George Swasey reports on his journey to the International Syndicalist Congress held in London, the Congress and reports of sections presented, and his work to build the I.W.W. in Britain.

‘The First International Syndicalist Conference’ by George H. Swasey from Solidarity. Vol. 4 No. 42. October 25, 1913.    

London, England, Oct. 8. It is with a feeling of pleasure that I write these lines picturing an event that may mean great things for the world’s proletariat, and especially the advanced portion thereof, of which I am proud to count myself a member.

I believe it was in February or March, 1913, that the first notice appeared in the I.W.W. press, over the signature of Guy Bowman (secretary of the Industrial Syndicalist Education League), inviting the world to a congress to be held in London sometime in May.

Although I had started for Europe in 1912, leaving Los Angeles on June 2, I made special haste when this bit of news met my eye. I sailed on April 17 for Liverpool, so as to be present at the congress. On arriving in London I found the meeting had been postponed until Sept. 27. What to do in the meantime was the important question; so I hies me to the “Workers’ University”–Hyde Park–and within 12 hours after my arrival in London, was explaining to a large audience what the I.W.W. was and is. My gentle and sweet voice had not been cast upon the breeze for long when my eyes were fondly gazing upon three or four buttons which we know so well, the wearers of which greeted me with all the deference due a foreign fellow worker.

Since then we have grown steadily into a good local organization.

On invitation from a fellow worker, Paris was my abode for two weeks during the national French holiday, July 14th (the day when, the Bastille fell or was torn down by the people of Paris in 1789). What was worth nothing will form another article.

So time went on until a week or two before the date of the congress, when delegates came from many lands, and many points were discussed. Sept. 27th the congress opened at Holburn Town Hall at 2:30 p.m., when 40 delegates sat down to lay plans to regenerate society.

These 40 men and women, the most illustrious in the revolutionary union movement came from 10 countries, namely, Argentina, Brazil, France, Holland, Spain, Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Sweden; while Poland, Cuba and Austria, sent resolutions and words of cheer. Of fraternal delegates there were five from England, Holland and Spain. Altogether making a very good showing for the first convention.

The most difficult thing was the translation of speeches and proceedings into the different languages, which, despite the valorous efforts of such men as Shapiro who speaks seven and Bowman who speaks four and many others who speak two or three each, was sufficient of a block to make progress very slow. As it was, only two parts of an important agenda were dealt with in the five days of sessions.

The important point of Anti-militarism was left till the next meeting, which will be held in Holland in 1915. Sabotage and international scabbing, and also the question of an international language were left untouched.

The question which will interest the members of the Industrial Workers of the World most were the reports of the movements in the various countries. I haven’t the data of all of them, but will give those I have:

ARGENTINA.

The organization represented at the congress is the Confederation Obrera Regional Argentina (Argentine Confederation of Labor). Alceste de Ambris was the delegate by proxy. De Ambris is Europe’s best known syndicalist. In Milan, Italy, he has great influence extending throughout a large territory.

It appears that there are two large union organizations in Argentina, one syndicalist and the other social democratic. Out of 1,250,000 workers in Argentine 85,000 are in the above organization, which is very splendid compared with America and England. It is about 1 to 15. I wish we were organized at the same ratio in the I.W.W.

A long report was given of the various struggles of the Argentine workers, which have been largely suppressed by high-handed methods of government procedure. One tyrant, a chief of police in Buenos Aires, after a series of particularly atrocious acts, was executed by means of a bomb. It hasn’t been so bad since. The union has about 200 branches all over the country and is in a flourishing condition. This union is anti-political and has gained much for the fellow workers in our southern republic.

BELGIUM.

This highly organized capitalist country has had for its political head such patriots as King Leopold III, who became famous for giving pearl necklaces to actresses, the money for which was bled from the rubber slaves in the Kongo Free (?) State.

The movement here has a great handicap in the three languages spoken-French, German and Dutch, and also in the vast difference in temperament between the fiery Frenchman and the slow Dutchman. Nevertheless, some syndicalist groups have existed in Belgium for several years. In June, 1912, preparations for the general strike for equal suffrage absorbed all the workers’ activities, and when the Social Democratic Party controlled G.S. finally did take place in April, 1913, it ended as it must, in a complete fiasco. Of course this has left the workers in an abject and apathetic state from which it will take years to recover.

