Then it was that the organization of men who called themselves the Industrial Workers of the World drew the absorbed attention of the meeting.  Depredations already committed stunned the members of the Chamber of Commerce.

President Riesinberg called upon Beardsley, a prominent and intelligent rancher of the southern wheat-belt.  Beardsley said: 

“It is difficult to speak with any moderation of the outrageous eruption of the I.W.W.  It is nothing less than rebellion, and the most effective means of suppressing rebellion is to apply a little of that ‘direct action’ which is the favorite diversion of the I.W.W.’s.

“The I.W.W. do not intend to accomplish their treacherous aims by anything so feeble as speech; they scorn the ballot-box.  They are against the war, and their method of making known their protest is by burning our grain, destroying our lumber, and blowing up freight-trains.  They seek to make converts not by argument, but by threats and intimidation.

“We read that Western towns are seeking to deport these rebels.  In the old days we can imagine more drastic measures would have been taken.  The Westerners were handy with the rope and the gun in those days.  We are not counseling lynch law, but we think deportation is too mild a punishment.

“We are too ‘civilized’ to apply the old Roman law, ’Spare the conquered and extirpate the rebels,’ but at least we could intern them.  The British have found it practicable to put German prisoners to work at useful employment.  Why couldn’t we do the same with our rebel I.W.W.’s?”

Jones, a farmer from the Yakima Valley, told that business men, housewives, professional men, and high-school boys and girls would help to save the crop of Washington to the nation in case of labor trouble.  Steps already had been taken to mobilize workers in stores, offices, and homes for work in the orchards and grain-fields, should the I.W.W. situation seriously threaten harvests.

Pledges to go into the hay or grain fields or the orchards, with a statement of the number of days they were willing to work, had been signed by virtually all the men in North Yakima.

Helmar, lumberman from the Blue Mountains, spoke feelingly; he said: 

“My company is the owner of a considerable amount of timbered lands and timber purchased from the state and from individuals.  We have been engaged in logging that land until our operations have been stopped and our business paralyzed by an organization which calls itself the Industrial Workers of the World, and by members of that organization, and other lawless persons acting in sympathy with them.

    “Our employees have been threatened with physical violence and
    death.

    “Our works are picketed by individuals who camp out in the forests
    and who intimidate and threaten our employees.