peace but an Armed Truce
"The tactics used are determined by
the power of organization to make
good in their use. The question of
right and wrong does not concern
us. No terms made with an employ
er are final. All peace, so long as the
wage system lasts, is but an armed
truce" Ibid, p. 15). "No part of the
organization is allowed to enter into
time contracts with the employers"
Ibid, p. 15). "The /. w. w. maintains
that nothing will be conceded by the
employers except what VIC have power
to take and hold by the strength of
our organization. Therefore, we seek
no agreements with the employers.
Failing to force concessions from the
employers by strike, work will be re-
sumed and sabotage used to force the
employers to concede the demands of
the workers" (Ibid, p. 49,. "The
great progress made in machine pro-
duction results in an ever-increasing
army of unemployed. To counteract
this the /. w. w. aims to establish the
shorter workday and to slow up the
working pace" Ibid, p. 16). "Inter-
ference by the government is resented
by open violation of the governments
orders, going to Jail en- mass, causing
expense to the tax payers, which is but
another name for the employing class.
Ibid, p. 16). "In short, the /. w. w.
advocates the use of militant, direct
action tactics to the fullest extent of
our power to make good" Ubid, p.
16). "We are looking forward to the
time when the organized proletariat
will meet in the union the world over
and decide how long they will work
and how much of the wealth they pro-
duce they will give to the boss."( Ibid,
p. PAY.
Federation of Labor is Opposed
In the meanwhile, the work Of this
reasonable, revolutionary, destructive
organization of men, who make capt.
tai of the fact that they have no skill
in industry, no aspiration for them
selves, no knowledge and no desire to
acquire any of these things, and whose
sole claim to consideration is that they
are a menace to society, to all real
workers and that they can destroy
even tho they cannot rebuild, is per-
mitted to go unchecked. True, few
states have aroused to a knowledge of
these facts and have put their activi-
ties under the ban of the law, but In
our own state, and quite generally thru
out the United States, they are let
alone, permitted to organize and to
push their reasonable and destructive
propaganda and even to threaten acts
of violence by word of mouth and by
their sticker campaigns, and to actual
ly commit violence, without any seri-
Gus effort being made to restrain them.
The American Federation of Labor
in all its affiliated branches has con-
sistently maintained its opposition to
the /. w. w. and condemns both its
purposes and methods. "Charles Per-
ry Taylor, the secretary of the State
Federation of Labor, said that the A.
F.. of L. is solidly opposed to the
methods of /. w. w. in stirring up
strife between the laboring man and the
employer" Industrial Worker, May
10, 1917, p. ~. Resolved, by the Abb
erdeen Central Labor Council, that we
hereby express our condemnation of
any such anti-union, un-American and
unethical propaganda as that INDUCED
in by the /. w. W." Industrial Work
er, May 10, 1917, p. a..
Menace is Not Realized
But, even organized labor does not
realize how great is the menace, even
to itself, of this cimilially inspired
organization. As we have already said,
the country itself and public authori-
ties everywhere must be aroused and
that right speedily.
In times of peace it may be neces-
sary to await the overt act of outlaw
nv. and to deal with il as an isolated