The McNamara Defense Ball
Everett labor unions crowd the dance floor to raise funds for a controversial national legal defense campaign.
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.
Organized labor in Everett held a benefit ball last Monday evening for the McNamara defense fund. The hall was packed with dancers from early evening until the 'Home' waltz at 2 a.m. The event, supported by the Musicians' union, Stage Workers, Label League, and the local Socialist branch, raised several hundred dollars to aid in the legal defense of the McNamara brothers, who were accused of bombing the Los Angeles Times building. The Trades Council expressed high satisfaction with the community's response, though the exact total raised remains to be tallied from ticket sales.
“The big hall was crowded with dancers from the time the band struck up the first gay strains at 8 o'clock in the evening until 2 o'clock the next morning.”
The McNamara brothers' case was a flashpoint for American labor activism in the early 20th century. This event illustrates how Everett's working class was deeply plugged into national labor struggles through local grassroots organizing.
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