Wesley Everest burial Centralia Washington 1919

Elmer Smith (1888–1932) was a 20th-Century American lawyer and

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

(IWW) union defender (known as '' Wobblies''), who played a key role in the 1919

Centralia massacre (Washington) The Centralia Tragedy, also known as the Centralia Conspiracy and the Armistice Day Riot, was a violent and bloody incident that occurred in Centralia, Washington, on November 11, 1919, during a parade celebrating the first anniversary of Arm ...

1919 Centralia massacre

''See also

'' The IWW opened a local in Centralia, Washington early in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. By 1918, they had clashed with the local

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

after the burning of a first IWW union hall in 1938. The IWW re-opened in a second location. Elmer Smith was a local lawyer, sympathetic to the IWW. A

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

, he strongly encouraged union members to pursue a non-violent course and to try to reach a peaceful arrangement with the other residents of Centralia. He also reached out to the governor to attempt to get him to intervene to prevent a vigilante raid. The landlady for the hall and Britt Smith (no relation), the local IWW secretary, contacted law enforcement and asked for protection, but were told nothing was possible. The Wobblies then printed and widely distributed a flier calling on the people of Centralia to take action. None of these efforts yielded any response. With this being the case an extra-legal raid on the Wobbly hall seemed likely. With attempts at a peaceful compromise unsuccessful, local IWW leader Britt Smith pressed Elmer Smith for additional advice. Elmer Smith agreed that it would be legal for the Wobblies to physically defend themselves, but, as he later testified, only in self-defense if attacked first. The IWW members interpreted this legal advice as justification to arm themselves for what they perceived as an inevitable and dangerous confrontation. During Smith's trial the following year for his part in the Centralia Massacre, prosecutors would present this advice as proof that the IWW had planned the massacre."Visited I.W.W. Hall with Elmer Smith at Noon on November 11th", ''Chronicle'' (Spokane, WA), February 16, 1920 However, considering Elmer Smith's strong belief in non-violence and seeming good character, it is doubtful that armed conflict was his objective. The true intent of Smith's recommendation will probably never be known. After the massacre (in which six people were killed), officials arrested Smith, although he had not participated in the massacre. Later, he was acquitted and released. He died before Governor

Clarence D. Martin Clarence Daniel Martin (June 29, 1886 – August 11, 1955) was an American politician who served as the 11th governor of Washington from 1933 to 1941. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Washington House ...

(1884–1955) commuted sentences.

References

External sources

Centralia Massacre Collection
20th-century American lawyers 1888 births 1932 deaths {{law-bio-stub