Author Tom Copeland presents his views on the the Centralia Tragedy of 1919 Sunday at the Centralia Train Depot
During his summary of what took place during the Centralia Armistice Day Tragedy during his Sunday appearance at the Centralia Train Depot, author Tom Copeland interpreted the punishment endured by members of the International Workers World (IWW) — also known as the Wobblies — as a denial of “basic civil rights under our constitution.”
Copeland — a St. Paul, Minnesota-based attorney — shared how he first took an interest in the event of Nov. 11, 2019 as a 19-year-old student at Macalester College. His fascination with labor history led him to research one of the key figures of the tragedy, Elmer Smith, who also attended Macalester University decades earlier.
Smith, a union lawyer, reportedly advised members of the IWW that they were “entitled” to defend their property when the labor group had been warned that the hall, located in the Roderick Hotel, would be raided sometime before or after the Armistice day parade of the American Legionnaires down Tower Avenue.
The carnage that resulted from the Wobblies safeguarding their turf saw six men die, including three ex-servicemen and IWW member, Wesley Everest, who was subsequently lynched after shooting — and killing — two veterans.
Copeland recognized a list of 11 “union victims” of the tragedy, nine of whom were imprisoned. IWW attorney Smith was disbarred along with being jailed on numerous occasions for speaking on behalf of the Wobblies, who prided themselves as being a part of a “revolutionary industrial unionism” that sought to supplant capitalism and wage labor with industrial democracy.
“For their radical views, fearlessness and willingness to strike during World War I, the IWW was probably the most hated and feared organization in America,” explained Copeland to his audience of local and visiting history buffs and union members. “Employers hated them because they wanted to improve local conditions and were a threat to a company; local officials hated them because they threatened social order.”
In addition to stating that the Wobblies had a “legal right” to occupy their hall 100 years ago, he noted how the IWW appealed to the chief of police and the mayor for protection, along with circulating fiers asking citizens to “stop any violence,” to no avail prior to the bloody clash.
The author spoke glowingly of Smith, in particular, as Copeland cast him as a sympathetic figure who spent his entire life in the years following the 1919 tragedy to free the imprisoned Wobblies and advocating for the rights of the working people, along with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Copeland recounted the many instances where the activist was scheduled to speak in front of large crowds, only to end up in police custody. During the early part of the 20th Century until the day of his death in 1932, Smith was often accused of spreading “radical and inflammatory” rhetoric even when he was quoting passages written by former founding father and U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.
“Elmer worked with all groups … liberal church groups, the Communist party, the ACLU, the AFL (American Federation of Labor), socialists and anyone who would listen,” said Copeland. “These groups did not usually work well with the IWW. Looking back on all these years, it’s easy to see that their differences were minor in comparison to the differences they all had with their opponents— corporate elites, law enforcement agencies, politicians and the legal system.”
Copeland opined that the anti IWW “hysteria” was widespread in the state of Washington and in Centralia in particular during the aftermath of the tragedy and beyond. He denounced local officials, among others, for not only denying the Wobblies their civil rights, but for their “encouragement” of violent acts that were inflicted upon members of the labor group.
“I think it’s outrageous that the town of Centralia has not acknowledged its collective guilt in the lynching of Everest and (the) covering up of many people who killed him. Now is the time to remember the victims and hope that in the future, there are more heroes than there were (back then) fighting for civil liberties, better working conditions, justice and peace,” he added.
On that note, a flier was distributed at Sunday’s gathering reporting that a proposal by the IWW union for a monument/plaque commemorating the Centralia Armistice Day Tragedy was turned down by a local committee that must approve the initiative before it was brought to Centralia’s City Council.
During the event’s Q&A session, David Tucker, an executive board member of the Everett General Membership Branch of the IWW, noted how despite all the hardships his group faced, they “still came back” and are still in existence. He went on to claim that the IWW is bigger now than at any point since the 1930s.
“To me, it’s pretty incredible that the Wobblies came back, but they’re still a strong working class community … they are still organizing. I think because of that, the Wobblies didn’t just go away,” Copeland said. “I think that may contribute to people in town just not accepting what happened. You know, it’s like the Wobblies are still in their face. They stood their ground and they don’t like it. It just reminds them of what happened.”
