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I NEWS OF OLYMPIA LABOR ORGANIZATIONS TIE LOCAL (GMST ( RELIABLE LABOR NEWS. Editors of the big city dailies, commonly designated as the "kept" press, are notoriously biased against organized labor. They suppress or garble news favorable to trades unions, and emphasize, enlarge and add from the imagination when handling events that might be con sidered to reflect upon the judgment of trades unions. At the other extreme are the ed itors of the "red" papers, who paint employers and business men of all degrees as the arch enemy of the working class, devoted wholly to the profit system as that system advan tages them. This class of editors characterizes the common variety of union man as impelled by either cupidity or boneheadedness In all his acts. Between these two extremes of newspaper publicity is the weekly newspaper. The editors of these are in the main very nice gentlemen, de voted to the community interest as they see it and ordinarily free of any intent to misrepresent. But as a rule they are out of touch with the labor movement; they are innocent as babes of the experiences, hopes and aims of organized labor, and often unwittingly do an Injury to the working people by accepting the malicious viewpoint of the daily paper as current coin. In order to obtain fair publicity it therefore becomes necessary for the laboring people to have labor papers, directed by members of their own class who. by personal daily con tact are given possession of facts about the activities of organized labor. These facts furnish adequate reason for the publication of this labor department. The editor and publisher, of the Standard bears no responsibility for the views expressed therein. The matter in this page is furnished by a trades unionist, and cooperating with him are the officials and members of the different local unions. The Labor Movement is the great, intelligent, progressive force of the nation. Practically all social and political reforms of the last half cen tury have had their birth in the ranks of organized labor, and certainly the years have been fruitful in desirable social and political changes. Pro gressive Ideas, springing from the labor movement, have often been seized upon by ambitious and clever people to lift themselves into polit ical power and, having grabbed a seat upon the band-wagon, they forthwith claim authorship of the music and the words and assume the right to wield the baton. Trade unionists are not fooled, however, though many other citizens may be. Laboring men are regrettably re tiring and few among us are pos sessed of the great desire for author ity that seems to urge forward the professional man and often the busi ness man. Working people are all for the progressive principle of social justice and give little thought to the political instruments supposed to forward those principles. In this re spect we are weak. A prime purpose of the labor press is to correct this fault. This department hopes to do fts share along those lines. Repre sentative working people should be in the city council, on the school board, on the library board, in the county building and In the state cap ital in much larger numbers than at present. If we are able to inspire one or more members of organized labor to seek public office, to accept the sacrifice for the common good that honest conduct of the business of many of these political positions entails, we will be well satisfied. Olympia, Dec. 31st, 1917. Fred Hudson, Press Representative, the Olympia Trades Council. Dear Brother Hudson: With the passing of the Old Year -and the coming of the New It may be profitable that we take stock of the good that has been accomplished in the year past and of the progress that has been made in the field of organized labor. We do not go back over the days that are gone for the purpose of sat isfying ourselves with what has been done by us as individual members, but to learn from what we have ac complished the lessons that will teach us to make better use of the days that are coming and which will surely give us opportunities in the future for greater accomplishments than those of the past. In beginning the year just past organized labor in this city was rep resented by less than halt' of the active organizations and less than one-third of the membership in this city at this time. Some of the or ganizations were struggling between life and death for existence, while others were merely holding their own, and in very few instances were material Increases in membership being made. As we will remember, shortly after the first of the last year the Ship wrights and Shipyard Laborers were organized and following them came the Steam and Operating Engineers, and others followed in rapid succes sion until at the present time, when the last union to be added to the list is the Blacksmiths. This makes a grand total of 22 local unions in the city at this time, with nearly a thousand members. It is unnecessary to enumerate in dividual cases where great good has come to the workman from