A report on the 1910 founding of the South Slavic Socialist Federation adhered to the Socialist Party of America in Chicago.

‘Servians, Bulgarians, One With Slovenians and Croatians in Socialist Party’ by J. Louis Engdahl from the Chicago Daily Socialist. Vol 4 No. 215. July 6, 1910.

“With the formation of this national organization, we expect to increase our strength at least 35 per cent before the fall elections.”

This was the spirit that pervaded the gathering of the delegates to the first national congress of the South Slovenian Socialists of the United States, Sunday and Monday, at National hall, 1802 South Center avenue.

The congress confronted not only the problem of amalgamating the efforts of the South Slavic peoples, but also the exciting difficulty of overcoming slight sentiment in favor of the Socialist Labor party.

Form Socialist Federation

Out of it all, however, emanated the South Slavic Socialist Federation, carrying in the preamble of its constitution an indorsement of the principles involved in the platform of the Socialist party of the United States, a resolution also being passed upholding the trade union resolution adopted by the recent national Socialist congress.

The delegates who gathered to battle for the Socialist movement among the Croatians, Slovenians, Servians, Macedonians and Bulgarians, making up the South Slavic peoples, were as follows:

Who Delegates Are

Anna Horwat and Katarina Strahota, for the Croatian Socialist Women’s club of Chicago., Helena Zavertnick, for the Slovene Women’s club of Chicago., Ivan Masten and Mato Marich, for the Croatian Socialist club of Chicago. Frank Pertch and Mike Kulovec, for the Slovenie Socialist club of Chicago Kosta Smardjin and Meaden Bogo- savljevich, for the Servians of Chicago, Tomo Besemich and Blaz Zikic, for the Croatians of Allegheny, Pa., Frank Podboj, for the Croatians of Conemaugh, Pa., P. Blazekovich, for the Croatians of Clairton, Pa., Stevo Blagich, for the Croatians of East Pittsburg, Pa., Peter Pichler and Tom Robesh, for the Croatians of Milwaukee, Wis., Valent Santek and Viliam Bazant, for the Croatians of Kenosha, Wis., Paja Doroski and Bozo Cuculj, for the Servians of Pullman, Ill., Joseph Bratkovich, for the Slovenians of La Salle, III., Nace Zlemberger, for the Slovenians of Glencoe, Ohio,, Dusan Trbovich, for the Slovenians of Cleveland, Ohio., Adam Lukesich, for the Croatians of St. Louis, Mo., John Petrich, for the Slovenic Socialist organizations-at-large.

One of the most enthusiastic of the delegates at the congress was Peter Pichler, representing the South Slovenian Socialist branch of, Milwaukee, Wis., where the foreigners were instrumental in bringing on the Milwaukee victory.

Pichler came to Milwaukee two years ago and aided in organizing the Slovenians of the city. He is an enthusiastic labor union man, being a member of the Journeymen Barbers’ union.

Reached by Socialists

“There are about 10,000 South Slovenians in and around Milwaukee,” says Pichler. “And the majority of these are Socialists. No other political party is able to reach them. Only the Socialist party is able to get in touch with them through its organization and literature.

“We are just starting a Socialist organization among the 1,000 Slovenians at West Allis, the home of Allis-Chambers company, near Milwaukee.

“We will do all we can, the same as we did in the spring election,” said Pichler, in speaking of the work that will be done this fall by the foreign-speaking organizations of Milwaukee. “Not a Sunday goes by when we do not distribute literature among our people. We know where our people live, so none of the literature is wasted.”

Pichler pointed out that one of the difficulties in reaching the foreigner in this country arises out of the fact that he is not familiar with the political and economic conditions here.

Joins Union; Joins Party

“In the old country, when a man joins his labor union he practically joins the Socialist party at the same time,” said Pichler. “He cannot understand the breach between the Socialist movement and the labor movement in this country. In order to overcome this difficulty we are urging all of our members to join labor unions and carry on the propaganda for Socialism there. We also help the workers during strikes as much as is possible in order to gain their sympathy.”

Bonds for Printing Plant Measures were adopted by the congress providing for the issuance of 36,000 in bonds to provide for the establishment of a printing plant. These bonds will be sold for the most part at $10 apiece, although some will be sold for $1.

The South Slovenians have three papers at the present time, the Radnicka Straza, Croatian; Proletarec, Slovenian, and Radnicka Zestita, Bulgarian.

The efforts will be directed toward getting all of these papers under one management, to be published at one plant. When the matter is well under way a Servian paper will also probably be issued. They will all be weeklies. The committee which called the congress will have the sale of the bonds in charge. This committee consists of Dimiter Economoff. M. Glumac-Juristle, Milan Hedjl, Ivan Molek, Dusan Popovich. Cira Parezanovich, B. R. Savich, Nikola Stojanoff, Josip Javertulk and Stevo Zlodij.

Acts Provisionally

This committee is handling the business of the federation until the regular committee and officers can be chosen by referendum. The national executive committee is to consist of twelve members, three to be chosen from each of the four nationalities. The national secretary-treasurer is also to be chosen by referendum.

Resolutions were adopted by the congress which provides for a study of the immigration question by the ofifciants of the federation, with a view to formulating plans that will lead to the best possible methods of receiving the South Slovenian immigrants coming to this country.

The early sessions of the congress brought up the question of the Socialist Labor party which seemed to have a strong backing among the Servians. Three of the sections of the Socialist Labor party in Chicago, Ill. Pullman, Ill., and Cleveland, O., have a Servian paper espousing the cause of that organization. With the Servians are a few Croatians, Macedonians and Bulgarians.

S.L.P. Turned Down

After the adherents of the Socialist Labor party had attacked the Socialist party tactics to their hearts’ content, the indorsement of the Socialist party as the representative of International Socialist movement in the United States was unanimous, the followers of Daniel De Leon not voting. During the debate National Secretary J. Mahlon Barnes, who was the official representative of the Socialist party at the congress, gained the floor twice and secured very favorable hearings.

He pointed out that if the South Slovenian Socialists wanted to Join a debating society, then the Socialist Labor party was the place for them, but if they wanted to become actively engaged in the International Socialist movement and the struggle of working class emancipation, then they must become affiliated with the Socialist party.

The congress was enlivened with banquet on Sunday evening, followed by dancing, when native music was in order. Many revolutionary songs were rendered by the Chicago Croatian Singing society, a stringed orchestra from the same organization furnishing the music.

The Chicago Socialist, sometimes daily sometimes weekly, was published from 1902 until 1912 as the paper of the Chicago Socialist Party. The roots of the paper lie with Workers Call, published from 1899 as a Socialist Labor Party publication, becoming a voice of the Springfield Social Democratic Party after splitting with De Leon in July, 1901. It became the Chicago Socialist Party paper with the SDP’s adherence and changed its name to the Chicago Socialist in March, 1902. In 1906 it became a daily and published until 1912 by Local Cook County of the Socialist Party and was edited by A.M. Simons if the International Socialist Review. A cornucopia of historical information on the Chicago workers movements lies within its pages.

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