The Saloon Was Their Paycheck: Everett Labor’s Fight Against Prohibition

Prohibition means that 400 men who now draw good wages and spend all their money in Everett will be thrown out of employment. If these men leave the city it means a decrease in population of 2,000. If they stay here they will have to fight with common labor for a job in the mills. This will be good for the mill owners, but bad for the laborer. Any set of men who try to drive out 400 wage earners and their families are not working to upbuild the city. Prohibition means that municipal taxes will be increased 50 per cent, or that our street lights will be cut out, our fire department reduced, the street department eliminated, and all city activities curtailed. Prohibition means that “blind pigs” will spring up; that liquor will be sold in violation of, and without the restraint of, law; that the man who only wants a drink or two will be compelled to buy a pint; and it means that liquor will be scattered all over town, where boys and girls can get access to it.

To the Laboring Men of Everett: Brother unionists, from Cigarmakers’ Union No. 498 of Everett, Wash.: We desire to make a statement of facts to our fellow union men in Everett, and to appeal to them not to assist in putting us out of employment and driving us from this fair city by voting to abolish the licensed saloon in Everett. There are employed in the four cigar factories of this city 45 working members of the Cigarmakers’ Union, including apprentices and helpers. If prohibition prevails this number will be reduced by 80 per cent. The saloons handle many union-made cigars, which are mostly local made. One-half of our members are married men — some of them owning their own homes. Their wages are expended here for the support of their families, and prohibition means that we should have to break up our homes and seek work among strangers. The number necessary to hold a charter from the International is seven, and if prohibition carries there is great danger that even that number could not find employment here; in that case our charter would be forfeited and the Trades Council would lose our membership. We contend that we have always stood loyally by our fellow unionists, and we now appeal to them to help us in this, our fight for existence. The abolishment of the saloon means the springing up of countless joints which, with cheap trust cigars, will sell liquor in violation of law. Such establishments are the union man’s worst enemies, and we appeal to you to help keep them out of our midst and to keep us in gainful employment in our fine city by voting for license on November 8th. — C. Smith, A. Thompson, J. C. North, Committee.

Brewery Workers of America, Local No. 142, Everett: We respectfully represent that if the proposed measure is successful it will throw out of employment the membership of thirty men and an equal number of assistants. More than two-thirds of our membership are married and their wages are all expended in this city. If prohibition at the polls on November 8th means the closing of the brewery as well as the ice plant and bottling works, we will be forced to leave the city, and those now working in the mills or other industries will have to compete with common labor in other fields. Our charter will be forfeited and the Trades Council will be weakened to that extent. Beer will be sold under prohibition, but it will be sold in “blind tigers,” and our labor unions have always been loyal to the cause of unionism. We feel it a right to appeal to our fellow workingmen to help us and vote for license at the election on Tuesday, November 8th.

We, the undersigned members of the Bartenders’ International League of Everett, Local No. 454, do appeal to you, as brother union men, to vote for the present license system in this city at the election on November 8th. If the present system is defeated and prohibition carries, it means that 85 members of our union as well as 35 porters will be thrown out of work and either be forced to leave this city or to compete with other union men for positions in order to earn a livelihood. Not only will prohibition put out of business the members of our union and those of the Brewery Workers and Cigarmakers’ Unions, but it will seriously affect the plumbers, tailors, laundry workers, teamsters, and cooks and waiters’ unions. Prohibition will weaken the trades council by almost half. — Bartenders Union: Dell Woodward, Thos. Evan, Committee; Cigarmakers’ Union: A. Williams, Pres., Jos. Tschida, Sec.; Brewery Workers of America: Geo. Gergensen, Pres., Geo. Kolkmeier; Everett Trades Council: J. B. Monger, Pres.

An appeal from the Cooks and Waiters’ Union to their fellow unionists of Everett: The success of the prohibition movement in Everett means the destruction of the Cooks and Waiters’ Union and the scattering of our members. It means that we will be deprived of employment and driven from home to take up the struggle for existence in strange places. The union restaurants of Everett today employ 60 cooks and waiters and 30 helpers, a total of 90 persons. Under prohibition that number would be reduced to 45, as all the big restaurants, except one non-union house, would be compelled to close. In this extremity we appeal to our brother unionists to stand by us, and to show that the principles of unionism mean something, by aiding with their votes to defeat prohibition in Everett on November 8th. — Everett Cooks and Waiters Union: Louis A. Pomeroy, Pres., F. G. Pollard, Sec.