The 'Murder Trust' Behind the Titanic
An Everett labor paper echoes the national outcry against corporate negligence following the sinking of the Titanic.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Following the Titanic disaster, a national conference was planned to promote the safety of ocean travelers, workers in shops and stores, theatergoers, miners, school children, and all others whose lives are at stake today through criminal negligence. This conference was suddenly called off: CERTAIN VESTED INTERESTS DID NOT FAVOR SUCH A MOVEMENT. The men who directly and indirectly block a great cause of righteousness consider it more important to save a few dividends than to save the lives of thousands of people. It is now a month since the Steamship Titanic was sunk. The White Star line, with supreme insolence, is advertising the Olympic as the greatest steamship in the world. Let all those who read such advertisements remember that the reason why the Olympic now holds this title IS BECAUSE THE TITANIC IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN. We must remember the Triangle shirtwaist factory until laws are passed to protect the lives of their workers. The worst trust in this country is not the tobacco trust, or the oil trust, or the money trust, BUT THE MURDER TRUST—the combined greed and cruelty of all those in whatever field who are criminally negligent of the lives committed to their protection.
“The worst trust in this country is not the tobacco trust, or the oil trust, or the money trust, BUT THE MURDER TRUST.”
This 1912 editorial highlights a perennial tension in Everett’s history—the struggle between industrial profit and the safety of the working class. Just as the paper demanded accountability for the Titanic and the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, modern Everett residents continue to grapple with corporate influence over local housing and labor standards.
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