The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-11-14
WOBBLY LUMBER
JACKS KNOW A
THING OR TWO
Don't Believe Hokum
About Communists
BY w. }. M.
worker Correspondent

SPOKANE wash, Nov. lZ.-While
walking along the "skidway" (Trent
avenue, where the lumber jacks hang
out) the Worker correspondent talked
with number of lumber jacks in their
hob nailed shoes ard short legged
pants. 2or
Generally speaking their opinions
as expressed by themselves, as regards
conditions in the woods are rotten,
bum, mot worth a dam"
While talking to these working
stiffs," as many of these old time
Wobblies rate themselves, your cor
respondent asked them to explain
their reason for condemning the lum-
Der camps so severely.
One old timer said: well the last
job l shipped out to we had to hike
l5 miles after we left the train. Be-
fore we reached camp we had another
hike up ravine. At the head of this
raVine stood shack, its logs almost
ready to crumble down.
Too Rotten For Pigs.
Inside was straw in the hunks.
the floor was covered with filth: no
bull cook to keep the place clean. |
never saw a pig pen look so filthy.
ana the grub was equally rotten.
The wages were a little more than
$500 per, and out of that you paid
$1.25 per for your flop on the straw
in the filthy, lousy bunk house and for
the stuff they doled out to YOU for
food, and that's why l say the woods
are rotten"
When They Fought The Bosses.
When reminded that the I. w. w.
once made the lumber barons of the
Northwest furnish libraries and show
er baths, and asked why they had
failed to maintain these conditions.
he replied.
In those days, the Wobblies fought
the lumber kings. Now the Wobblies
hsht each other, that is, a bunch of
pie card artists fight each other while
the rank and file are shot to hell"
Don't Believe Anarchist Bunk.
Your correspondent then asked him
about the rumor that circulates among
the Wobblies that the Communist snIit
the Wobblies.
Communist split hell" he REPLIED
Amt Harrison George, an old time
Wobbly a Communist? No. its onI,
the ignorant Wobblies that swallow
that gag.
ANY Wobbly that is posted know,
that the Communist did all in theil
power to keep the WobbIies from
spilttlng, but because the Communist,
showed up, same disrupters and nj,
card artists in the Wobbly movement
they sought revenge by telling tn,
rank and file that the Communfs
split us. !
And He Is Not Communist
If the l. w. W, as an organizatio,
would let handful of Communist
split us, then we are not worthy tn,
name OF labor organization. Did tn
communists split any of the A. F. o
L. organizations? No. then how /,
hell could they split the I. w. VIZ
The |. W. w. permitted themselve
to be split by bunch of anarchists
pie card artists in spite of the Commuu
lists, and that old stuff that the Com
munists split us is an insult to a think
ing Wobbly!"
When asked if he was a Communis
he replied mo"
Lost Union-Lost Conditions.
The above statement as regards con
dltions in the lumber camps of tn,
Northwest was corroborated by othe
lumber jacks, while a few of then
spoke Of conditions not quite so bad
but none Of them interviewed by Won
correspondent had any praise TO
wages, hours and working condition
in the woods.
Some laid the bad conditions TO tn
l.. company union, others to th
unorganized state of affairs among tn
lumber workers and others to the lacl
of the fighting spirit of the old tim
/. w. W., but all agreed that the trad
of lumber Jack in the woods of tn,
Northwest was nothing for slav,
to envy.