James Martin, secretary of Lumber Workers Industrial Union 500, gives his regular update during the massive Northwest strike that broke out as the U.S. entered World War One. This August 17, 1917 update on the strike’s Seattle District report on camps in the areas of Seattle, Ballard, Port Angeles, Aberdeen, Centralia, Arlington, and Hoquiam.

‘Lumber Workers Strike Bulletin: Seattle District’ by James Martin from Solidarity. Vol. 8 No. 398. August 25, 1917.

Solidarity Gets the Goods

Seattle, Wash. August 17. The lumber interests are making the assertion through their press that the camps and mills are starting up on Monday, Don’t let them fool you. Watch out for their slimy tactics, as it is most important and necessary at this particular time that we should all stick together and let no section or district make any separate settlement, None should go back to work until a settlement is made. We know that solidarity will win this strike.

Seattle. The pickets not agreeing with the tactics used by the clerks at the Employers Association agency on Occidental avenue yesterday, gathered inside of the office to look out for our interests. The scab herder called for the police and had them all ejected. They then gathered outside, directly across the street. The pickets used a very effective way with any one who attempted to enter the employment office. They would all shout with one voice “Scab.” The man who had attempted to go inside would stop and view the crowd an instant, then quickly pass on down the street. Business within the business was suspended entirely. The lunch counter inside and the cigar stand in front suffered alike with the guilty scab herder. Here we wish to state that we do not wish to see the cigar stand suffer a suspension of trade, as the owner of the stand has always shown himself to organised labor, and the strike committee does not wish to injure him or his trade in any way, but as for the scabby employment sharks who have their place inside the building, they have already proved themselves unworthy of consideration. A rank case of prejudice was shown in court yesterday. Two parties of pickets were arrested, one at the Canal Lumber Company plant in Ballard and one at Brace & Hubert’s on West Lake. The ones pinched at the Canal Lumber Company were A.F. of L men and were released. The men arrested at West Lake were I.W.W.’s and they drew a sentence of three days apiece. Both parties were arrested and tried on the same charge.

Ballard. The Canal Lumber Company is reported to be running full blast (150 men short). The Seattle Cedar Mfg.) Company is cutting fir lumber. This is one of the I.T.U. mills which they consider fair to scab. This is Brown’s viewpoint of working class solidarity.

Port Angeles. Twelve men walked out of the P.S.M. & T. Company’s big mill and we expect more to follow. We held a very successful picnic Sunday and a successful mass meeting in the evening. Carl Landstrom, the foreman on the chain in the big mill, was in town last night looking for scabs but was not successful.

Arlington. Danaher has a bunch of scabs signed up for eight hours and is working them ten. But the pickets are working on them and will sure get results.

Aberdeen. ELMA DIST. The situation here looks good, in fact, better than at any time since the strike started. The White Star Mill is practically out of commission and the camp is doing. little. McCleary is still trying to run with girls, children, and a few scabs who still contend that there is no strike on. Vance Lumber Co. is still in the same fix as last reported, only they have hired an irresponsible kid as a gunman. Simpson, Lyttle, and the Saginaw camps are still closed tight. Pickets on the job in his district are getting results. MONTESANO DIST.- Clemmons camps here are so rotten that the scabs quarreled amongst themselves and shut the camps down. The C.C.L. & T. Schaffer’s, and Lester’s camps are not getting enough logs to run one mill eight hours a week. Picket camps are in good condition, and solidarity is the watchword. ABERDEEN JCT. All O.K. WISHKAH DIST. Everything fine and dandy. NORTH RIVER DIST. All camps closed in this district, except Rowland’s, who have sixteen scabs working. WEST PORT DIST. Reports from here say that everything is O.K., and if the lumber barons don’t get busy pretty soon they will be out of luck. All the jacks here are turning whalers. There is not a great deal of difference in putting a choker on a whale or putting one on a log in some places in this country. ABERDEEN MILLS. The mills are the same as in the last report. The Wilson is trying to run but with no success. The Anderson & Middleton is out of commission except the planner.

Hoquiam. We held a big masquerade dance last night and it was a big success. The strike situation is unchanged. The bosses are wearing wrinkles around the glims from worrying about the logs not coming down to the mills. The Humptulips and Carlisle districts report everything all O.K., and that the pickets are standing firm. ALOHA DIST. Joe Creek unchanged They are working half a dozen scabs falling and bucking. Aloha got in ten care of logs from Wynbechie’s scab camp which is working from twenty to twenty-five scabs.

Centraila. Five more men quit at the N. & M. Monday: The remaining crew con sists of fifteen Japs and six white scabs. FIR TREE LOG CO., LITTLE ROCK. Camp closed tight yesterday. This is the second time this camp has been closed down since the strike THE EASTERN LUMBER CO., who boast of having a tall crew, shut their saws down at 11 o’clock yesterday and only worked eight hours the previous day. They are making a pretty expensive attempt at running their mill, but as yet it has been a complete failure.

Joe Wagner, a scab working at Chester Snow Logging Co., was hit in the back Saturday.

Tom Nolan, a stiff carrying an A.F. of L. card, is trying to recruit a bunch of scabs for the Meskil Lumber Company on the strength of his card. His card don’t appear to be very strong for he is not getting any men.

Dan Ferris, a card man, is scabbing at the Eastern camp. His card number is 265614 and he was working for Turvey Bros. before the strike. All other camps previously reported still the same. Yours for the eight-hour day, JOHN MARTIN, Sec’y No. 500.

The most widely read of I.W.W. newspapers, Solidarity was published by the Industrial Workers of the World from 1909 until 1917. First produced in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and born during the McKees Rocks strike, Solidarity later moved to Cleveland, Ohio until 1917 then spent its last months in Chicago. With a circulation of around 12,000 and a readership many times that, Solidarity was instrumental in defining the Wobbly world-view at the height of their influence in the working class. It was edited over its life by A.M. Stirton, H.A. Goff, Ben H. Williams, Ralph Chaplin who also provided much of the paper’s color, and others. Like nearly all the left press it fell victim to federal repression in 1917.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/solidarity-iww/1917/v8-w398-aug-25-1917-solidarity.pdf