Engdahl look at the history of the Bohemian Socialist Federation, later Czech-Slovak Federation of the Communist Party, and their long-running newspaper.

‘Slovak, Czech Workers Celebrate 20th Year of Rovnost Ludu’ by J. Louis Engdahl from the Daily Worker. Vol. 3 No. 206. September 14, 1926.

SLOVAK and Czech workers in the Chicago district, in common with those thruout the country, will join on Sunday, Oct. 10th, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their daily paper, “Rovnost Ludu.”

C.E. Ruthenberg, general secretary of the Workers (Communist) Party, will speak at the Chicago celebration, to be held on that day at the Czecho-Slovak American Hall, 1438 W. 18th St., bringing the greetings of other native and foreign-born workers in the United States allied under Communist standards or sympathetic to the revolutionary cause.

Oct. 10th is nearly a month away. But the preparations for the anniversary are already going ahead full speed. It is not only going to be a day of rejoicing, over 20 years of progress achieved against great obstacles, but it is also going to mark another milestone recording new efforts.

Already claiming a total of 10,000 readers, the campaign is being launched for winning 5,000 additional subscribers for the “Rovnost Ludu,” to commemorate satisfactorily its 20th year.

“Rovnost Ludu” was launched as a revolutionary monthly in October, 1906. This was the month in which the socialist party launched its first English-language daily in this country, the Chicago Daily Socialist, with Joseph Medill Patterson, one of the owners and later one of the editors of the Chicago Tribune, as co-editor with Algernon M. Simons, author of “Social Forces in American History.”

The incident of the Chicago Daily Socialist is merely mentioned by way of contrast. “Rovnost Ludu” had only the will of the Slovak workers in the great basic industries to keep it alive. The Chicago Daily Socialist had its many connections with liberals, who contributed liberally in money and with such intellectual guidance as they had to offer.

After six years the Chicago Daily Socialist passed out of existence in 1912, discredited, while the “Rovnost Ludu” continues to grow.

“Rovnost Ludu,” soon after it was established became a semi-monthly and then it became a weekly in 1908. It had the same difficulties that beset all revolutionary working class dailies during the war. It was in June, 1917, the month that the espionage act went into force that the “Rovnost Ludu” ceased to be printed in the Spravedlnost plant.

It was established in its own print shop at 1510 W. 18th St., where it is still being published in an excellently equipped plant with linotypes, up-to-date presses and other machinery. It was raided and its editors and managers persecuted by the agents of the United States government during the war. Different issues were held up by the post office department in an effort to cripple and crush it. But it kept going.

The Slovak Federation joined the socialist party in 1913. It withdrew in August, 1920, taking the “Rovnost Ludu” with it. This was immediately following the presidential nominating convention of the socialist party held in New York City. It did not, however, immediately join the Communist movement that came into existence one year previously. It remained independent for the time being. After a long struggle, however, lasting over several years, the Slovak section with the “Rovnost Ludu” was brought under Communist standards in June, 1925. In the meantime “Rovost Ludu,” in January, 1923, had become a semi-weekly, and on May 1st, 1926, “The Daily” was launched, not only as the organ of the Slovak workers, but also of the Czech workers in the United States.

“Rovnost Ludu” is also the organ of the Slovak Workers Benefit Society, organized in 1915, with a present membership of about 4,500.

Its field is to be found among the 619,866 Slovaks and 622,796 Czechs in the United States, according to the 1920 census. Its special strength however, is among the steel workers, coal miners, rubber workers and glass workers, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois and other great industrial states. Slovak workers are to be found in the big cities in many trades, in Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and New York, and in the smaller cities, in Bridgeport, Conn.; Glassmere and Allentown, Pa.; Racine, Wisc.; in Youngstown, Akron, Neffs and Bellaire, Ohio.

In addition to the publication of a newspaper, the “Rovnost Ludu” plant has also turned out a continuous stream of literature in leaflets, pamphlets and books, conducting a book business very successfully since 1920.

“Rovnost Ludu” has had its struggle with the catholic clergy as a result of its ceaseless efforts to lift the pall of papal darkness from the minds of the Slovak workers. It has fought the catholic clergy in common with the revolutionary press in other languages and quite successfully.

It also finds strenuous opposition from the 19 bourgeois Slovak publications, three dailies, two in New York and one in Cleveland; 10 weeklies and six semi-weeklies and monthlies.

The “Rovnost Ludu” has therefore come a long way during the 20 years of its existence. But it is very apparent that it has greater struggles ahead. It can continue on triumphantly only thru the most active and energetic support of all Slovak workers. All English-speaking and foreign-born workers can co-operate with their Slovak comrades by introducing this working class daily to Slovak workers not already acquainted with it.

“Rovnost Ludu” is a powerful. weapon in the revolutionary struggle for the abolition of capitalism. It must be made more powerful. Long live the “Rovnost Ludu.” Hail greater achievements of the Slovak workers, able fighters in the ranks of the American working class.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

Access to PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1926/1926-ny/v03-n206-NY-sep-14%20-1926-DW-LOC.pdf