organi zation, but in a general way I want to emphasize the good that has re sulted to organized labor generally and the possibilities for betterment of working class conditions in the very near future. While wages have not in all cases kept pace with the increased cost of living, most all of the unions have secured material increases in wages, and some of the crafts have been suc cessful in securing adoption of their wages scales in their entirety. This means that the justice of the de mands were conceded. Working con ditions are an important factor, and in a number of cases these have been improved. It also has been admitted by the employer in a number of cases where the working conditions have been changed to meet the de mands of the unions that a greater degree of efficiency has been secured under revised conditions than under the old. With the greatly Increased force of union men it should not be a dif ficult matter to complete the organ ization of every available individual and to organize a number of new locals in industries now unorganized. To accomplish this, however, re- ouires effort on the part of the mem bership of older locals, and. Indeed, the united cooperation of all the present organizations. One thing needed is a labor paper, to carry to members of the several organized bodies the local news and matters of general interest in the labor world. In no way can the members be more generally benefited than by such a paper. It is impossible at present to have a local labor paper which will issue daily, but it is possible for us to have a paper which will issue once a week and which will come to the members at a nominal cost. This lias already been arranged for with the publishers of the Washington Standard and it will in turn be pre sented to the local unions for con sideration. It is impossible to comprehend the great amount of good that this labor page will do, but it is reasonable to assume that it will be far-reaching in its influence, in placing before the members of the several unions the issues to which their attention should be called, and also in placing before the public our side of issues as they come. It has always been one of the greatest drawbacks that the labor movement has not had a paper in which it could express itself and the laboring people have been taken advantage of often as a result. Now we trust that as this opportu nity presents itself every organiza tion will get behind the movement and see it through. Suggestions that may help are wanted. If you have any item of news of interest to this page, send it in. Let us all feel that each is a cog in the great wheel of the Labor Movement, that each has his responsibilities, and if we faith fmlly perform our part of the work, and do our bit there aer sure to be great returns to us this year—re turns in which we will all share. With kindest personal regards to you. and my best wishes for a very happy and successful New Year. I am Yours fraternally, C. B. YOUNG. SHIPYARD LABOKKRS. Shipyard Laborers, at their last meeting reaffirmed approval of the system of employing a business agent through the Trades Council, appro priated sl7 to the Red Cross music fund, contributed to the telephone operators' defense fund, and consid ered many communications. This union has just adopted a quarterly working card system. THE WASHINGTON STANDARD. OLYMPIA, WASH., KHIDAV. -fANI'AUV 4. 101- BY FRED HUDSON, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OLYMPIA TRADES COUNCIL DISSATISFACTION AT SHII»YABI»S A committee of the local chamber of commerce will present a brief to the U. S. Labor Adjustment Hoard with a view to settling definitely the meaning of the Macey decision as it applies to local shipyards. This proceeding is something out of the ordinary, and the viewpoint of the chamber of commerce committee is unusual, in that the brief, in the main, will support the claims of em ployes as to the correct interpreta tion of the award of the government commission. There has been dissatisfaction with practices of the Sloan Corporation since acceptance of the Macey deci sion. Business Agent McCaughan of the Shipwrights, Carpenters and Joiners, unable to reach an under standing with company officials, brought about a conference between representatives of the union, of the Sloau corporation, and of the cham ber of commerce, for the purpose of discussing the terms of the decision handed down from San Francisco re cently, and applying to all shipyards of the Pacific coast. The gist of the matter is that the shipbuilding company sought to use a sliding scale of wages, with the will and judgment of the employer fixing the compensation of the individual workman. Company officials inter preted the Macey scale to be the maximum, and graded compensation of the workmen from this maximum downward, according to their esti mate of the individual's ability and worth. The union looked upon the scale as a minimum wage, and in this it is supported by the practice and demands of its own organization as well as that of all other trades unions. It is permissible, for