The unemployed roam the Pacific Northwest in a hardscrabble look for work and I.W.W. national organizer James H. Walsh reports on a month’s work in Portland, Oregon.

‘Workers Conditions in Portland and the Northwest’ by James H. Walsh from the Industrial Union Bulletin. Vol. 2 No. 18. June 27, 1908.

Hell is popping in this country. The sheriff is so busy putting cockroach merchants into the ranks of the proletariat that he is forced to appoint deputies to carry on the good work. The panic is just striking here with full force. Saloon after saloon is being closed out because they can’t pay their rent and other bills. Five restaurants went in one day under the hammer of the “law.” Meat markets, stores, large and small, are receiving the daily visits of the sheriff or his deputies. In fact, if it is going on all over the country as here, and probably it is, then certainly there are many thousand new members being added daily to the proletarian family.

Added to the business failures, which adds more people to the army of the unemployed, there are certainly several thousand men out here now who have not seen a job for some time. The railroads are black with men. They are tramping from place to place looking for that proverbial job. There are so many now packing their blankets that little trouble is experienced in “beating” a ride on the train. Of course when they get to a town a brakeman will walk up and say in a gruff voice to “get off.” But immediately appears a marshal or policeman, and he says “get on.” The “citizens” don’t want the “hoboes” in their cities, so the fight shifts from the “boe” and the brakeman, to the brakeman and the policeman.

A few days ago one car came into the yards, a “side door Pullman” with 73 passengers–“tourists.” Last night the traffic was so heavy into this city 153 were in one car.

There are “mulligan outing parties” all along the railroads. They are com posed of 25 to 300 working men, and they include all kinds of workmen. Nearly every trade, as well as common laborers, are found among them, and no craft separation is discovered in the miniature co-operative commonwealth when the meals are being prepared. The engineer is “no higher” than the “pick and shovel artist,” but a communistic program appears to be followed, and they practice the revolutionary teaching of “taking and holding.”

While the times are not the best to organize, it certainly is the best that ever was to do propaganda. But it strikes me that we are confronted with a new problem. I have seen for some time that the workers of the northwest who carry their homes on their backs will have some difficulty in emancipating themselves at the ballot box, and especially so when they have to move on about twice a month and leave the counting to some Citizens Alliance disciple or the Mine Owners’ Association. But we are confronted with another problem. That is how to organize industrially the unemployed, who have no money to pay initiation fee or dues, and who have no shop control. “Mulligan control” is all they have. The unemployed must be something like five or six millions now. Over a fourth of the wage workers of the country. Those who hold jobs now are willing to do two men’s work in order to remain at their posts.

However, with all the above conditions, there has never been a time to do the effective educational work as at the present time. The movement is growing in the northwest better now than ever before. Spokane is still doing fine constructive work and the boys over there expect to do more in the future. They are selling a few hundred Bulletins a week and carrying on big agitational meetings.

We have met a set-back in getting the loggers apparently at this time, as the word has just been given out that all the logging camps will close down indefinitely along the coast country, and the owners of the steam schooners are preparing to tie up all the coast shipping of lumber.

The mills are reducing their crews and wages are being cut from week to week. Last week the mills of this city made another reduction in wages. Couple more reductions, and certainly the slaves will begin to see the necessity of organization.

The hall is packed night after night, and several members are generally secured. Something like 20 is added to the list weekly. The collections run about $3.50 at each meeting when taken up. The literature sales are small, but we are now selling 700 Bulletins a week. A few weeks ago I wrote the Bulletin that if the paper was filled with first class propaganda matter we would get the weekly bundle order in Portland up to one thousand, and that is our mark. The last edition just arrived and many of the boys in the hall are reading the same. The opinion is unanimous that “It’s a damn good issue.” So it is; it is filled with the matter that sells the paper on the street and in the half when we tell the listeners what they will find in its columns. Keep up the good work, and by another month we will be able to shove the weekly order up to the one thousand mark. Every city should try this plan of selling the Bulletin at one cent a copy, and if adopted in the west, from 500 to 1,000 copies can be easily disposed of weekly by the hustlers in the movement. Think of the effect it will soon have on the wage slaves who are looking for a solution of the problem.

Portland is getting in pretty good shape. I have been here a month and a half and we have paid off all the debt to headquarters, ordered some eight thousand leaflets, organized a Buildings Constructors’ union, sell 700 Bulletins weekly, taken in about 20 members, keep a good open headquarters and reading room, and are now just getting in shape to add more books to our library.

The I.W.W. has shop control of one restaurant. It is organized from top to bottom, and the secretary of the union has just put up the card announcing that the Three Star restaurant is a union house. Briefly, this comes about in this manner: One of the members of the union who is not much on “hot air,” but is always to be found when cash is needed for the organization, bought out a cockroacher who went broke, and another member–a cook, with the assistance of the rest of the help–is running the place. Any profits above the running expenses are to go to the treasury of the local I.W.W. of this city. This is not probably according to Marx, and others, and they would take exception to the local here taking the “tainted” money profits should any accrue. However, most of the membership in the west have come to the conclusion that ham and eggs and pork chops are not bad junk to have along with our blankets while we are going up and down the railroads looking for a job and incidentally waiting for the philosophers to bring about the co-operative commonwealth grant that the cook has been stuck as to finding anything in “Capital” that will “clear him up” as to how big the hole in the doughnut should be, but the “savage” that lines up at the counter can tell just as soon as he gets his eyes on them, although he can’t refer to the page that mathematically demonstrates the truthfulness of his practical knowledge.

