The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-08

Several times the airplane, S
swooped down close to the head
noise with its engine. Collarless
and coatless, the late Centralia
defender stood on a bread box
and drove thru his speech. 1t
was hard on his throat, but he
got the story across.
"Men of Smiths Type"
]. G. Flynn, the mayor of Newport,
is also the local manager for the Mon
tana Power company. When F. w.
Brown, advance agent for attorney
Smith, applied to the mayor for
permit so that Smith might speak in
the city park, the mayor refused to
grant the request, declaring that men
of Smiths type" weren't wanted in
Newport. Meanwhile various mer-
chants here continued to display win
dow posters announcing that Smith
would speak in Newport on Sunday,
June 20.
Smith arrived here on the afternoon
of that day, and set out to find the
mayor and discuss the issue of free
speech with him. But the mayor could
not be found. So Smith and several
allies prepared to hold the advertised
meeting anyhow. BY this time at least
hundred lumber jacks, members of
the Industrial Workers of the World,
had gathered at the scene in advance
to see that there would be no trouble.
They had come from logging camps
for miles around.
Red Songs Greet Marshal.
Then Ben Fox, town marshal, ar
rived at the city park He repeated
the mayors mandate to Smith. The
attorney quoted the free speech guar
antee from the constitution for the
marshaps benefit. Revolutionary songs
were sung by the audience with a
wobbly song leader, then the meeting
adjourned to private property across
the street. A. big crowd had assembled.
Taking the speakers stand, Smith
traced the history of the industrial
system in the United States, showing
how the exploitation of the workers in
the lumber industry and the efforts
Of these workers to organize for their
own welfare had led inevitably to the
mob attack upon the l. W. w. hall in
Centralia on armistice day, 1919.
Evidence Against Bosses Barred.
Smith told OF the mass of evidence
barred from the jury by Judge John
M. Wilson, who tried the case. Wilson
would not permit the defense to in
troduce any evidence to show that the
business men Of Centralia had planned
to raid the industrial hall on armistice
day, that there had been raid on an
other l. w. W. hall there, and that the
police had refused to give the I. w.
W. members protection against the
raid which they knew was coming
And the speaker pointed out that six
jurors had since admitted over their
signature that they had been terror
lied into convicting the eight men.
Smith called upon the people Of
Newport to bring pressure to bear
upon the governor to liberate the con-
victed men, who are serving from 20
to 40 years in Walla Walla peniten-
tiary.
Free Them or We Strike.
And at the end of his speech he
voiced the warning that if in seven
months these prisoners were not liber-
ated by gubernatorial Communication,
the governors hand would be forced
by general strike in the lumber
woods, "the greatest strike in the
history of the Northwest"
Observation thruout the state OF
Washington shows that the ground
work for such a strike is steadily be-
ing prepared by the attitude and &C.
tions of many employing lumbermen.
Wages have been cut in many saw.
mills and camps, the usual cut being
40 cents from a days pay, and the
blacklist is in widespread operation
among employers Of Washington and
Oregon, who are banded in the North.
west Logging Operators Association.
John II. Mcintosh. general manager