Gubernatorial Hopeful Roland Hartley Blasts Unions in Kennewick
The Republican candidate for governor made a campaign stop in Kennewick, attacking labor unions from his automobile while promising 'industrial freedom.'
Col. Roland H. Hartley of Everett, Republican candidate for governor, who is making an automobile campaign tour of the state, spent last night in Kennewick. Col. Hartley is attracting attention in the present campaign because of his fearlessness in denouncing the practices of labor unions. Speaking from his automobile in front of the post office last evening, he said: 'I offer myself as a candidate for the office of governor of the state of Washington as a man with a definite issue. I want no vote to be registered for me which is not considered to be a vote for industrial freedom. I promise, if I become governor, to use the machinery of my office to replace the bludgeon with the law. The workman who is not satisfied with his lot and quits his job will be protected; the man who takes his place will be protected when exercising his right to work for whatever wage he may agree upon.'
“I promise, if I become governor, to use the machinery of my office to replace the bludgeon with the law.”
Roland Hartley went on to win the governorship, known for his combative 'open shop' stance against organized labor during the 1920s. His rhetoric highlights the deep-seated historical tensions between management and labor in Washington's industrial development, a struggle that still reverberates in contemporary debates over gig work and right-to-work legislation.
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