The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-06-21


patriotism is the last refuge of a
scoundrel." Further comment is I'M
necessary. Read the memorial:
Memorial to the President of the
United States by the Executive
Committee of the Washington
State Grange.
Hon. Woodrow Wilson, President,
The White House, Washington,
d. C.
Mr.. President: We, the Execu-
tive Officers of the Washington
State Grange, Patrons of Husbandry,
in session at Seattle, Washington,
appeal to you for justice and for
Federal investigation to determine
whether the officers and members of
the State Grange are dsloyal or
whether it is the local authorities of
Walla Walla, Washington, who so
summarily broke up the annual meet
ing of the State Grange, who are
disloyal.
From the moment the patrons as
sembled in Walla Walla, every eff
fort was made to show the loyalty
of the Grange. The first act on
assembling in convention was to
pass strong resolutions pledging
earnest, united support to you as
our President and COMMANDMENTS
Chief, and these resolutions were
wired to you. The Grange address
at the public meeting in response
to the address of welcome was a
| ringing declaration of answering
support of you in prosecuting the
war, and Mr.. President, the only act
or acts that could be honestly con-
strued as disloyal at any of the
Grange meetings, was the refusal of
the school board to allow the Grange
to take up collection for the Red
Cross in the building A collec-
ton was, however, taken up in the
entrance way at the close of the
meeting. We now believe the pur-
nose of this refusal was to prevent
the grange from making any record
of patriotism that would appeal to
the people of Walla Walla, or that
would interfere with the purpose of
stamping the Grange disloyal.
The treatment of the Washington
! State Grange at Walla Walla only
!iffeIs from the treatment accord
ed other farmers meetings all over
the Northwestern states, in that it
IS the first, so far as we are aware.
breaking up of the regular annual
meeting of a large state organiza-
ton by local authorities on the plea
that the meeting was disloyal. But
we firmly believe that the methods
PURSUED by the local authorities Of
Walla Wal!a are indicative of the
growing boldness of the reactionary
controlled officials in large num-
bers of our Northwestern cities and
counties and several of our states
taking advantage of the war to de-
stroy their political opponents under
the pretense of disloyalty and pro-
Germanism.
This constant persecution of the
organized farmers of the North
west, by state and local authorities,
and self-constituted patriotic So
cieties and corrupt newspapers, on
the pretense that the farmers are
disloyal, has produced a situation
terrible in it's possible consequences.
The charge that the farmers Of
the great Northwest are so dis
loyal that their meetings must be
broken up, must be encouraging to
the enemy. The terrible consequences
may be that the war will be pro-
longed, hundreds of thousands of
our boys unnecessarily killed, and
billions added to the wars cost.
If we, or any of the members Of
our Order, are disloyal in the face
of such terrible possibilities, then we
admit that no punishment would be
too severe. On the other hand. if
the officers and members of the
Washington State Grange are loyal,
as we claim honest investigation will
show, then the local authorities of
Walla Walla, who have placed the
stigma of disloyalty upon us, are
themselves disloyal and should be
dealt with accordingly. They are
giving aid and comfort to the enemy
and for petty, ignoble purposes and
will be responsible for all the ter
rible consequences that must in
eviably follow if such high-handed
practices are not suppressed. They,
and not the farmers organizations
are the Shadow Huns"-the enc
my within our gates.
The crime with which the Wash