Vincent St. John with a history of the wobblies from their founding through the split with De Leon at 1908’s fourth annual convention.

‘The I.W.W.: A Brief History’ by Vincent St. John from The I.W.W. Its History, Structure and Methods. I.W.W. Publishing Bureau, New Castle, Pennsylvania. 1912.

In the fall of 1904 six active workers in the revolutionary labor movement held a conference. After exchanging views and discussing the conditions then confronting the workers of the United States, they decided to issue a call for a larger gathering.

These six workers were Isaac Cowen, American representative of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers of Great Britain, Clarence Smith, general secretary-treasurer of the American Labor Union, Thomas. J. Hagerty, editor of the “Voice of Labor,” official organ, of the A.L.U., George Estes, president of the United Brotherhood of Railway Employes, W.L. Hall, general secretary-treasurer U.B.R.E., and Wm. E. Trautmann, editor of the “Brauer Zeitung” the official organ of the United Brewery Workers of America.

Invitations were then sent out to thirty-six additional individuals who were active in the radical labor organizations and the socialist political movement of the United States inviting them to meet in secret conference in Chicago, Illinois, January 2, 1905.

Of the thirty-six who received the invitation, but two declined to attend the proposed conference Max S. Hayes and Victor Berger both of whom were in editorial charge of socialist political party and trade union organs.

The conference met at the appointed time with thirty present, and drew up the Industrial Union Manifesto calling for a convention to be held in Chicago, June 27, 1905 for the purpose of launching an organization in accord with the principles set forth in the Manifesto.

The work of circulating the Manifesto was handled by an executive committee of the conference, the American Labor Union and Western Federation of Miners.

The Manifesto was widely circulated in several languages.

On the date set the convention assembled with 186 delegates present from 84 state, district, national and local organizations representing about 90,000 members.

All who were present as delegates were not there in good faith. Knowledge of this fact caused the signers of the Manifesto to constitute themselves a temporary committee on credentials.

This temporary credentials committee ruled that representation for organizations would be based upon the number of members in their respective organizations only where such delegates were empowered by their organizations to install said organizations as integral parts of the Industrial Union when formed. Where not so empowered delegates would only be allowed one vote.

One of the delegations present was from the Illinois State District of the United Mine Workers of America. The membership of that district at that time was in the neighborhood of 50,000. Under the above rule these delegates were seated with one vote each. This brings the number of members represented down to 40,000.

Several other organizations that had delegates present, existed mainly on paper; so it is safe to say that 40,000 is a good estimate of the number of workers represented in the first convention.

The foregoing figures will show that the precautions adopted by the signers of the Manifesto were all that prevented the opponents of the industrial union movement from capturing the convention and blocking any effort to start the organization. It is a fact that many of those who were present as delegates on the floor of the first convention and the organizations that they represented have bitterly fought the I.W.W. from the close of the first convention up to the present day.

The organizations that installed as a part of the new organization were: Western Federation of Miners, 27,000 members; Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance*, 1,450 members; Punch Press Operators, 168 members; United Metal Workers*, 3,009 members; Longshoremen’s Union, 400 members ; the American Labor Union*, 16,500 members ; United Brotherhood of Railway Employes, 2,087 members. (*Existed almost wholly on paper.)

The convention lasted twelve days; adopted a constitution with the following preamble, and elected officers:

ORIGINAL I.W.W. PREAMBLE

“The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life.

“Between these two classes a struggle must go on until all the toilers come together on the political, as well as on the industrial field, and take and hold that which they produce by their labor through an economic organization of the working class, without affiliation with any political party.

“The rapid gathering of wealth and the centering of the management of industries into fewer and fewer hands make the trade unions unable to cope with the ever-growing power of the employing class, because the trades unions foster a state of things which allows one set of workers to be pitted against another set of workers in the same industry, thereby helping defeat one another in wage wars. The trades unions aid the employing class to mislead the workers into the belief that the working class have interests in common with their employers.

“These sad conditions can be changed and the interests of the working class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that all its members in any one industry, or in all industries, if necessary, cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on in any department thereof, thus making an injury to one an injury to all.”

All kinds and shades of theories and programs were represented among the delegates and individuals present at the first convention. The principal ones in evidence, however, were four: Parliamentary socialists two types impossibilist and opportunist; Marxian and reformist anarchist; industrial unionist; and the labor union fakir. The task of combining these conflicting elements was attempted by the convention. A knowledge of this task makes it easier to understand the seeming contradictions in the original Preamble.

The first year of the organization was one of internal struggle for control by these different elements. The two camps of socialist politicians looked upon the I.W.W. only as a battle ground on which to settle their respective merits and demerits. The labor fakirs strove to fasten themselves upon the organization that they might continue to exist if the new Union was a success. The anarchist element did not interfere to any great extent in the internal affairs. Only one instance is known to the writer: that of New York City where they were in alliance with one set of politicians, for the purpose of controlling the district council.