The syndicalist unions in Belgium (as in all places where the S.D.P. has some power) have a terrible enemy in the politicians, who control all the conservative unions, and through official scabbing and blacklists have almost exterminated them. But despite all the efforts of “pollies” and bosses the rebels have formed new unions outside all others and publish a paper with 32,000 subscribers.

The National Federated Trades is affiliated with the S.D.P., and the pollies stifle all agitation which might| lose them their pie card.

GERMANY.

About 8,000 members are organized in the syndicalist unions of Germany. These have hurled at them all the venom of the social democrats added to that of the masters. Where a political party has 4,500,000 votes, this is a dreadful handicap.

The Catholic unions scab on the unions controlled by the social democrats, and both scab on the 8,000 syndicalists. Still they grow slowly, and have had many successful battles with the bosses because of the use of direct action.

A paper is published weekly called “Der Pioneer,” which is furnished to all members and also for outside circulation, 10,000 to 11,000 copies a week is the output of the paper.

The name, Free Association of German Unions, explains somewhat the character of the society. Three delegates were present to represent them, and this was well done both in committee and general session.

A general tone of big things in store for the movement was expressed, and as they say, “We put our hands across the seven seas to clasp our brothers in the rebel movement.”

HOLLAND.

The report of Holland is not at hand, so cannot give details, but the fellow workers were represented by eight delegates, coming from the following trades: Textile, tobacco, municipal workers, sailors, building trades. In this country the “bore-from-within” theory was applied even before the theory itself was heard of and to the extent of the five unions represented was partially successful. Still the delegates report a healthy growth in the ideas and in members, and look forward to a good year of progress.

ITALY.

Italy had three delegates from four unions: the Syndicalist Union of Milan, the Italian Syndicalist Union, Bologna Trades Council, Parma. E. Rossoni, who represented Milan and Bologna, is the same man who toured the U.S.A. in 1911-12, for the I.W.W. and “Il Proletario,” afterwards going to Lawrence.

I have no notes regarding Italy at this writing, although I remember hearing that the movement is in a distinctly flourishing condition in spite of the great strike in Milan which was lost.

SPAIN.

Twenty-five labor bodies sent four delegates to London to represent them at the first congress. The list of unions represented will show that there is great progress yet to the made before the Spanish worker is as well organized as the I.W.W.

(1) Boatmen, (2) various professions, (3) ships stewards, (4) carpenters and sawyers, (5) carpenters, (6) painters, (7) masons and helpers, (8) compositors and printers, (9) engineers, (10) stevedores, (11) boots, (12) coach makers, (13) meat packers all of Coruna, Spain. Then come (14) agricultural federation, Valencia; (15) boots and shoes, (16) agriculture again, (17) women’s professions, (18) boot makers, (24) six more bodies of farmers and (25) one of electricians.

All the world knows of the glorious struggles staged in Catalonia and Coruna, and Valencia, as well as in Barcelona; but to our way of thinking much more could be accomplished if the workers were industrially organized.

The movement grows rapidly, and Barcelona is known as the most revolutionary city in the world, bar none, and has had many great strikes.

FRANCE.

France had five delegates, who came to represent, Paris boatmen, carpenters, briquette makers (coal cakes), carpenters, two different Paris unions of hatters and milliners, Vichy trades council, and four textile unions from four cities.

Thus we see the so-called industrial union, but something else. Two hatters unions in Paris is laughable to us, and we know what jurisdictional squabbles are.

One of the delegates opened by saying that the French movement is not reactionary. (Someone has been talking.) Also that syndicalism is quite sufficient to cope with all the various phases of capitalism.

The C.G.T. publishes a daily paper called “La Bataille Syndicaliste,” which has a 30,000 edition. It is the only daily in the world having no advertisements of any kind.

It seems that in Lille where the textile unions are strong, “the holy trinity”–church, state and scabs are banded together to exploit, impose and scab on the syndicalist unions. All of which shows that the unions are good for their members and dangerous to the three masters holy trinity.

