The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-08-22
EMPLOYERS |. w. w.
ORGANIZATION"
Editor Labor Journal:

/ EdltOr Labor journal.
Some time ago it was announced
by the once "Lumberworkers' Pro
tective League that it had dis
I banded because the Four-L organ
ization filled the need for the for
mer Now we notice that same old
body is being resuscitated and given
the breath of life once more.
What does it mean? For one
thing it shows plainly the Lumber
men are now convinced they have
failed ANONYMOUSLY to hoodwink
the workmen with their nefarious
Four-L bunkum.
So far it is a good thing; but the
object of again reviving Sleir old
"Protective League? They say it
is to protect themselves from "Ac-
tions of Radicals" Who are the
Radicals? They say Radicals"
to gain the sympathy of the gen
eral public.
If they came out in the open and
said what they mean they know
full well the general public would
condemn their movement with a
condemnation so severe as to rem
der them Immediately impotent.
To the radical minds of those
foremost in resurrecting the Pro
tective League as they are pleased
to call it, anyone opposing their
method of procedure is a Radical"
So when they mention Radical"
they mean "All Unionism." But
they dare not let the public know
their true position. They are fight
ing conservative unionism just as
hard as they are radicalism, and
are in reality giving their greater
attention to the former, for they
know the latter is generally con
demned and that that same con
demnation will take care of it, But
to them "Unionism" is Radical
ism, and they seek to stay clear of
public condemnation for themselves
by the use of the term.
It is an undeniable fact that the
great preponderance of working
men are conservative. 1t is true
also that great numbers of conserv-
ative men are possessed of a GER
tain timidity which renders them
incapable Of entering a controversy
So long as employers fight conserv-
ative unionism, just so long do those
timid men stay out of the union,
and which in turn decreases the
proportionate number of cOnserva-
tives and radicals in the union
membership.
If the Lumber Employers would
cease their insane activity against
legitimate and conservative union
ism then would all that class of
timid men become members and
they would have body of men to
deal with from which they need
fear nothing
But what is worst Of all-their
unceasing strife is driving men into
radicalism. And can it be Won
dered at? The Radicalism of these
employers can be reached only by
"Radicalism" as a reaction. They
wish now to make it appear to the
public that they must resort 10 eX-
IRENE measures to protect them
selves when the fact of the case is
just the reverse Workmen are be
ing driven to extreme measures
daily to protect themselves in their
constitutional rights to belong to a
legitimate labor union. If employ
ers would only cease their intense
antagonism to the A. F. Of L., rad
icalism" would die a natural death
within year. 1t was practically
dead during the war and would
have remained so had not the en-
ployers revived the very causes
which led to it before the war, viz:
their autagonism to Legitimate
Unionism.
So. in conclusion, let me beg Of
the public to give to this so-called
"Protectiye League the opprobrium
it deserves-itself the Cause and
not the Remedy the Employ
ers' !. w. w. Organization
TIMBERWORKER.
CVHCI CIOP once