The Conspiracy Develops

The cessation of hostilities in Europe deprived the gangsters of the cloak of “patriotism” as a cover for their crimes.  But this cloak was too convenient to be discarded so easily.  “Let the man in uniform do it” was an axiom that had been proved both profitable and safe.  Then came the organization of the local post of the American Legion and the now famous Citizen’s Protective League—­of which more afterwards.

With the signing of the Armistice, and the consequent almost imperceptible lifting of the White Terror that dominated the country, the organization of the loggers began daily to gather strength.  The Chamber of Commerce began to growl menacingly, the Employers’ Association to threaten and the lumber trust papers to incite open violence.  And the American Legion began to function as a “cats paw” for the men behind the scenes.

Why should the beautiful city of Centralia tolerate the hated Union hall any longer?  Other halls had been raided, men had been tarred and feathered and deported—­no one had ever been punished!  Why should the good citizens of Centralia endure a lumberworkers headquarters and their despised union itself right in the midst of their peaceful community?  Why indeed!  The matter appeared simple enough from any angle.  So then and there the conspiracy was hatched that resulted in the tragedy on Armistice Day.  But the forces at work to bring about this unhappy conclusion were far from local.  Let us see what these were like before the actual details of the conspiracy are recounted.

There were three distinct phases of this campaign to “rid the woods of the agitators.”  These three phases dovetail together perfectly.  Each one is a perfect part of a shrewdly calculated and mercilessly executed conspiracy to commit constructive murder and unlawful entry.  The diabolical plan itself was designed to brush aside the laws of the land, trample the Constitution underfoot and bring about an unparalleled orgy of unbridled labor hatred and labor repression that would settle the question of unionism for a long time.

The Conspiracy—­And a Snag

First of all comes the propaganda stage with the full force of the editorial virulence of the trust-controlled newspapers directed against labor in favor of “law and order,” i.e., the lumber interests.  All the machinery of newspaper publicity was used to vilify the lumber worker and to discredit his Union.  Nothing was left unsaid that would tend to produce intolerance and hatred or to incite mob violence.  This is not only true of Centralia, but of all the cities and towns located in the lumber district.  Centralia happened to be the place where the tree of anti-labor propaganda first bore its ghastly fruit.  Space does not permit us to quote the countless horrible things the I.W.W. was supposed to stand for and to