It is always the same, the Socialist Party in France often imitates the masters and allies itself with the masters in order to destroy (if they can through their unholy alliance) the rebel bodies which are a thorn in the flesh of both.

The syndicalist are not all in the socialist trade unions at Lille, and as they expose the dirty, rotten, traitorous work of the officials, these have taken steps to have them expelled. So the rebels have been forced to secede in a body or start new unions outside of the old.

At Lille, Brest and other places the new unions have appealed for unity and support during the strikes, asking the old unions to help them to defeat the masters; but sad to tell, they always help the scabs, going so far sometimes as to supply scabs from the union.

As the Catholic church owns stocks and interests in the various mills, and, of course, have some control there, we see the ludicrous spectacle of the Catholic church excommunicating the rebels and strikers or anyone who is under the ban of the master. Such is life in Bonnie France.

SWEDEN.

The workers in Sweden had a general strike in 1909. There were 160,000 workers in the Stockholm and other unions who started the strike. Soon 500,000 were involved, of which 300,000 stuck to the finish. The big strike was a failure, because it was controlled by the ever-ready social democratic political fakirs, who would not allow the railroad, postal, gas, water, street cleaning, and municipal employes to strike, because it would inconvenience the dear public. As these are strategically the most important workers in a general strike (that is, communication and so-called public utilities), of course it was doomed to failure.

The Swedish central organization had upwards of 160,000 members before the strike, while they lost half of them after the affair was called off. In 1911 they had 74,221 members. Many of the syndicalists criticized the leaders about the way the “pollies” conducted the strike and most of the rebels were expelled so they got together and organized a new union. called the Central Organization of Swedish Workers. Many men say now that they will never join the old unions under any consideration.

The year 1910 showed an organization of about 200 members, while now they number over 3,000, while many real industrial unionists remain in the old unions for the same reason as they do in the Stater, because of job control through contracts with the masters.

The money grabbing officials of the old unions have tried, without success, to destroy the new and young expression of revolt, while the Social Democratic Party spreads lies about the new union the same as their press does in America.

One paper is published, “Syndicalisten,” which has an edition of 8,000, while the Young Socialists publish one with 30,000 adherents.

NORWAY.

There is no syndicalist organization in Norway. The “bore from within” is the favorite here, and there are 55,000 members in the old unions, of which the syndicalists number all told about 5,000.

The spirit of the members is that of direct action, and the direct action movement grows apace with the aid of, strange to say, the Social Democratic paper with a fairly large circulation. The reason is plain, the editor is a strong industrial unionists of the most advanced type. This paper has a circulation of 3,000, and is very revolutionary in tone and character.

DENMARK.

We have here the “bore-from-within” movement again, and as the old unions have a combined membership of 100,000, the syndicalist group which is 1,200 in number, hope to do much. Just how much is really done is shown by the intensely reactionary tactics used in the recent strikes of municipal workers, whom were compelled by their leaders to take one-half cent an hour increase when they struck for two cents advance.

The 1,200 “rebels” are in a federation; half of these belong to trades unions where they bore from within so diligently that about half of them awake to find themselves on the outside.

The tobacco workers are most advanced, and these in five or six locals have separated from the old unions on account of the officialdom and high- handed methods.

The new union of federation publishes a weekly paper called “Solidarity,” which, despite the ever present Socialist party’s persecution, has a circulation of 3,000.

ENGLAND.

This country has no syndicalist union or unions. The movement here is a movement which unlike all others, in confined to a body called the “Industrial Syndicalist Education League.” Some sort of an antagonism has come up between the members, and the I.S.E.L. is now something hard to find. The League was at its zenith when Tom Mann, Guy Bowman and others were arrested and sentenced for the famous “Don’t Shoot” agitation. The official paper, The Syndicalist, reached a circulation of 20,000 a month. Since then it has gradually dropped down until it is practically no more, the paper not having been published for several months has had a lot to do with the decline the League. The League had about 25 groups in various parts of Great Britain, consisting of members of trade unions classed under five headings, of agitation, speaking, contributing, etc., members, who worked solely to make trade union revolutionary. Guy Bowman has many opponents and rivals in the League, and the fights have practically ruined it. Some of the former members have seceded from the I.S.E.L and organized another London syndicalist body known as the Industrial Democracy League. The latter has been able to publish two issues (Sept. and Oct.) of “Solidarity,” their new organ. As their propaganda is solely for trade unions there has not been much effect, Such as you might see on the surface, and, discussing with trade unionists themselves, they, if they are industrial unionists, do not give any credit to the I.S.E.L.

