Hellraisers Journal: Fight Against Employment Sharks is on in Spokane, “The I. W. W. Storm Center for the West”

Quote JH Walsh, re Employment Sharks, IUB p1, Feb 27, 1909 ———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday February 28, 1909
Spokane, Washington – I. W. W. Takes on Employment Sharks

From The Industrial Union Bulletin of February 20, 1909:

“STORM CENTER OF THE WEST”

The I. W. W. storm center for the West just now appears to be Spokane, Washington. The very great activity of the fellow workers of that city is noticeable at General Headquarters in frequent orders and remittances for due stamps, membership books, buttons and other supplies, as well as Bulletins and other literature. Their fight against the employment bureau sharks continues unabated, and with growing sentiment against those institutions.

Fellow worker James Wilson, secretary of the Central Committee of the Spokane locals, writes on Dec. 19: “Over 100 members have joined here this last week,” and again on Dec. 23, he says: “I can tell you in all sobriety that we are convinced that the success of the I. W. W. in this part of the country will be amazing from now on, and I flatter myself that I am not visionary.”

J. J. Stark writes Dec. 23 in behalf of Local 222: “We are going to move into a larger hall about the first of the year, where the rent will be $125 per month, while formerly we only paid $30. However I think that the increasing membership will warrant the move. Walsh is still with us and is doing great work. He has just received a telegram from Whitehead to come on the first train to Seattle, and will leave at once. It appears that there is something doing among the loggers, and they need his services for a time.”

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[Photograph and paragraph breaks added.]

From The Industrial Union Bulletin of February 27, 1909:

WALSH HEADS OFF VIOLENCE

From the Spokane (Wash.) Spokesman-Review of January 18 we take the following account of an alleged “riot” on the day before in front of an employment agency in that city:

Hurling rocks and chunks of ice through the windows of the Red Cross employment agency, 224 Stevens street, several members of a noisy mob of between 2,000 and 3,000 idle men were about to attempt to wreck the place, about 6 o’clock last evening, when James H. Walsh, organizer of the Industrial Workers of the World, mounting a chair in the street, stemmed the rising tide of riot and pacified the multitude. In the opinion of the police had it not been for the intervention of Walsh a riot would surely have followed, as the rabble was worked up to such a pitch that its members would readily have attempted violence. Walsh discouraged violence and summoned all members of the I. W. W. to their hall at the rear of 412-420 Front avenue. The police dispersed the rest.

At the time there were more than a dozen policemen on the scene and so threatening had the situation become that Chief of Police Rice had issued instructions to Desk Officer Walter Hogan to summon at once from their homes every member of the night squad. The entire street from Main avenue to front avenue was black with a howling, surging mass of discontented men. At intervals yells of derision arose and many of the crowd spurred others to commit violence. The police moved through the mob, keeping the men on the move.

Walsh Pleads With Mob.

“No good can come to you from such a demonstration as this, men,” said Walsh in a commanding voice. “Whoever threw those missiles are not actuated by the spirit of the Industrial Workers of the World. The police are here and if a riot is started many innocent men are likely to have their heads cracked. The militia will be called out and there may be bloodshed.

“I want every member of the I. W. W. to come with me to the hall immediately, where we can talk this thing over.”

At the hall Walsh warned the crowd against an outbreak. “There were a lot of hired Pinkertons in that crowd,” he said. “All they wanted you Fellows to do was to start something and then they would have an excuse for shooting you down or smashing your heads in. As far as I am concerned I’ll knock the block off any employment man who fleeces me. That’s all right. But you can gain nothing by resorting to mob rule.”

Following Walsh’s appeal the men marched in an orderly manner to the I. W. W. hall, where a meeting was held last night. Officers stood guard at the employment office until a late hour, but there was no renewal of the demonstration.

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Speaking of another and more violent demonstration on the afternoon of February 16, the same paper says:

During the melee Organizer Walsh mounted a soap box and attempted to address the mob. He was at once opposed by the police, who misunderstood his efforts, but, finally being permitted to speak, he led the crowd to the I. W. W. hall, in the basement of the Union Hotel, 412 to 420 Front avenue, where, in an address he advised against further violence, and succeeded in quieting the spirit of violence.

The Lawrence employment office and the Levi Deller store suffered principally from yesterday’s attacks, the window in each establishment being valued at approximately $150. A peculiar feature of the affair is that the windows of the Macho employment office, about which the mob for four hours centered its attentions, escaped with least damage, a broken transom being the extent.

Employment firms which also suffered broken windows are the Red Cross, 224 Stevens street, Rae & Walker, 209 Stevens street, Spokane Employment office, 215 Stevens street; also the plate glass window of Benny Caputo’s saloon, 213 Stevens street, in which is located the W. J. Fedder employment office, was cracked and a pane in the glass panel of the doors of the Logan Hotel, adjacent to the saloon, was shattered.

Six arrests were made during the afternoon, the charge of disorderly conduct being placed against each. They are Ernest Kruger, alleged ringleader; Peter Jones, accused of striking Macho; Wasil Comar, who struck Officer Berto; Joe Parvich, who resisted arrest by Officer Warner; James Kenan, Ernest W. Hasli and Otto Handee, accused of throwing rocks.

At 8 o’clock last night a meeting in the I. W. W. was held at the organization’s hall, at which Organizer Walsh spoke, counseling against violence. He said in part:

“Any fight we make must be a peaceful one as an organization, and must be a legal fight. We are not a fighting organization, and if you try violence you will run up against a proposition you can’t get around. If you continue breaking windows and cleaning out employment offices you will run up against the police hard, and if they can not handle you, you will run up against the soldiers.

“But it is up us to keep up in a right way the fight against these employment sharks until we put them out of business, and then the employers will come to us for labor. The employment men rob you and all but starve you, and there is only one way you can get out of their hold. That is by joining the I. W. W. and refusing to go to them for jobs.”

In speaking of yesterday’s violence Mr. Walsh said:

“While I know that a large number of I. W. W. men took part, they did so without instructions from the organization. I knew nothing of it until some of the boys told me. As an organization the I. W. W. had nothing to do with it.

“However, unless the employment offices cease their present method of operation I believe there will occur much more serious affairs than of today”

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[Newsclip added from Spokane Press of February 17, 1909.