Evening star., 1938-10-30
BECK IS TARGET
|NVOTECAMPA|GN
Link With Big Business Is
Charged to Seattle Labor
Leader.
By JAY G. HAYDEN.

BY JAY G. HAYDEN.
SEATTLE, Wash. Oct. 20 (N.ANA)
"A striking example of the strangely
changing currents of popular senti-
ment in this Western country is the
reorientation of the trusty shibboleths
big business" and Wall Street." In
the present Washington campaign.
The most hotly controverted issue
In this State, as in California and
Oregon, is ballot proposal to curb
union activities, and here advocates
of the plan are directing their fire as
much against big business interests as
against the so-called labor dictatorship
of Dave Beck. The contention is that
the business people of Seattle have
Joined hands with Mr.. Beck, with the
result of causing the ordinary con-
sumers to pay heavily increased prices
for bread. beer. laundry and dry
cleaning, garage services and a multi
tude of other things they have to buy
Here in Seattle this uprising of the
consumers is accentuated by hot
fight for the Kings County prosecuting
attornevship Henry Clay Agnew, the
Republican candidate. is charging that
the Democratic incumbent, B. Gray
Warner. is a tool of both the Beck
laborites and the Seattle Chamber of
Commerce. and that these interests are
fleeing the public equally.
Straw votes have indicated Mr.
Agnew as about the only Republican
candidate for an important office in
the whole State who is likely to be
elected.
Power Also Big Issue.
The second biggest issue in Washing
ton is electric power" revolving in
the present election around ballot pro-
posals to create 18 new public utility
districts with view to utilization OF
current from the New Deals great
Bonneville and Grand Coulee Dams.
And the central character at the
moment Is Guy c. Myers, Wall Street
promoter of socialistic enterprises. who
it is alleged, stands to reap az per
cent commission on every public own
ership deal that is consummated.
Taking their cue. perhaps, from
happenings in the Tennessee Valley,
where the private utility interests
mostly have been beaten in their strug-
gle against public ownership, the big
power companies here are taking no
visible part in the controversial fact
that has contributed toward making
Mr.. Myers the principal goat. 1t is
being charged in some of the local
campaigns even that Mr.. Myers is the
tool of private utility interests, sent
here to aid them in selling out their
properties to the public at fat price.
Mr. Hyers is the acknowledged friend
and almost daily companion of J. D,
Ross, who was appointed by President
Roosevelt a year ago to direct the
Bonneville enterprise
The story as it is told here, is that
Mr.. Ross, formerly head of the Seattle
municipal plant. was stymied by in
ability to sell the bonds of that enter
prise until in Wall Street one day he
stumbled on Mr.. Myers. The latter
succeeded in marketing the Seattle
utility bonds, and ever since he has
been Mr.. Ross right-hand man in his
efforts to develop great public own
erShlp empire in the Northwest.
FavOrs Buying Properties.
AS for the rural voters, oversold for
years on the iniquitieS of Wall Street,
they are not quite sure that Mr. Myers
21a per cent is less Objectionable than
the profits which Mr.. Ross and others
say the private companies are filching
from them.
Mr., Ross big Job is to find market
for the Bonneville power, and his ideas
as to how this can best be accomplished
are very definite. He does not believe
that the right method is to set up
public distributing systems to parallel
existing private facilities and engage
in cut-throat competition with them.
Hence. he is all in favor of buying the
private companies out
This year, for the first time in
Washington, which long has been
regarded as the banner public owner
ship State, there are signs of increas-
ing skepticism among the voters as to
the wisdom of dlsplacing private enter
prise in the handling of publicly pro-
duced current.
The contest over the proposal to
limit labor union activities is being
fought even more bitterly in Washing
ton than in California or Oregon. The
battle here is distinctive also both in
the form Of statute proposed and in
the fact that advocacy of union re-
strlctlon is coming to a great extent
from organizations of women. Strong
support of the labor restriction pro-
posal also is coming from the farmers
Two Unusual Provisions.
The Washington plan embodies two
unique provisions. 1t provides:
l. That no strike could be called
until 80 days after demands had been
submitted in writing to an employer
or until the union shall have attempt
ed in good faith through negotiations
mediation or conciliation 70 reach an
agreement with said employer"
2. Before strike can be called. a
vote must be taken under supervision
Of the county auditor to determine
whether majority of the employees
tunion or non-union) in the plant or
other industrial unit concerned desires
10 strike. Only after the auditor has
taken the vote and officially certified
that majority Of all employees favors
a strike, can it be launched.
All strikes would be forbidden by
the act except those which directly
arose from demands for increased
wages, shorter hours or other improve
ments in working conditions.
Copyright. 1898. by the North American