in- stance, to pay a highly efficient work er more than the agreed scale, but it is not permitted to the employer to decide upon a sum lower than the scale as proper to be paid to any par ticular person. It is easy to see that a concession of this nature would render any scale contract worthless to the employe. In order to come to an under standing upon these and other mat jters affecting employment, and ask 1 the government commission to "re affirm its original decision," accord ing to Agent McCaughan, the local conference was had. The representatives of the union presented convincing arguments, ap parently as the chamber of com merce committee will ask the adjust ment board to hand down a definite and clear Interpretation of their de cision, favoring the claims of the em ployes. This probable settlement of a con troversy that was creating strained relations between the employes and the company will be gratifying to the citizens of Olympia. There has been a great deal of hair-splitting and side-stepping by employers In carrying out decisions of government boards on questions affecting employ ment of labor, and this attitude upon the part of the employers and their agents is "getting on the nerves" of the employes. Unless there is a change in this respect something is sure to happen that will not be to the welfare of the employers. The benefit dance given at Turn water clubhouse New Years Eve was largely attended and a great social success. Soldier boys were much in evidence, outnumbering the civilians. Raymond's six-piece orohestra fur nished the music. Business Agent Young was chairman of the dance committee, E. R. Mohler was ticket seller and M. C. Burrell and C. E. Rose presided at the door. Misses McDonald, Irwin and Heye and sub committees of the Telephone Oper ators looked after the sale of tickets and were assisted by members of the different local unions. While a detailed statement has not yet been made by the dance committee, the net proceeds of the dance will he ap proximately $169. PAINTERS CHOOSE LKAIIKRS. Painters. Decorators and Paper hangers elected new officers for the year 1!'18 at their last meeting. The officials are: President, Arthur J. Douglas; vice president, lialph Kid der; secretary, P. M. Kendrick; treasurer, T. H. Newall; trustees, A. Darley. George Kane and James jNaistnlth; assistant business agent, ,J. S. McGill. . Oue new member I was initiated. TO BE CLEARED IP. TELEPHONE DANCE. OLV.MPIA TRADES COUNCI! Brothers Danielson and LaEoun tain presented credentials from the Shipwrights, Carpenters and Joiners and were seated as delegates in the Council. Communication from the Wash ington State Federation executive committee indorsing the plan of the Seattle Union Record to publish a daily edition, was filed, the Council having approved the project at a previous session. Letter from Dorchester (Mass.) free home for consumptives, seeking financial help, was tabled. Communication and resolutions of the Oakland, California, Central Labor Council, protesting against the importation of Asiatic labor were considered and the subject matter of the resolutions indorsed. Letter of thanks from Telephone Operators' Union was placed on file. E. R. iMohler made report on the work of telephone operators fund committee to the effect that unions had responded liberally with finan cial help. Delegate Walters reported official information had been received of the re-employfnent of all telephor.3 op erators in Taeoma and Seattle. The secretary was instructed to write the Journeyman Barbers and explain the controversy which exists between the Star laundry and the Teamsters and Chauffeurs union and the Union of Steam Engineers. H. L. Hughes was called upon by the chair, and spoke upon recent de velopments in judge-made law. He declared that the United States su preme court, in rendering the deci sion in favor of the employers in the West Virginia injunction cases, placed itself in contempt of the people, the decision of the court being opposed to the spirit of the Clayton amendment. The judge made anti-picketing law also placed the courts of this state in contempt of the people, the electors having disapproved such a law by a '.hree to-one vote. The speaker said such decisions had the effect of inspiring the trades unions to increased activ ity and that they were forerunners of the recall of judges. It is announced that at the first meeting In January nominations for officers for the ensuing term will be in order. The new officials are to be elected at the second meeting in Jan uary. TYPO UNION SENDS DELEGATE TO PORTLAND CONFERENCE. Local Typographical Union elected Frank Satterlee delegate to the Northwest Typographical Confer ence, which meets in Portland, Jan uary 21. The conference has to do with coordination of the work of the unions of the Northwest territory— British Columbia, Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Satterlee was one of the organizers of the Conference. Other business of the local union meeting, held last Sunday afternoon, was consideration of a goodly grist of