‘Průmyslový Dělník’ (Industrial Worker) began publishing in Cleveland, with its large Czech population, in 1913 and was edited by Stáňa Matyáš before moving to Chicago where it continued to be published until 1915.

‘Bohemians to Start I.W.W. Paper’ from Solidarity. Vol. 4 No. 26. July 5, 1913.

Cleveland, Ohio, June, 1913. TO ALL BOHEMIAN AND SLOVAK REBELS, FELLOW WORKERS AND SYMPATHIZERS OF THE I.W.W.

Fellow Workers and Friends:

That education is the road to emancipation no one knows better than our Fellow Workers of this city. The real meaning of these few words has been impressed upon us, particularly ever since our butchers’ strike, when the yellow foreign papers of this city turned against the I.W.W. and helped to lose the best strike ever held in this city. Why? Of course the answer is easy! There is no paper in the field with which we could defend ourselves! The same condition exists all over the country at the present time. There are many means of reaching our people and making fighters out of them, all of which are needed, but the most important is a paper of our own. A Bohemian and Slovak weekly paper and literature is of as much necessity as our every day’s food. If we are to carry the propaganda of revolutional Industrial Unionism to our countrymen we must stick together and direct our energies to this task. You must admit that an I.W.W. organ in the Bohemian language would be the only one of its kind in this country. All of the other papers with the exception of (Volne Listy) are yellow as they can be, and all are in fear of telling the truth about the principles of the I.W.W. Now think of the thousands of our countrymen who want to know what Industrial Unionism really is and what we seek to accomplish, then you will say with us here in this city. Out with our weekly without any delay! The Bohemian branch of Local No. 33 has already started the work with the election of a press committee of five members, and the committee has been on the job working ever since. A Sec’y- Treasurer and a Corresponding Secretary has been elected and some plans formed.

This revolutionary I.W.W. organ in the Bohemian language will be the property of the organization and will carry no advertisements of capitalist parasites in it. The form of the paper will be the same as our English Eastern organ, “Solidarity.” Price of subscription to be $1.00 per year. All this will be hard work, but it can be done if all rebels wake up and start to work at once. What we want now is to hear from all Bohemian and Slovak Locals and Branches of the I.W.W., as we have no knowledge as to where all of them are located. Take this matter up before your locals at once and send us word as to the results to the address given below. Our Butchers Local No. 145 in this city is with us, as they realize the need of our press. Do not delay in this work, but start at once as we are in full swing right now.

With this much for now, we remain,

Yours for the education of our countrymen and the revolutionary One Big Union,

Geo. Novak, V. Vlach, Joe. Kodet, S. Mathias, Tony Hobll, Press Committee Branch 3, Local 33, I.W.W. Send all communications to Stanley Mathias, Sec’y, 4823 Dakota St., Cleveland, Ohio.

The most widely read of I.W.W. newspapers, Solidarity was published by the Industrial Workers of the World from 1909 until 1917. First produced in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and born during the McKees Rocks strike, Solidarity later moved to Cleveland, Ohio until 1917 then spent its last months in Chicago. With a circulation of around 12,000 and a readership many times that, Solidarity was instrumental in defining the Wobbly world-view at the height of their influence in the working class. It was edited over its life by A.M. Stirton, H.A. Goff, Ben H. Williams, Ralph Chaplin who also provided much of the paper’s color, and others. Like nearly all the left press it fell victim to federal repression in 1917.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/solidarity-iww/1913/v04n26-w182-jul-05-1913-solidarity.pdf