You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
Hellraisers Journal, Thursday February 22, 1917
Seattle, Washington – News from Everett Prisoners’ Defense
From the Seattle Union Record of February 17th:
TRIAL WILL BE HELD IN SEATTLE
—-
Change of Venue From Snohomish County Is Granted
-Waterfront “Bomb Plot” Blows Up
-Help Needed
—–By CHARLES ASHLEIGH
The application of our attorneys for a change of venue from Snohomish County was heard February 9, in Everett, before Judge Ronald. Moore and Vanderveer had filed a mass of evidence showing great prejudice in the county against the defendants and the working-class movement generally. The prosecution did not attempt to rebut the dozens of affidavits of prejudice submitted by the defense and the judge thereupon granted a change of venue to King County, of which Seattle is the county seat.
There is a certain amount of advantage accruing to the change of venue to Seattle, according to most comment. Upon the list of the prosecution’s witnesses are Everett bank managers, cashiers, the most prominent money-lender of the town, and others of financial importance. This means that the jury would be chary of rendering a decision which would discredit the statements of persons to whom probably a number or the jurors would owe money or to whom they would be in some manner obligated. But that does not hold good in a city such as Seattle. A little Everett bank manager would cut merely an inconsiderable figure there. In Everett he would be a large toad in a small puddle, in Seattle, he would be a very little toad in a big puddle.
Press Tries to Arouse Prejudice
The same day as the change of venue was granted, the Post-Intelligencer and The Times of Seattle came out with a frothy story about a “bomb outrage” which, they alleged, was the work of the I. W. W. A little explosion was noted on the roof of the building in which is the office of the Waterfront Employers’ Union, an Open-Shop organization on the water-front. It seems that the “explosion” was probably caused by a fire-cracker thrown out of the window of a neighboring building. The papers reported Mr. Wollen, assistant-manager of the Employers’ Union, and the police, as attributing the affair to the I. W. W. and other “disgruntled”-by which they mean class-conscious-water-front workers.
A representative of the labor press was immediately sent out to investigate the truth of the matter and it turned out that the bosses’ sheets of Seattle had been spinning some of their usual wholecloth. Manager Becker, of the waterfront Employers, said, referring to the press stories: “You may quote me as saying the stories are bunk!” Assistant-Manager Wollen, whom the papers credit with the statement that the “outrage” was perpetrated by the Industrial Workers, said: “I never said anything about an attempt on my life. I said the whole thing was a Chinese New Year’s joke and laughed it off.” Chief of Police Beckingham said he knew nothing about any police theory connecting it with the workers. “The papers will say anything to arouse prejudice against the I. W. W.,” said the chief.
Men in Jail Are Staunch
Yet another of the boys in jail in Everett has been operated upon for appendicitis. Young Ersson [Adolph Ersson, age 26, laborer and sailor, born in Sweden] is probably another victim to the unhealthy diet of the jail. Attempts have been made to improve the conditions in the prison by the new sheriff [of Snohomish County], Mr. McCulloch, but things are by no means yet ideal. This is mainly owing to the stingy appropriations of the county, which is not averse to spending thousands on gunmen and Pinkertons to beat up and shoot workingmen but grudges every penny for feeding them. But the boys are not making much complaint. In fact, they are denying themselves by refusing many small comforts from the outside. “Put the money in the defense fund,” they say, “Or spend it on organization or educational work,” when visitors offer to send them some small dainties.
Such is the stalwart and loyal spirit of these boys who have been cooped up in this foul, over-crowded prison for three months and who are facing the risk of life-long imprisonment. If they can show this splendid spirit of class-loyalty, what about YOU on the outside? Surely there is something you can do to help in the defense of these seventy-four men who will be made the victims of the lumber trust, because they were true to our class, unless YOU decide to come to their aid.
There is not much time before the trial. The men have chosen to be tried separately and the first case is that of Thomas Tracy, which will come up on trial on March 5. Upon the result of Tracy’s trial depends that of all the others. The workers in many cities are planning a great nation-wide protest meeting for Sunday, March 4. Workers in all localities should fall in line and organize mass meetings for that date. Information and explanatory literature can be obtained from the Defense Committee, Box 1878, Seattle, Wash.
Funds are also urgently needed. The bosses are straining every nerve to railroad these workingmen because they fought for Free Speech for Labor. Shall we let the thugs of the Open-Shop gang beat us? Workers, it is for you to decide.
[Photograph added.]
SOURCES
Seattle Union Record
(Seattle, Washington)
-Feb 17, 1917 (027)
http://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/search/collection/pnwlabor
The Everett Massacre
A History of the Class Struggle in the Lumber Industry
-by Walker C. Smith
IWW, 1918
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001106557
Adolph Ersson
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?q1=ersson;id=mdp.39015002672635;view=image;seq=113;start=1;sz=10;page=search;num=107
IMAGE
Moore & Vanderveer, Attorneys Everett Defense
-Fred H Moore, Defense Attorney
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAfred_moore.htm
-Photo of George Vanderveer is from:
The Centralia Conspiracy by Ralph Chaplin,
IWW, 1919
Note: to view image, use link for PDF Version & scroll to page 76.
-! it takes a while to load.
https://iww.org/history/library/Chaplin/centralia-conspiracy
See also:
Seattle Union Record by Natalia Salinas-Aguila
http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/laborpress/Union_Record_1900-1928.htm
The Seattle Union Record is the most famous of Seattle’s labor newspapers. It was in circulation for 28 years, first published as a weekly in 1900, then becoming a daily newspaper in 1918. Owned by the Central Labor Council [AFL] of Seattle, it played a key role in the 1919 General Strike. Through most of its existence it was edited by Harry B. Ault.
Commonwealth of Toil – Pete Seeger
Lyrics by Ralph Chaplin
https://archive.org/stream/whenleavescomeou00chap#page/4/mode/2up