Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1918-01-04
RELIABLE LABOR NEWS.

Editors of the big city dailies,
commonly designated as the kept
press, are VIGOROUSLY biased against
organized labor. They suppress or
garble news favorable to trades
unions, and emphasize, enlarge and
add from the imagination when
handling events that might be con-
sidered to reflect upon the judgment
of trades unions.
At the other extreme are the ed
itors of the red" papers, who paint
employers and business men of all
degrees as the arch enemy of the
working class, devoted wholly to the
profit system as that system advan-
tages them. This class Of editors
characterizes the common garden
variety of union man as impelled by
either cupidity or boneheadedness In
all his acts.
Between these two extremes OF
newspaper publicity is the weekly
newspaper. The editors of these are
in the main very nice gentlemen, de-
voted to the community interest as
they see it and ordinarily free Of any
intent to misrepresent. But as a
rule they are out of touch with the
labor movement; they are innocent
as babes of the experiences, hopes
and aims of organized labor. and
often unwittingly do an injury to the
working people by accepting the
malicious viewpoint of the daily
paper as current coin.
In order to obtain fair publicity 1t
therefore becomes necessary for the
laboring people to have labor papers,
directed by members of their own
class who. by personal daily con-
tact are given possession of facts
about the activities of organized
labor. These facts furnish adequate
reason for the publication of this
labor department. The editor and
publisher. of the Standard bears no
responsibility for the views expressed
therein. The matter in this page Is
furnished by trades unionist. and
cooperating with him are the officials
and members Of the different local
unions.
The Labor Movement is the great.
intelligent, progressive force of the
nation. Practically all social and
political reforms of the last half CEN
fury have had their birth in the ranks
of organized labor, and certainly the
years have been fruitful in desirable
social and political changes. Pro-
gressive ideas. springing from the
labor movement, have often been
seized upon by ambitious and clever
people to lift themselves into pol.t-
ical power and, having grabbed a
seat upon the band-wagon, they
forthwith claim authorship of the
music and the words and assume the
right to WELD the baton. Trade
unionists are not fooled, however.
though many other citizens may be.
Laboring men are regrettably re-
firing and few among us are pos
sessed of the great desire for author
ity that seems to urge forward the
professional man and often the bust
ness man. Working people are all
for the progressive principle Of social
justice and give little thought to the
political instruments supposed to
forward those principles. In this re-
spect we are weak. A prime purpose
of the labor press is to correct this
fault. This department hopes to do
its share along those lines. Repre-
sentative working people should be
in the city council, on the school
board, on the library board, in the
county building and in the state cap
itol in much larger numbers than at
present. If we are able to inspire
one or more members of organized
labor to seek public Office, to accept
the sacrifice for the common good
that honest conduct of the business
OF many of these political positions
entails, we will be we'll satisfied.