‘Labor Day in Stockton’ from The Voice of the People. Vol. 2 No. 37. October 1, 1914.

‘The One Big Union,’ ‘Labor Solidarity’ – Craft Unionism Wiped Out – Approximately Fifteen Hundred Marchers in Line on Monday.

For the first time in the labor history of Stockton the craft-unions failed to parade on Labor Day, and trades unions were completely obliterated.

A great street labor parade was held in the forenoon, with all classes of labor united under the one big banner of “Labor Solidarity.” The trades unionist, the Socialist, the Industrial Worker of the World (who seemed to be vastly in the majority), the Knight of Labor Catholic, Protestant, Jew and Gentile, all laid aside their marks of distinction and division and walked hand-in-hand and shoulder-to-shoulder, in close industrial formation, with a big I.W.W. banner at their head.

There were approximately 1235 men, women and children in line of march and the parade was most inspiring with its music of bands and drum crops. Three carloads of union sympathizers came down from Sacramento, one from Lodi, two from Modesto and over 200 people came up on the boat from San Francisco to lend their personal support to the Stockton laborites, of whom there must have been between 500 or 600 in marching line.

The I.W.W.’s, who were scattered all along through the parade lines, made a fine showing in numbers and the main section of I.W.W ‘s was the largest division in the line, and that organization had good reason to feel proud of its success locally with the one big banner at the head of the line of marchers. Sacramento, Lodi, San Francisco and Modesto laborites did their share nobly in aiding to give Stockton one of the best street parades it ever had and next year it is more than likely that the Stockton workers will help Sacramento make a record for itself in return for past favors shown.

The usual picnic and sports were held at Oak Park in the afternoon and evening. Miles Beck, Socialist candidate for City Commissioner, and Thomas Griffin of Modesto were the speakers at the park, and all talked along the lines of greater solidarity of labor, both organized and unorganized.

There were no signs, symbols, token, banners, hangers, carriers, stringers or other marks of any sort or character of identification of any trade or craft or union; the $1.00 per day man marched with the $9.00 per day man; the six-hour workman with the fourteen hour man and all seemed happy and contented; but when President Gompers and the international higher-ups learn of the dissolution of their power there may be “an executive session” held somewhere.

The Voice of the People continued The Lumberjack. The Lumberjack began in January 1913 as the weekly voice of the Brotherhood of Timber Workers strike in Merryville, Louisiana. Published by the Southern District of the National Industrial Union of Forest and Lumber Workers, affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, the weekly paper was edited by Covington Hall of the Socialist Party in New Orleans. In July, 1913 the name was changed to Voice of the People and the printing home briefly moved to Portland, Oregon. It ran until late 1914.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/lumberjack/141001-voiceofthepeople-v3n37w089.pdf