The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-05-13
TREACHERY AND
INGRATITUDE
OF SEC'Y BUCK
In His Candidacy for Executive
Head of the State Federation
of Labor.

of Secretary Buck of the State Fed
Grafton of Labor, in his candidacy
for executive head of that organiza-
ton, are questionable. Below is
printed a letter from President VIM.
M. Short setting forth the last eff
fort of Mr.. Buck, through Sixth
Vice President Pearl, to discredit
President Short and the Executive
Councils:
Seattle, Wash, May 9th, 1921.
To All Affiliated Organizations, of
the Washington State Federation
of Labor.
Greeting: Copy of 61A-page let
ter, signed by Secretary Buck of
Federation, and addressed to all af-
| filiated unions, has just reached me.
The communication was mailed last
Friday by the perpetual propaganda
factory of Phil J. Pearl, at Seattle.
In addition to the distorted, untrue
statements contained in Secretary's
Bucks personal letter to you, there
were enclosed what purported to be
| the official minutes of the last
meeting of the Executive Council of
the State Federation. The official
minutes of the Executive Council
meeting were not mailed to the
members of the Executive Council
until one day after the document
mailed to you had been sent out
by Vice-President Pearl, at the re-
quest of Secretary Buck, enroute to
Chicago. The conclusion of his
(Buck's) letter states Pearl will Sc
cure copy of minutes from the Of
flee. The 6-page letter was mailed
you two days before Pearl received
the official minutes.
The document marked: minutes
Executive Board Session of the
Washington State Federation of
Labor, held April 27, 1921" is not
the official minutes Of the Executive
Council, but specially prepared
document by Secretary Buck to draw
a red herring across the trail and
detract the attention of the work
ers from his crude attempt to di-
vert the official returns in the ref
erendum election from the official
headquarters of the Federation, as
provided for in the constitution.
The taking and sending out of such
document is only the elimination
of months of the foulest betrayal,
by Buck and Pearl, of the conf
dence reposed in them by the work
ers of Washington, ever committed
in the annals of our state labor
movement. Their personal letter
and foul document is replete with
audacious lies.
The first statement charges me
with attacking Pearl and Buck for
refusing to be rubber stamps for
myself. My attack against them
was directed at their refusal to car
ry out the laws of the Federation,
as laid down in it's constitution, and
for their crude attempt to take per-
sonal control of the official returns
of the election thru having them sent
to a private and personal post of
flee box. Had this been allowed to
stand, not only would the constitu-
ton have been violated and the
whole election possibly invalidated,
but Messrs. Pearl and Buck would
have been in position to have per-
sonally determined what portion of
the returns would reach official
headquarters. 1t is in line with
their general practice to charge the
other members of the Executive
Council, who demanded the strict
enforcement of the constitution and
full protection for the election, with
being rubber stamps for the presi-
dent.
| The second statement and sub
sequent section of the letter casts
reflection on J. N. Northway, who
was present at the Executive Coun-
ell meeting representing Vice-Pres.
Green of Spokane. No mention is
made of the fact that this practice
has been pursued for the last two
years, of permitting the Vice-Pres.
from Eastern Washington to be rep
resented by some one else when it
was impossible for him to person
ally attend the board meeting, and
in order that Spokane and Eastern
Washington may be informed of the
work transacted by the Council. At
several Board meetings during the
last year j. N Northway has rep
resented Vice-Pres. Green in exactly
the same capacity as at the last
meeting, with no protest raised by
anyone, and, of course, no mention
is made of the fact that Vice-Pres.
Pearl served in the same capacity
at meetings of the Executive Coun-
ell prior to his officially taking of
flee as Vice-Pres. of the Sixth Dis
trict, when he was authorized to
represent A. f. Miller, at the re-
quest of Secretary Buck. For this
service Pearl drew the sum of
$l60.91 Tin July, 1920) a month be-
fore his official term as Vice-Presi-
dent began.
In addition to this, Secretary
Buck has paid him checks covering
salary and expenses attending Board
meetings held at Seattle, his home
city, in which Vice President Pearl
has collected SO a day hotel expenses
with the exception of the last Board
meeting. The reason for its omis-
sion at the last meeting will be
obvious.
The charge is made that J. N.
Northway is not member of a
local in good standing with the
Federation. Bro. Northway's local is
affiliated with the State Federation
of Labor, but, unfortunately, is a
few months in arrears with its per
capita tax, due to the fact that
most of their membership has been
idle all winter and all of their re-
sources have been employed in tax
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