In spite of all these and other obstacles the new organization made some progress; fought a few successful battles with the employing class, and started publishing a monthly organ, The Industrial Worker.” The I.W.W. also issued the first call for the defense of Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone under the title, “Shall our Brothers be Murdered?” ; formed the defense league; and it is due to the interest awakened by the I.W.W. that other organizations were enlisted in the fight to save the lives of the officials of the W.F.M. which finally resulted in their liberation. Thus the efforts of the W.F.M. in starting the I.W.W. were repaid*. (*Berger in the “Social Democratic Herald” of Milwaukee denied that the Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone case was a part of the class struggle. It was but a “border feud,” said he.)

SECOND CONVENTION

The Second convention met in September 1906, with 93 delegates representing about 60,000 members.

The convention developed that the administration of the I.W.W. was in the hands of men who were not in accord with the revolutionary program of the organization. Of the general officers but two were sincere the General Secretary, W.E. Trautman, and one member of the Executive Board, John Riordan.

The struggle for control of the organization formed the Second convention into two camps. The majority vote of the convention was in the revolutionary camp. The reactionary camp having the chairman used obstructive tactics in their effort to gain control of the convention. They hoped thereby to delay the convention until enough delegates would be forced to return home and thus change the control of the convention. The revolutionists cut this knot by abolishing the office of President and electing a chairman from among the revolutionists.

In this struggle the two contending sets of socialist politicians lined up in opposite camps.

The Second convention amended the Preamble by adding the following clause:

“Therefore without endorsing or desiring the endorsement of any political party.'”

A new executive board was elected. On the adjournment of the convention the old officials seized the general headquarters, and with the aid of detectives and police held the same, compelling the revolutionists to open up new offices. This they were enabled to do in spite of the fact that they were without access to the funds of the organization, and had to depend on getting finances from the locals.

The W.F.M. officials supported the old officials of the I.W.W. for a time financially and with the influence of their official organ. The same is true oi the Socialist Party press and administration. The radical t lenient in the W.F.M. were finally able to force the officials to withdraw that support. The old officials of the I.W.W. then gave up all pretense of having an organization.

The organization entered its second year facing a more severe struggle than it contended with in its first year. It succeeded, however, in establishing the general headquarters again, and in issuing a weekly publication in place of the monthly, seized by the old officials.

During the second year some hard struggles were waged by the members for better conditions.

The Third convention of the organization was uneventful. But it was at this convention that it became evident that the socialist politicians who had remained with the organization were trying to bend the I.W.W. to their purposes; and a slight effort was made to relegate the politician to the rear.

The Fourth convention resulted in a rupture between the politicians and industrial unionists because the former were not allowed to control the organization.

The Preamble was amended as follows:

I.W.W. PREAMBLE

“The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life.

“Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the earth and the machinery of production, and abolish the wage system.

“We find that the centering of the management of industries into fewer and fewer hands makes the trade unions unable to cope with the ever-growing power of the employing class. The trade unions foster a state of affairs which allows one set of workers to be pitted against another set of workers in the same industry, thereby helping to defeat one another in wage wars. Moreover, the trade unions aid the employing class to mislead the workers into the belief that the working class have interests in common with their employers.

“These conditions can be changed and the interest of the working class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that ail its members in any one industry, or in ail industries, if necessary, cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on in any department thereof, thus making an injury to one an injury to all.

“Instead of the conservative motto, “A fair day’s wages for a fair day’s work,” we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watch-word, “Abolition of the wage system.’”

“It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with capitalism. The army of production must be organized, not only for the every-day struggle with the capitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall have been overthrown. By organizing industrially we are forming the structure of the new society within the shell of the old.”

The politicians attempted to set up another organization claiming to be the real industrial movement. It is nothing but a duplicate of their political party and does not function at all. It is committed to a program of the “civilized plane,” i.e., parliamentarism. Its publications are the official organs of a political sect that never misses an opportunity to assail the revolutionary workers while they are engaged in combat with some division of the ruling class. Their favorite method is to charge the revolutionists with all the crimes that a cowardly imagination can conjure into being. “Dynamiters, assassins, thugs, murderers, thieves,” etc., are stock phrases. Their only virtue is that they put their assertions into print, while the other wing of the politicians spread their venom in secret.

The I.W.W. Its History, Structure and Methods by Vincent St. John. I.W.W. Publishing Bureau, New Castle, Pennsylvania. 1912.

Contents: Diagram of I.W.W., I) The I.W.W. A Brief History, The Original I.W.W. Preamble, Second Convention, I.W.W. Preamble, II) Structure of the I.W.W., General Outline, Subdivisions, Function of Branches, Administration of the Organizations, III) I.W.W. Tactics or Methods, Education, Struggles of the I.W.W., Some of the Strikes of 1912, The I.W.W. at Present, Manifesto On Organizing The Industrial Workers of the World (1905). 28 pages.

PDF of book: https://archive.org/download/iwwitshistorystr00stjoiala/iwwitshistorystr00stjoiala.pdf