The South Slavic Socialist Federation (Južnoslovanska socialistična federacija) Report by Translator-Secretary Frank Petrich to the Socialist Party’s National Executive Committee, 1916.

As all other advanced nationalities, so have the South Slavics — Slovenians, Croatians, Serbians, and Bulgarians — become conscious of the class struggle.

Knowing the value of the law of combination which means power, the South Slavic workers, differing little in language, organized themselves into a Federation. This was in July, 1910, when a unity convention was held in Chicago and an agreement was reached to this effect:

It was decided that the Federation should be affiliated with the Socialist Party. This decision was carried out in January, 1911. The Federation at that time had 36 active locals with a membership of 635.

In the 36 locals of the Federation the different nationalities were represented as follows: Croatians, 340; Slovenians, 250; Serbians, 45. Among them were a few Bulgarians.

From January 1, 1911, to December 31 of the same year, there were 30 new locals organized with over 800 members. At the close of 1911, there were 58 active locals, some having disbanded, leaving a membership of 1,266.

The nationalities then stood as follows: Slovenians, 607; Croatians, 558; and Serbians, 101.

Of these, 340 were union members, and 201 American citizens.

In accordance with this favorable beginning, the organization has grown proportionally up to the present time, February 29, 1916, with union members and American citizens among the new members of the organization.

The highest point of membership was reached in 1914. In January of that year, the Federation had 2,608 members. After that time, because of bad industrial conditions, there was a decline in membership, bringing it down to 2,000, and this has been the average membership since.

The locals are distributed as follows: Arkansas, 3; Arizona, 1; California, 1; Colorado, 1; Illinois, 16; Indiana, 3; Iowa, 2; Kansas, 10; Michigan, 2; Minnesota, 2; Missouri, 1; Montana, 4; Ohio, 16; Pennsylvania, 30; Washington, 1; West Virginia, 1; Wisconsin, 4; Wyoming, 4 — total 103 locals.

In the old country, the South Slavic Socialists, being divided by their monarchical boundaries, strive towards a Federated South Slavic Socialist Republic. In this aim, the American South Slavic Socialists are trying to assist whenever possible.

The Federation works along the line that its members become American citizens and fight the political and economic battles of the proletariat of America whenever necessary.

There were at the end of February, according to the reports of the locals, out of 2,000 members in good standing, 979 union members and 576 American citizens.

Eighty-five percent of the South Slavic people in the United States are industrial laborers, a good third of them working in the coal mines and the rest of them in the steel mills; 14% of them have their trade, and one percent are farmers.