The International Syndicalist Congress has been arranged for months ago when the League was in good shape, and even up to Sept. 15 many syndicalists were in doubt as to whether it would be held on Sept. 27.

The congress was falsely arranged in the first place, as it is a standing rule “that no one shall be a representative who is not a delegate of an economic organization.” As the I.S.E.L is purely a propaganda organization, their own members who called the convention were not allowed as delegates.

Guy Bowman, general secretary of the I.S.E.L. came as proxy delegate from Brazil, and some other members of the I.S.E.L. came from branches or local trade union bodies in England. Fraternal delegates included three from the I.S.E.L. This was mere courtesy for the body which called the congress together.

Although the I.S.E.L. has practically ceased to exist except for the London group, it has done some great work, and when Tom Mann went speaking up and down Great Britain, it raised much discussion in all parts of capitalist society.

The English unions have many amalgamation schemes on hand. One is trying to amalgamate all the 72 various unions in the building trades. There seems to be but little knowledge of what real industrialism means, as we see that wherever the amalgamation scheme has worked it has not sacked one official or stopped the sectional striking, which industrial unionism is out to do. In fact, the trade unions here in G.B., and there are 1,137 of them with about 4,250,000 members, are no better off than formerly, and although a minority of the rank and file are waking up and having sympathetic strikes, the officials send them back to scab, while all is dropped from your speech that would incriminate our dear officials.

The “Daily Herald,” London (independent revolutionary), has carried on a vigorous campaign for revolutionary direct action, and Will Dyson’s famous cartoons pillory the capitalist, labor, socialist and other reformers as well as officials to the cross of working class scorn. So to sum up, there is a great deal to be done, and it is up to the Industrial Workers of the World to do the major portion.

An organization known as the Industrial League has been in England for about four years. They published a paper called “The Industrialist” for 48 issues. Its propaganda was a slightly modified here and advanced there species of the I.W.W. Much good work was done. After a [unreadable] through disruptive work of [unreadable] and some freakish, ignorant anarchists, the paper was stopped then the League receded and (London) branch of the League remained with some good rebels. Out of this the first local of t W. W. was formed. We count about 125 members, of whom we see about one-third at times. (London is 80 miles long and nearly as wide.) This Local No. 1 is expecting to issue our paper on the 15th of October or November 1. We intend to call it the “Industrial Worker.”

We have the largest meetings of any organization both at street corners and at Hyde Park, and a great amount of sympathy is waiting to be crystalized into good, concrete members. The almost insurmountable barrier is lack of money to buy or publish official literature. When we consider that the average wage in G.B. is only $5.25 a week, our American fellow workers can guess what is wrong.

Hundreds of letters come to our general secretary asking for information and literature on the I.W.W. All we have are application blanks and one or two leaflets, and when these are sent no answers come back.

We of the I.W.W. British Section, appeal to all the rebels and members in the United States to aid us with money or literature, so that we can take our message to the most stupid and fiercely exploited body of wage slaves the world can produce.

Printing is cheap here, and cash counts more than literature, although both are more than acceptable. Now, fellow workers, what are you going to do about it? Come on all together for an I.W.W. strong and working in every English speaking country all the world around. First America, then South Africa, Australia and last but not least Great Britain for the I.W.W. Get your local in action for a sum to be sent to Thomas Dobson, General Secretary, 96 Haberdasher St., Hoxton, London, England.

Many small sums have come in, and Local 380, Tacoma, Wash., has come along with a donation. Let us see what others can do for the overthrow of capitalism and the world for the workers; until then for the I.W.W. first, last and all the time.

GEO. H. SWASEY, Organizer of Local London, 6 Haymarket S.W., London, England.

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/v04n42-w198-oct-25-1913-solidarity.pdf