The Centralia Conspiracy | Page 9

and the Industrialists declared "not guilty." George Vanderveer
was attorney for the defense.
The lumber interests were infuriated at their defeat, and from this time
on the struggle raged in deadly earnest. Almost everything from mob
law to open assassination had been tried without avail. The execrated
One Big Union idea was gaining members and power every day. The
situation was truly alarming. Their heretofore trustworthy "wage plugs"
were showing unmistakable symptoms of intelligence. Workingmen
were waking up. They were, in appalling numbers, demanding the right
to live like men. Something must be done something new and

drastic--to split asunder this on-coming phalanx of industrial power.
But the gun-man-and-mob method was discarded, temporarily at least,
in favor of the machinations of lumber trust tools in the law making
bodies. Big Business can make laws as easily as it can break them--and
with as little impunity. So the notorious Washington "Criminal
Syndicalism" law was devised. This law, however, struck a snag. The
honest-minded governor of the state, recognizing its transparent
character and far-reaching effects, promptly vetoed the measure. After
the death of Governor Lister the criminal syndicalism law was passed,
however, by the next State Legislature. Since that time it has been used
against the American Federation of Labor, the Industrial Workers of the
World, the Socialist Party and even common citizens not affiliated with
any of these organizations. The criminal syndicalism law registers the
high water mark of reaction. It infringes more on the liberties of the
people than any of the labor-crushing laws that blackened Russia
during the dynasty of the Romanoffs. It would disgrace the
anti-Celestial legislation of Hell.

The Eight Hour Day and "Treason"

Nineteen hundred and seventeen was an eventful year. It was then the
greatest strike in the history of the lumber industry occurred-the strike
for the eight hour day. For years the logger and mill hand had fought
against the unrestrained greed of the lumber interests. Step by step, in
the face of fiercest opposition, they had fought for the right to live like
men; and step by step they had been gaining. Each failure or success
had shown them the weakness or the strength of their union. They had
been consolidating their forces as well as learning how to use them.
The lumber trust had been making huge profits the while, but the
lumber workers were still working ten hours or more and the logger
was still packing his dirty blankets from job to job. Dissatisfaction with
conditions was wider and more prevalent then ever before. Then came
the war.

As soon as this country had taken its stand with the allied imperialists
the price of lumber, needed for war purposes, was boosted to sky high
figures. From $16.00 to $116.00 per thousand feet is quite a jump; but
recent disclosures show that the Government paid as high as $1200.00
per thousand for spruce that private concerns were purchasing for less
than one tenth of that sum. Gay parties with plenty of wild women and
hard drink are alleged to have been instrumental in enabling the
"patriotic" lumber trust to put these little deals across. Due to the
duplicity of this same bunch of predatory gentlemen the airplane and
ship building program of the United States turned out to be a scandal
instead of a success. Out of 21,000 feet of spruce delivered to a
Massachusetts factory, inspectors could only pass 400 feet as fit for use.
Keep these facts and figures in mind when you read about what
happened to the "disloyal" lumber workers during the war-and
afterwards.
[Illustration: Mrs. Elmer Smith and Baby Girl
Mrs. Elmer Smith is the cultured daughter of a Washington judge.
Since Elmer Smith got into trouble many efforts have been made to
induce his wife to leave him. Mrs. Smith prefers, however, to stick with
her rebel lawyer whom she loves and admires.]
Discontent had been smouldering in the woods for a long time. It was
soon fanned to a flame by the brazen profiteering of the lumber trust.
The loggers had been biding their time--rather sullenly it is true--for the
day when the wrongs they had endured so patiently and so long might
be rectified. Their quarrel with the lumber interests was an old one. The
time was becoming propitious.
In the early summer of 1917 the strike started. Sweeping through the
short log country it spread like wild-fire over nearly all the
Northwestern lumber districts. The tie-up was practically complete.
The industry was paralyzed. The lumber trust, its mouth drooling in
anticipation of the many millions it was about to make in profits,
shattered high heaven with its cries of rage. Immediately its loyal
henchmen in the Wilson administration rushed to the rescue.
Profiteering might be condoned, moralized over or winked at, but

militant labor