communications and discussion of the whys and wherefores of some re cent activities among the local labor forces. The union appropriated $lO to the Telephone Operators' defense fund, and authorized the payment of its share toward the Red Cross music fund. H. L. Messegee deposited a San Francisco traveling card and ex pects to tarry In Olympia for a sea son. ttEO. W. LISH RETURNS. George W* Lish, former secretary of the Trades Council, came back to the city from Portland last Friday. He has gone to work in the Sloan shipyards, where he formerly had charge of a crew of sealers. Lish re ports a subdued attitude in the labor field of Portland as compared with the Puget Sound cities. A former member of the United Mine Workers, he is accustomed to the aggressive style of the Washington labor unions and he is glad to get back and re sume active work in the local labor field. COOKS AM) WAITERS, Local 567. Hotel and Restaurant: Employes International Alliance, at Its last meeting, elected new officials for the ensuing term, as follows: President, Mae Davidson: vice pres ident Eva Kollman; financial secre tary, Earl 0. Fields: chaplain. Kath erine Pleffer: instructor, Win Robin son: guard. C. A. Love. Twenty dollars was appropriated for benefit of the telephone oper ators defense fund, and a large amount of routine business was cleared away. This union meets semi-monthly, the first and third Fridays. WHAT OF THE COMING! POLITICAL CAMPAIGN? ABE WE RILED BY JUDGES IN A GOVERNMENT OF SELF- GOVERNING CITIZENS? (By Charles Perry Taylor) The supreme court of the state and the supreme court of the nation have within the past few weeks ren d red decisions that vitally affect the power. Influence and usefulness of the union movement. Notwithstand ing the declarations of the Clayton amendment to the Sherman anti trust law, notwithstanding the con stitutional guarantees of the free dom of speech and press, notwith standing the legal declaration that labor is not a commodity, these de cisions will thrust labor back into the chattel class if they stand as the flna! decision in such matters. Court 3 render so many decisions on preced ent rather than on actual law, and rely so much on what is called com mon law, and so many limes, seem ingly, place so little reliance, in the judgment of many, on cummonsensc, that thoughtful people m?y well "e --riously consider whether we are not ruled by judges, who, by their as sumption of power, assumption r.ot always upheld by actual law, consti tute these judges a well n'fh kingly [ class in a republic of self-govcrr.ing [citizens. When both divine and ' human law says citizens may exer | else the right to tell the truth, nay, j must tell the truth and the truth only under penalty of punishment, then for a court of either high or low ■ degree to deny that right is a trav esty on free government. Decisions defining tho rights of both organized labor ai:<j employers were rendered December 10 by the JJnited States supreme court. The court held that workmen may organ ize for lawful purposes, but that em ployers may legally operate their plants as open shops and prevent efforts to bring non-unionists into the unions. The opinions were rendered in the cases of the Hitchman Coal & Coke company and the Eagle G1333 Manufacturing company of West Virginia, the court deciding that both were entitled to • perate their plants as "open ohoDS." Lower court decrees holding the United Mine Workers of Amer'ca and the American Flint 01as3 Workers uuiou were illegal organizations, and under the Sherman anti-trust law they were secret conspiracies in restraint of trade, were ignored by the su preme court opinion. Justices Bran dels, Holmes and Clark dissented, the first making the statement he be lieved the unions had the right to do the things to which the members of the court objected. The state supreme court of Wash- vigilance is the price of liberty here lngton, in a recent decision, atol- at home as well as on that bloody ished the right of picketing in the ground so well named No Maa's state and. to all intents and pur- Land. While American manhood poses, the union movement Tias lost and womanhood gives its life that the right to obey that command- the glorious heroism of the French ment from the Creator which for- may not be sacrificed in vain, forget bids lying. "Thou shalt not Ho." not that at your elbow perhaps there says the Creator. "Thou shalt not exists, masquerading in the guise of tell the truth if it hurts my bus!