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Labor spy report by Agent #106 to Broussais Beck, February 21, 1920
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| Title | Labor spy report by Agent #106 to Broussais Beck, February 21, 1920 |
| Author | Unknown |
| Date of Publication | 1920 |
| Notes | In this report to Broussais Beck on February 21st, 1920, "Agent #106" gives an account of the Triple Alliance meeting at the Hippodrome, with over 3, 000 people in attendance. The speakers' list includes E. J. Brown, William Short, William Coates, Robert Bridges, and James Duncan. Brown speaks first, denouncing the Seattle Times as a destructive force, and presenting the claim that the Seattle police are trafficking in alcohol. The latter claim is immediately taken up by some in attendance as a sign that James Duncan will be elected to office in order to stop this practice. Duncan himself then speaks, promising "everything that the worker might desire", according to #106, and issuing a challenge to his opponent, Hugh M. Caldwell, on the issue of "Constitutional Rights". The next speaker is Robert Bridges, who calls himself "the stubborn Scotchman" who successfully defended the port of Seattle on the people's behalf. Bridges tells the crowd that Duncan, like him, is a "fighter for your rights" and urges them to vote for him. Lastly, #106 records remarks made by "Mrs. Wilson" that women should support Duncan as he will enforce prohibition and end vice in Seattle: after the meeting, the women remain to meet with Duncan and organize their own campaign on his behalf. |
| Contextual Notes | Broussais Coman Beck (1886-1936) was a prominent Seattle businessman and rowing enthusiast. He was educated at the University of Washington and at Yale, graduating from the latter university in 1911. He returned to Seattle later in the 1910s to work as the store manager for the Bon Marche. In the wake of the Seattle general strike of 1919, Beck paid spies to infiltrate the labor movement in Seattle, and received frequent reports from his agents (often accompanied by clippings or ephemera relating to labor organizations) in 1919 and 1920. Due to the information acquired through these reports, the Bon Marche was centrally important to the alliance of Seattle employers who organized against labor, a group called the Associated Industries of Seattle -- and, consequently, the Bon Marche became the target of increased pressure and boycotts by organized labor in this time period. |
| Subjects (LCSH) | Beck, Broussais C., 1886-1936; Labor movement--Washington (State)--Seattle; Labor unions--Washington (State)--Seattle; Business intelligence--Washington (State)--Seattle; Union busting--Washington (State)--Seattle; Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government--20th century |
| Geographic Coverage | United States--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Digital ID Number | PNW00893 |
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction or inquire about permissions contact: photos@u.washington.edu. |
| Digital Collection | Pacific Northwest Historical Documents
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| Repository | University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division. |
| Repository Collection | Broussais C. Beck papers. Accession No. 0155-001. Box 1/20 |
| Object Type | Typescript
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| Physical Description | 1 leaf; 28 x 21.5 cm. |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from original text or image at 150 dpi saved in TIFF format, resized and enhanced using Adobe Photoshop, and imported as JPEG2000 using Contentdm software's JPEG2000 Extension. 2011. |
| Restrictions | For information on permissions for use and reproductions please visit UW Libraries Special Collections Reproduction & Use page: http://content.lib.washington.edu/sc-use.html |
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