The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-23
Striking Personality Curbed l. w. w
Suddenly. Gaining Nations Thanks
and Many Individual Congratulations

verbosities than he does in a private
two man conversation. When warmed
up and absorbed. and with a point to
make, he becomes indeed picturesque
the whole wavy bush of his white
hair goes wild, and he's likelier to talk
mule skinner language than chaste,
Addtsonian- diction. The point in
variably goes home. and while It is
by no means invariable that all his
auditors agree with him, those who
don't are never in doubt of what he
intended to convey, or of his resolu-
ton to stand behind it.
That is, Hanson does not bluff, and
does not use words TO conceal. The
locally common knowledge of the fact
enabled him to smash tho revolution"
before it could reach the stage OF
serious damage. When he said the
strike would end by o'clock to-
morrow morning or Seattle would go
under martial law, he meant business
and the agitators knew it.
What the Men Demanded.
Here is the short OF what happened:
In January $4,000 Puget Sound ship
yard workers asked a raise Of pay.
Their case was put up to the Federal
Wage Adjustment Commission, known
in the section as the Macy board. It's
findings dissatisfied them. They de-
manded for mechanics IS a day, for
helpers and laborers 81 and IS. Re
fused, they walked out January q, dis
regarding a union agreement to abide
by the decision Of the board. These
strikers were members of the Metal
Trades Council.
February s. $4,000 union members in
Seattle and some 10000 in near by
Tacoma walked out on the call of a
sympathetic strike. In the former city
all the principal unions were involved.
In Tacoma the important ones to obey
the call were car men, lumber workers,
BARRIERS and retail clerks, and the worst
Inconvenience that resulted was the
suspension OF street railway transpor.
tation.
But in Seattle not only did street
cars stop running. schools closed, res
taurants closed. theatres closed, all
newspapers had to suspend. virtually
all industries shut down. There was
not an office building with an elevator
running. The strikers graciously ex-
empted few things-telephones re-
manned in service and emergency tele-
graph business was permitted to be
handled. but no other. They mag
unanimously offered themselves as
emergency patrols to keep order in the
paralyzed community.
At this point Mayor Hanson's state
ment to THE Sun. although It was not
fs!ue until the second day. ebf Jary
z. comes in partly as an explanation:
1.-TWO years ago our city had $4,000
Industrial workers. To-day we have
81, 1000. The American Federation OF
Labor two years ago controlled our
labor organizations. The influx OF
| worlxmen from all over the country
and from Russia brought in a very
large radical and I. w. w. element.
Permitted Anarchists to join.
"Cnder stress of war the American
Federation OF Labor unions allowed
these anarchists to join them. The
I. W. W. element. noisy and active,
talked tho loudest ana promised the
most and secured partial control OF the
Central Labor Council and active con-
troll Of a great many unions In Seattle.
'The shipyard workmen were dissat-
isfied with the Macy award. The rad
icals and l. ". W. demanded a general
strike. The Soviet Government Of
Russia. duplicated here. was their
plan. The conservative labor leaders
acted the part OF towards in most in
stances, The sympathetic strike was
called. The Central Labor Council
which Is composed OF the heads OF
the different unions. controlled by the
radicals. and the working people OF
| Seattle generally were made TO be-
lieve that q general strike would in
crease the pay OF sTiipyard workers.
MANY members Of labor organiza-
tons believed they could take over
industries, Government. &C. The SYM
pathetic revolution was called In the
exact manner OF the revolution in
Petrcgrad. Labor tried TO run every