In conclusion let me say that we are bending every effort to do more constructive work than ever before. Anyone who bobs up, however, to do any destructive work is cut off at the pockets. And a few have been shown where to “head in at.” The results have been good. Everyone is now interested in doing more constructive work than ever before, and I believe that we will have something doing in old scabby Portland before many more months roll by. We are digging in for all that is in us. Organize! Organize!! That is our watchword. Every man and woman to his or her post now. Time is precious. Nothing but constructive work can be tolerated! The disrupter is scabbing on a Pinkerton! Clip his wings! Organization first! Individuals second!

***

I have spent one month’s work as national organizer in Portland, Oregon, and while we have not accomplished as much as we should, some progress has been made at least. During the month’s work, and with the co-operation of the fellow workers, we have taken in 55 new members and have organized a local of the building constructors.

The past week has been a rose carnival and consequently the crowd generally has been too restless to stop to listen to an agitator. Then, also, the idle men have been getting 50 cents an hour during the parade of the evenings, for carrying banners, torches, and, of course, these fifty cents per hour jobs are not to be slighted at this time.

However, the carnival is over, and we held one good meeting and will continue with more.

During the month’s work we have held 23 meetings, taken in 55 members, besides selling considerable literature. We have organized a Building Constructors Local and elected a literature agent who will have charge of the systematic arrangement of the literature and library. Eight thousand leaflets have been ordered and paid for, and $40 has been sent to headquarters to apply on the debt. Nothing preventing, this month will see the balance of $35 paid off. Then Portland will be square with the headquarters. The receipts coming into my hands are small, as the literature sales are very poor, owing to the idle workers and consequent hard times. However, by adopting the “one cent a copy” plan in selling the Bulletin, we have been disposing of 550 a week. From now on the order will be 700 per week, and as I stated in my last article to the Bulletin–if the columns of the I.U.B. are filled with good propaganda matter, we will shove the order up to 1,000 per week.

The short article by Fellow Worker Hazelwood in a recent issue of the Bulletin relative to cutting all that political rot and personalities out, certainly meets with the hearty approval of all the real wage workers who are set on doing constructive work. All disgusting rag chewing has been cut out here, and as a result things are beginning to move. Another month’s work will put this place in a position to start on the road to real constructive work. Word comes from Spokane that the good work is still being pushed in that city, and the weekly Bulletin shipment should reach the thousand mark there as well as in Portland. It strikes me that a large circulation of the official organ will soon have its effect. Experience is the best school of all, and experience has shown that the way to get up a large circulation for the Bulletin is to reduce the order for all political papers to one copy–just one for on file in the reading room–and then center your efforts on the official organ. And then, let us not forget that all the important work is to fill every column every week with real propaganda material on industrial unionism. Clear the decks, you bet! Not, however, for a destructive campaign of mud slinging, personalities, screaming of “crook,” “freak,” “faker” and “liar.” But “clear the decks” for more constructive work. For more organizing. For a more thorough cementing of the proletariat into the only scientific organization.

We are confronted with a serious future. It behooves all who are earnest to redouble their energies at this time. Think of five million workers idle in this country, and no organization. The future is not bright. Before the snow falls and the cold winds of the winter blow there will be more millions added to these already idle. What are you going to do about it? Disorganized, you will have the “opportunity” of going to the chain gang or starve. But if organized you will be prepared to “take and hold” the wealth that is now weighing down the shelves of commerce.

Now is no time to quibble. We may he plunged into the revolution before we know it. We must get the workers organized, industrially, certainly. But what about the millions of unemployed? They have no “votes,” neither have they money to pay dues. Something must be done among these people at this time or all our past work may result in nought. The Industrialists must be equal to the occasion. They must surmount all arising obstacles. Our organization must possess the elasticity to cope with every situation and not lose its revolutionary spirit. Otherwise it will be a failure.

Let us get a headquarters in every city and push up the circulation of the Bulletin until it reaches thousands of readers each week, then follow this act up with other real constructive organizing work. Remember the committees who sat resoluting and legislating during the Paris commune, while M. Thiers was shooting down men, women and children.

For the month’s work, my expense account, over wages of $18 per week. has been $30.95. or an average of $1.10 per day. The receipts coming into my hands amount to $38.15. These figures will be of interest, I assume.

Yours for the I.W.W.

J.H. WALSH, National Organizer.

The Industrial Union Bulletin, and the Industrial Worker were newspapers published by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) from 1907 until 1913. First printed in Joliet, Illinois, IUB incorporated The Voice of Labor, the newspaper of the American Labor Union which had joined the IWW, and another IWW affiliate, International Metal Worker.The Trautmann-DeLeon faction issued its weekly from March 1907. Soon after, De Leon would be expelled and Trautmann would continue IUB until March 1909. It was edited by A. S. Edwards. 1909, production moved to Spokane, Washington and became The Industrial Worker, “the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism.”

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/industrialworker/iub/v2n18-jun-27-1908-iub.pdf