New-York tribune., 1919-02-13
Seattle Is Still
Union, Says Mayor;
DenOunces ''Reds''
L. S. Government u Called
On TO Punish the Leaders
Who Are Blamed for En-
citing Turmoil in alle City
stag Correspondence


SEATTLE, Wash, Feb l2.-Seattle's
nrst full workday leaves Kipling the
unlmpcached authority on the litfer-
eence between East and West. Seattle
has come through Americas s first gen
eral strike without scratch; even its
Mestern progressivism is untouched.
lhls is still a union town, a closed
shop town and nobody in any authority
mere wants to change it.
ut was rebellion" says Mayor Ole
Hanson; "but it's all over now Capi-
tai may try to use the failure of the
strike to win economic advantage, but
the great mass of Seattle citizens
capitalist and union labor alike-are
agreed that no such thing shall happen.
Ne'll continue to be a progressive.
closed shop town-the best union town
in the United States'
Seattle put on 100000 population in
wartime without single alteration in
the relations of capital and labor. The
Ds asd % npyards coDsrson uq0n
fast as they grew. Seattle has dropped
$1,75o,00 in wages in five DAYS With
out shiver. Fifty-five thousand union
lists went out under leaders who talked
of soviets and the seizure of industry
by the workers. Sixty or seventy
thousand unorganized men and women
we're automatically forced out of work.
To-day, in spite Of the quasi-hoEdav
by which we honor Lincoln's memory.
the town is as active as ever and quite
as tranquil.
Part of the town believes it lust
escaped Bolshevik revolution; the
other part, which put the red hue over
she strike, IS pooh pooling the notion
that anything but "a display of SOL
idarty" was intended.
Union labor will not suffer for the
strike. II the city administration and
the biggest responsible employers of
the town can help it. But it is diff
ferent matter with the radical leaders
who, the ruling elements in Seattle be-
ileVe, were only halted from uccessful
revolution by one mans determination.
Ole Hanson said to-day, weighing his
words carefully and Drefacing them
with an earnest affirmation of his de-
votion to trade unionism and the rank
and file of Seattle's labor:
1T is the duty of the United States
government to arrest and try all the
leaders in this conspiracy against the
American Constitution. 1t was strike,
conceived by certain men and executed
through dupes, against the very bass
OF our social ife A government that
is afraid to defend itself when it is
thus attacked can never live. 1t is up
TO Washington.'
The. action of Civil Service en-
ployes," Mayor Hanson went on
men protected by a legal agreement
which prevents the city from discharp
ing them as they discharged the city
when they quit their cars and their
dynamos--c cannot be ignored The rest
of labor had the right to strike. These
men did not. They must face the con-
sequences.
'I'm for labor, organized labor alb
solutely. always have been. I'm
ready to go to the mat for labor, and
! bet two out Of every three union men
IN this town will 20 there with me and
against their leaders. Labor has got
to clean house. But don't let anybody
think that that means he can clean out
labor"
All this isn't precisely the point of
view the east might expect from the
man who drove labor back to work
with the words: 81 told them we
would fight until we were dead before
we allowed them to turn out one eight
candle power light"
1t isn't the point Of viow of the
smoking room soviet of discharged SOL
diers and sailors and travelling men.
which is holding sessions on every ex-
press train from Chicago to Seattle.
And. of course. it isn't the point of
view of the Seattle Soldiers and
Sailors Council which has announced
n meeting here tomorrow night But
it seems to be the point of view of this
very Western city.