The Everett Massacre: A history of the class struggle in the lumber industrySmith, Walker C.
History
The Everett Massacre: A history of the class struggle in the lumber industry
Smith, Walker C.
Industrial Workers of the World; Lumbering -- Washington (State); Lumbermen -- Washington (State)
"Under the Court's instructions there were acts done at Beverly Park
that were unlawful. There is no question about that. Instead of this
being a weakness on the State's part, it seems to me that it is an added
strength. Because the I. W. W. used Beverly Park for what purpose? They
jumped on it with desire, deeming it a fortunate circumstance because
they wanted to inflame men to invade Everett. They jumped on this, the
men at the head of the conspiracy, they jumped on Beverly Park because
they could use it to inflame their members. How do we know? Their own
statements! Their telegrams! 'Advertise conditions and send volunteers.'
Volunteers for what? Volunteers for what? When a man represents things
and so helps to make men mad he wants these men up there as volunteers
for retaliation. And the Court has instructed you that if these men went
up there with the purpose of retaliating, they are guilty. Tracy having
been one of a common design makes it central, vital, in good conscience
as citizens, that you return your verdict asked by the state.
"Any time a murder is committed it is important that prosecution be had
and conviction secured. That is always vital from the standpoint of
protection to society. The police, the sheriff's office, and the
officials of all cities and states of the United States sometimes
forget themselves, I take it, sometimes do things they shouldn't do,
sometimes do things they should be censured for, but the fact that they
had is no reason that murder is to be excused or justified, because if
you did, we would have no society. That is true in an ordinary murder
case. That is overwhelmingly true in this case.
"The I. W. W. is an organization that realizes the great truth in
combating government. They have stumbled upon an overwhelmingly
successful instrument in fighting society. What is that? To commit a
violation of the law in numbers, to violate the law by so many people
that only a few can be prosecuted and even if they are convicted, the
great majority go scott free. They built better than they knew when they
stumbled upon the great secret that the violation of a law in great
numbers would protect practically all of the violators. And this trial
itself is proof of that.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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