The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-09-10
ROBT. BRIDGES
TALK AT YAKIMA

the Yakima Labor Day picnic at
River Forest Gardens. He fired the
imagination of his hearers with hl-
stirring call to the farmer and labor
men and women to show themselves
equal to the task Of restoring free
dom Of speech, Of press and Of as
scmblage More, he urged them to
extend this principle to economic
affairs, and to work for Il greater
measure of industrial freedom. Po-
litical means should be used to ad-
vance economic democracy, was the
thought to which he REQUIRED
throughout his address.
He quoted Basil NJ. Manly to the
effect that the extremist group of
anarchistic employers during and
after the war, had used measures Of
repression and intimidation against
their workmen, had even employed,
provocative agents in good old Rus
sian style ellison Gardens report re-
garding the character of the censor
ship ON the press during the war
furnished him with material for a
strong frontal assault on all practices
savoring of tyranny over freedom of
opinion and expression.
The third party leader touched on
the question of political prisoners,
and with all the energy and intensity
Of his Scotch cOvenanter ancestors,
who hid out in the caves and the
fcns rather than surrender their free
dom Of opinion, he voiced his sting
ing scorn Of such a policy. "Nou can't
cage behind prison bars ideals like
those of Eugene Debs. They are out
and abroad in spite Of such bar
riers."
Dealing next with the question Of
economic and industrial freedom,
Bridges said: "If the Lord had in
you, he'd have put a handle on your
shoulders instead of a head But it's
up to you to use your head look after
your own business, through your
state government, and if you don't
want to do that then don't vote for
Bob Bridges for governor, for if |
get in, by the eternals, I'm going
after it, and you and me together
are going to get it. And when he
said "by the eternals," and ran his
hand through his iron gray hair,
you'd have thought Andrew Jackson
! stood there before you. Bob was cold
/ Hickory" once more on the firing line,
ready to batter down the slavehold-
ers, the big trusts in the State Of
Washington.
"Send a legislature down there
with me- he continued, that will
stand with me, for, bless you,
aon't want to have to work with
that old gang that we've put up
with for so long. Send some farm
ers and farmers wives like Mrs.
Ina p. Williams, and some labor men
and women down there.
"And don't a one of you forget
to use the vote while you still have
it. Think if | were your employer
! could deprive you of the ballot by
discharging all Of you and shipping
you out to the four ends of the
earth. You couldn't vote in the new
place you would have to go to get
work. SO use your ballot now that
you have it."
Taking up next his constructive
program for the people of the State
Of Washington, Bridges said: eve
need enabling legislation which will
permit the government of the state
to engage in constructive indus
trial program just so fast as the
people of the state desire it. We
have demonstrated the success of
public ownership and operation of
public utilities in this state.
'In the eight years that | served
as port commissioner of Seattle, we
reduced wharfage charges from so
to 20 cents a ton; built up the port
from a position where it was twenty
second in respect to imports and ex-
ports to a place where it stood sec
ond, and in these eight years accum-
ulated a surplus of 100000. And
that was under public ownership and
operation.
"In connection with this matter of
state ownership and operation of the
natural monOpolies, | should like to
say that / should be more than will
! ing to defend the laws passed by the
legislature Of our siste state of North
Dakota at the 1919 session against
any one in the state, at any time.
| have mighty little patience with
those who defame the laws passed
by the people of sovereign state,
particularly when these laws have
pCCl upuClu ny d uIldulIlOuS ueClSIOIl
of the United States Supreme Court.
"And the statistical reports show
that these public enterprises in
North Dakota have been managed
successfully, and in spite of the bitter
opposition on the part of the bank
ers Of the Twin Cities in spite of the
great expense Of litigation to which
they have been subjected, have been
able to show a surplus.
1T is clear enough that the peo-
pie, acting through their govern
ment, must take some definite ac-
ton, when they have to pay more
in taxes to the sugar trust every
year that they pay for the support
Of the federal government. And the
railroads take even more toll.
The program devised to meet
this situation should be one which
l provides for development of the nat.
| ural resources-cOal, oil, iron anC
| hydro-electric power-in such a way
as will benefit the whole public. The
producers Of the state should get the
benefit Of their work through ar
adequate marketing system, through
| public ownership and operation o
the transportation system and abso
lutte control of terminal facilities fo-
distributing the results of produc
ton. This is the only way that W,
can get real agricultural and in
| dustrial development,
II Our political system is the mean
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