The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-15


unequivocally in favor of re
leasing these defendants, follow
ing the sworn admissions of six
jurors that they were terrorized
into conyicting innocent men who
defended themselves against at
tack by mob.
With this case an inevitable issue
in the political field, and after four
years still raw wound in the side Of
labor, the Federated Industries here
is renewing its efforts to break the
hold of the Industrial Workers of the
World in the Puget Sound region, par
ticularly in the lumber woods. 1t was
resentment against that power of the
/. w. w. in the woods which led to
the carefully planned attack upon the
industrialists' hall in Centralia, the
killing of three members of the mob
by the hall defenders, and the lynch
ing by the mob of Wesley Everest, an
|. w. w. railroad worker and volun-
teer soldier.
$4,000 Anti-Labor Fund.
Just how much the grip of the union
is felt by the Industrial kings of this
region is shown in the annual report
of the Federated Industries of Wash
ington, lately issued to its members
here. 1t reveals that the Northwest
Logging Operators Association, an in
terlocking body organized at Tacoma
last May, raised budget of $55,0O0
to carry on the first year of the con-
centrated fight against the I. w. W.
In this fight the allied employers
are using the blacklist system, travel
ing speakers, moving pictures de-
signed to show what beautiful thing
the present industrial system is and
how diligence will enable the toiler to
rise to heights of affluence; and led
ucationap literature along similar
lines, which is being widely distribut-
ed among the logging camps. John
H. Mcintosh, manager of the FEEDER
ated Industries, who signs its report
is also general manager Of the log
ging operators association, which
combines the operators of both Wash
ingto and Oregon.
Try to Disbar Elmer Smith.
Continued activity of the Federated
Industries in connection with the Cen
tralia case is shown in this paragraph
from the annual report: During the
summer disbarment proceedings were
brought against Elmer Smith, the
| l. w. w. and radical lawyer of Cen
tralia. At the request OF the
attorney generals Office the Federated
Industries extended assistance in Sc
curing evidence for the prosecution.
Thru the cooperation of Judge
Reid, of the Northern Pacific, two i'm
portant witnesses who CHANGED to be
employees of that road, were re-
leased for witness duty. Your man
ager also journeyed to a Snohomish
county logging camp to secure anoth-
er important witness in this case"
Six Jurors Admit Injustice.
Elmer Smith was tried with ten
I. w. w. members in 1920 for alleged
conspiracy to fire on the Armistice
Day parade. One defendant was dis
missed by the court, one found insane,
and seven were sentenced to serve
from 25 to 40 years in prison, while
Smith and Mike Sheehan were ac-
quilted by the jury. Two of the six
jurors who have since admitted that
they convicted the seven because of
the prevailing terror, declared that
they acquitted Smith and Sheehan so
that these two might be free to work
for the release of the others; and that
il they could sit again in trial of the
case they would acquit all of tus men
accused.
Fought Lumber Strike.
Three or more pages of the FEEDER
ated Industries annual report are de-
voted to the l. w. w. 1t asserts that
the employers organization had ad-
vance information of the /. w. w.
plans for its strike in the logging in
dustry last spring. and passed this in
formation to those most interested
Mcintosh reports that he spent six
weeks in March and April holding re-
gional meetings OF employers from
Bellingham down to the Columbia
river, preparing them to adopt com
mon program as a counter-offensiye
in anticipation of the /. w. w. strike,
which was coupled with a demand for
amnesty for all wartime political pris-
oners.
Mcintosh takes credit for suggest
ing the blacklist system to the logging
operators, describing it thus: "An
identification card system, requiring
every man seeking work to sign an
application card, giving names OF his
last two employers as references, thus
in time compiling a record OF all the
workers, and on the information thus
obtained TO eliminate from the indus.
try the chronic agitators and organ
izers."
Blacklist System Described.
This blacklist operates in Seattle
thru the Federated Industries Labor
Bureau at 95 Main street. Last July