The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-01-26
SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT BY
PRESIDENT MARSH

For several reasons | have thought
! best to cover the stirring industrial
events transpiring in the city Of Ever
EFT during the past year in a separ-
ate report from that printed and
mailed to the delegates prior to the
opening of this convention. The main
part of my annual report was pre-
pared early in December. This re-
port was prepared one month later
that it might bring the situation as
near as possible up to date. The
seriousness of the situation, the trag
edies and clashes that marked the
struggle, has attracted the attention
of the entire United States and the
situation deserves to be dealt with
quite apart from any other subject.
To relate in circumstantial detail
each step of the conflict that has soil
ed the pages of Everett's industrial
history, would require more printers
ink than | am at liberty to use in
the Federation proceedings. 1t shall
be my task to attempt to give you
word picture of the restless, resist
less forces at work in this commun-
ity which have produced near an
archy, lessened respect for consti-
tuted authority, wounded nigh unto
death the community spirit which
ought to prevail in every hamlet,
city and town, and brought blood
shed and death in their wake. 1t will
not be pretty picture to look upon,
but it is drawn with the hope that
it will be truthful rather than fanci-
full, may point the way toward a diff
ferent viewpoint upon the part of
those who have hitherto held aloof
from the industrial struggle, holding
the eternal conflict between capital
and labor to be no particular con-
Germ of theirs. The labor interests,
the manufacturing and commercial
interests; the business and profess
sional interests, all played part,
some unwittingly, in the weaving of
their drama which ended in tragedy,
and all have suffered alike from the
Misunderstanding the cupidity, the
bigotry, the hatred, which, mixed in
the alchemy of class conflict, brought
forth class hatred and it's hand
maiden, the law of physical force, as
an arbiter of human problems. If
this report shall be some times mar
rative, sometimes argumentative, it
is with a very definite end in view
Dame Rumor shall play small part
in this report, but | shall try to set
forth clearly established facts. You
may not agree in the end with the
deductions | shall draw from the
struggle, but l intend that at least
none shall successfully dispute the
statement of facts set forth.
Running through all the story is
the stormy history of an organiza-
ton which was born in industrial
strife, an organization that has held
the center of Everett's industrial
stage for many weary months, which
has fought, sometimes illadvisedly,
but always valorously. The writer
knows it's history well, having been
connected with it since the first page
was written until now. The nature of
mans occupation, his daily work
ing environment, marks in large de-
gree the nature of the man himself
and cannot help but mold the early
years at least of his economic or
ganization. Men who flirt with
death in their daily calling become in
ured to physical danger, they be-
come contemptuous of the man whose
calling fails to bring forth physical
prowess. So do they in their organi-
cations become irritated and con-
temptuous at the long drawn-out pro-
cess Of bargaining, the duel of wits
and brain power engaged in by more
conservative organizations to win
working concessions. Their motto
becomes "strike quick and strike
hard" ofttimes never pausing to
| think of the retroactive character of
strikes. 1t is only after bitter de-
feats have been administered, gener-
ally after a long period of years
marked by stormy conflict, do such
organizations come to the realization
that victories are many times more
easily won and more lasting in their
effect through the use of brain than
of Drawn.
The Everett Single Weavers Union
was born in 1901 of strike which
it won. 1t grew amazingly in num-
bers and soon embraced practically
every skilled man engaged in the in
dustry. In 1905 it successfully re-
| sisted a wapa raduction In 1906 it