- an American employer, a profiteer ness," says American business, r, mi who howls loudly against tin labor business is supported by court union the while he robs your govera decisions. This is not to be v on- ment and his for aeroplane spruce dered at, considering thit judges sr" stock, or who corners the necessa made out of lawyers, and lawyers are ries of life while he invokes the aid made out of business or corporation of the courts to keep down the wage legal work. The frequency of the abuse of the power of .injunction In industrial dis putes Is a byword among member? of organized labor. How frequently ri > employers rush Into court and, in fear of imaginary dangers, pra> for injunctions against fellow citizens engaged in a God-given right to cease work when conditions become I undesirable, and engaged also in compliance with both divine COTl mand and influence of righteous civil law in telling the truth about the in dustrial conditions that brought oil the strike, the employers depending 011 hysteria and the sympathetic ejrs of corporation-trained judiciary to secure for them an injunction against fellow citizens engaged in an efort to Improve the condition of wage earners. Why is it that an employer can get the aid of courts to resist the efforts of wage earners to im prove the conditions of industry, while at the same time the wr,ge earners can get no help from courts to bring about such improvement? Are the courts for the employers only, or are tlie wage-earners negli gent in invoking their power? The year 1 18 will be one in which legislatures and courts will be par tially or wholly elected by the votes of sovereign citizens who own no man k ! ng save their own conscience. We have enjoyed, or. rather, suf fered from the usurpation of power by courts almost wholly in sympathy with the buyers of labor, buyers who regard it aud treat it as a commod ity, in spite of the dictum of the Clayton act. We have suffered from, the indifference, even the antagon- ism. of legislative bodies made up of business and professional men, poli ticians eand plain blockheads. And nine-tenths of the population is made up of those who are poor, who are wage-earners or agriculturists, who are victims of the legislation called into being by vested interests, preda tory and corporate interests. Did not the people of this state at the polls repudiate the antl-picketing measure enacted by the late legisla ture? They surely did that very thing. Did the courts hearken to the voice of the people? Not so you could notice it. When the mill com panies rushed into lower courts for injunctions against the timber work ers and the shlngleweavers in their recent effort to establish the eight hour day in the lumber industry, unions as unions were absolved by the courts, but union men were pun ished for violating judge-made law. And the repudiation by the sovereign voting strength of the state of the antl-picketing measure had about as much bearing on the situation as a fly on a cartwheel. We hear a lot in these days of war about the necessity of the wage earners giving loyal support to the government. It is being given. Wage-earners and their unions. In spite of a cost of living mounting at • rapid rate to record prices, while wage increases crwep slowly upward, are buying Liberty bonds and thrift stamps and giving their money to the Red Cross and their sons to the battlefield. But none of the wage earners have been summoned to Washington to answer to charges of profiteering, while president's com missions investigating strikes and labor troubles invariably. In their settlement, compel the unwilling buyer of labor to grant tfage in creases and other improvement*. Have you heard of any arbitration board advising a reduction of wagsa or a lengthening of hours? We hear a lot about being pa triotic, and if the conduct of the wage-earners is not and has not been patriotic, then the word Is a figment of the imagination, a diatribe on commonsense. The wage-earers are, in truth, the only ones who have been patriotic. True patriotism la sacrifice for the common good. How can one sacrifice if his share of wealth prevents any sacrifice except that of a false pride? While the winter is upon us, while we ponder over the struggle in the trenches of France, that liberty may not die on this earth, that democratic government and not slavery may be the portion of mankind, let us not lose sight of the fact that eternal rate which the labor union Is trying so hard to raise In order to partially at least meet the cost of living In war times. While he hides behind your flag, he robs his government and you. Tear off his mask. The highest patriotism is that which fights the tyrant wherever he be found which hates the enemy of the country, whether that enemy be n pro-German in our midst or an ex ploiter of fellowmen at our elbow. Keep your eyes wide open and your thoughts clear. By the side of the pro-German place the profiteer of the rich variety like they have in Everett or of the poor variety that has first begged money from union labor and then used that money to disrupt union labor, or whether the anti-unionist be a ghoul who would enrich himself out of the necessities of a war-ridden nation. But how abouf the personnel of our elective courts? How long are we going to leave to those who have an ax to grliul the selection of those who shall sit In the seat of Solomon ami balance the scales of justice be tween contestants? Remember the story of the Irishman who. a priso ner at the bar. asked his honor: "Sure, now, judge, and isn't this a court of justice?" and was answered by that dignitary. "By no means, my good man; this is a court of law." PAGE THREE