Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-01-25
DOG EAT DOG

Seattle is witnessing the most gigantic
strike in all her history. 1t has been under
Roadway since last Tuesday and every phase
Of il is and has been watched hourly by all
classes Of Seattle citizens. The workers
seem to be confident that it will be of short
duration. but the employers do not entertain
a like opinion and some of them express the
belief that it may last three months, and
then not 90, as those who are largely re-
SponsibIc for it. would have it do
II one hundrcdth part of the stories that
the workers tell about the shipbuders profit
eering at the expense Of the government
be true. then the abOrers ought to get not
less than $40 per day 1t is being bruted
about the streets that the book-keepers in
the various shipyards are in full sympathy
and that they too will strike as soon as the
checks Of the men already out are ready
for delivery and if by that time the ship
builders Ito not give in to the workers they
will spring one Of the biggest scandals that
has ever reached the ears of Uncle Sam, con-
sisting of steals, CRAFTS and collision in the
wholesale robbng Of the government How
much truth there is in these wild rllmors
remains to be seen. Granting, for the sake
Of argument that crooked dealings have
been pulled off then if the booll-keepers and
the workers knew Of it and did not report
it they equally guilty. They now are
perfectly willing to accept the injunction
"mum is the word' providing they get
their divy. In other words you bosses steal
all you want and while we see and know
we will neither see or know providing you
will divide the swag with us. We like you
are out for the money and we do not care
how we get 1t just so we get it. No class
of men in this wide world are more selfish
than those representing organized labor and
while they curse capitalists from hell to
breakfast year in and year out yet they
will willingly sacrifice not only their fellow
man. but every spark of manhood in them
selves and concede capitalists any unreason-
able demand if capitalists will only take
them into cahoots with them.
There is always another side to every
story and the shipbuildcrs say, we have
ONLY earned salaries commensurate of our
worth just as have the workers and we have
been prompted by love for our country
rather than greed of gain Over their own
signatures the Seattle shirbuders have gone
on record as saying: "Our employees were
'he highest paid workers in the world" all
OF which prompts us to think ''thert is a
niger in the woodpile. 1t is common
everyday talk that the men employed in the
Seattle shipyards were time killers and one
honest worker could and would have done
as much as five of them. So consttutionally
opposed to giving value received for the big
wages they drew that the fOremen and the
"walking delegates' would see to it that
the fellow who insisted on working according
to lloye. was fired unless he agreed to be
a clock watcher instead Of an honest worker
Boys fifteen years of age drew mems wages
and so far as the men shipyard workers
were concerned. did mems work, as none
of them did very much. The highest wages
III the world should have demanded the
most efficient work in the world but if the
above reports be true the work they got
was not fifty per cent efficient. If then,
these inefficient men get the highest wages
of any working men in the world, then it
strikes us that those who pay those wages
must use some kind of sculduggery to get
the money to pay such wages to such in