Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1918-07-19
PRINTERS RESENT
vENOMOUS EDITORIAL

| a common query among men OF
to work for a concern which mali
ciously attacks and misrepresents or
/ ganized labor. The followers of the
art preservative have justified them
selves in most cases by asserting
that they do not desire to interfere
with the freedom of the press. "
Down in Oregon, perhaps the first
time of record, the printers have
taken a different view and decided
that the attitude of their employers
was license" and not freedom"
The Oregonian speaks of the walk
out of printers of Salem as follows:
Printers and Their Citizenship.
The walkout of the union printers
against the Capital Journal, a news
paper at Salem, involves certain eth
ical considerations entirely aside
from the usual surroundings of labor
disputes, which have to do mostly
with wages and recognition of the
union. No demand has been made
for higher pay, and there is no open
shop or threat thereof But the
printers have taken the outright
stand that they will not serve the
paper under it's present management.
In other words, it is plainly an effort
of the employe to determine the
character, if not the person, of the
employer. Can there be justification
for an attitude so exceptional and
extraordinary?
We will not attempt to determine
the question, beyond brief state
ment of the facts. which explain
themselves. The Capital Journal
made the direct charge that next to
the Kaiser the nations most dan
gerous enemy is union labor and its
irresponsible and unprincipled
heads" The printers quit work in
resentment at an indictment of dis
loyalty so sweeping and inclusive.
If organized labor and its leaders
are pro-German it is true, of course,
that every union man is pro-German.
The charge is false in it's essence
and in all it's implications. Every
sane man or woman knows it is not
true. Nothing more need be said in
vindication of labor. 1t remains only
to consider the reasons why anyone
would publicly go on record in sup
port of so infamous declaration.
There are no reasons except the
ebullitions of mind unbalanced or
venomous. We exclude the plaus-
ible theory of temporary alteration
through overindulgence in forbidden
liquids. Salem is dry, quite dry;
and so is the Capital Journal, so far
as any outsider knows. For the pur-
poses of this present argument it
may be said that it is unfortunate
that it is so. 1t is easy to see how
even an insult so gross might be con-
doned, upon proper presentation of
the excuse often successfully made
in the old days, and upon due apol-
Ogy. The only good thing anyone
was ever able to say about the liquor
habit was that the condition of alb
ject repentance to which it reduced
the user was often beautiful to be-
hold.
But, as we have intimated, no such
explanation can be made. The ar
raignment of organized labor as the
chief foe of America, next to the dia-
bolical Kaiser, was made in cold
blood, and there is as yet not the
slightest sign of regret therefor 1t
does not follow, indeed. that the
author believes it. About all he
really believes, apparently, with I'M
deviating fidelity, is the old axiom
that lie we'll stuck to is as good as
the truth, and sometimes better.
The men say they have not struck,
but have merely quit; and their
union will not permit any other
member of the local organization to
accept employment on the paper.
Whether or not they have struck. or
merely walked out, and instituted a
boycott, would seem to be inmate
rial. so far as the present facts. and
so far as the public view of their ac-
ton, are concerned.
The issue at bottom is as to wheth-
err the employer may say what he
pleases about his employe, and ex-
pect him to swallow it. Clearly. the
Capital Journal thinks that as union
printers they have no right to take
offense at anything, or to seek to
control any editorial expression. 1t
is a view with which any advocate of
free speech may be expected to have
certain sympathy. But it is going
rather far, it must be added, when
an editor writes an article denounc-
ing his printers and then demands
that they perform their usual func-
ton of putting in motion the mechan-
ism which makes it public. Ordi-
narily. undr his contract, a printer
has no recourse. He must automat-
ically respond to the demand for
service whatever the consequences.
for which he assumes, and is always
quick to say that he assumes, no re-
sponsibility.
Whatever else is clear about the
Salem middle, it is plain that the
printers have acted as citizens. and
to maintain their self-respect have
parted company with a concern