Repaying the solidarity shown them from the U.S. during the Swedish General Strike of 1909, workers of that country demand a hot-cargoing and boycott of U.S. goods while labor leaders Arturo Giovannitti and Joseph Ettor faced persecution on the ridiculous charge of murdering Anna LoPizzo during the Lawrence Strike.

‘Shall Ettor and Giovannitti Be Murdered? Manifesto of Young Socialist Party of Sweden’ from International Socialist Review. Vol. 13 No. 3. September, 1912.

Manifesto Issued by the General Executive Boards of the YOUNG SOCIALIST PARTY OF SWEDEN and the CENTRAL ORGANIZATION OF SWEDISH WORKERS

FROM across the Atlantic ocean there comes an urgent appeal for assistance. Ettor and Giovannitti, two prominent men in the American labor movement, are about to be legally murdered in Lawrence, Mass., U.S.A. The committee charged with their defense appeals to the workers, of the whole world to give their support by writing protests and sending them to the American authorities and especially to the President of the United States and to Governor Foss, Boston, Mass.

After due deliberation the General Executive Board of the Young Socialist Party of Sweden has come to the conclusion that international solidarity demands that measures be taken, which are more effective than a mere written protest.

We fear that these protests will be thrown, unread, in the waste basket. With the knowledge we possess of the American capitalist class, we believe that they intend, in spite of all protests, to take the lives of Ettor and Giovannitti, if harsher means are not resorted to. And we consider it an imperative duty for the workers of Europe to do their utmost, in order to force the American capitalists to set these two labor leaders free.

In thus taking the initiative towards international action, by bringing the matter before the international central organizations, we could advance many good reasons for so doing.

Not counting the fact that labor’s cause is one and common throughout the whole world, thus making an injury to one an injury to all, we have this special cause for interceding, that about one-third of the Swedish working class lives in America and there suffers under the oppression of capitalism. We also have a debt of gratitude to pay to the American workers who during the general strike of 1909, so liberally came to our assistance.

But even if these special causes did not exist, we need not make any apologies for the step we are taking.

We wish, therefor, to request the International Trade Union Secretariat:

1. To take steps towards establishing a world-wide boycott of all American goods, and

2. To request the organizations of transportation workers in all the countries of the world to refuse from a certain date, to have anything to do with vessels and goods arriving from or departing for America, until Ettor and Giovannitti shall have been liberated.

We, furthermore, address a request to the International Secretariat and to the International Socialist Bureau, to cause the matter to receive the greatest possible publicity, in order that the world’s workers may arouse themselves to an understanding of the necessity of immediate action, if the lives of Ettor and Giovannitti are to be saved.

We are convinced that in the face of such a world boycott of American goods and a world blockade of American vessels, the American capitalist class will stop and consider the tremendous loss we could inflict upon them in this manner surely would be of greater effect than written protests.

Finally we request and admonish all Swedish workers, from this day until the liberation of Ettor and Giovannitti, to completely boycott all American goods of all kinds, such as bacon, meat, fish, flour and canned goods; shoes, hats, collars, bicycles, graphaphones, knives, arms, etc., etc., etc., of whatever kind they may be. We also request all Swedish sailors, longshoremen and transportation workers to absolutely refuse to handle vessels going to or coming from America.

We also wish to suggest to all brother organizations in other countries, to start a similar agitation and to continue same until Ettor and Giovannitti are free.

Should we neglect to do our utmost and thus allow the murderous designs of the American capitalist class to be carried out, then the blood of our brothers is upon our conscience.

Let us therefore, over the whole world, unite our forces to liberate Ettor and Giovannitti.

The International Socialist Review (ISR) was published monthly in Chicago from 1900 until 1918 by Charles H. Kerr and critically loyal to the Socialist Party of America. It is one of the essential publications in U.S. left history. During the editorship of A.M. Simons it was largely theoretical and moderate. In 1908, Charles H. Kerr took over as editor with strong influence from Mary E Marcy. The magazine became the foremost proponent of the SP’s left wing growing to tens of thousands of subscribers. It remained revolutionary in outlook and anti-militarist during World War One. It liberally used photographs and images, with news, theory, arts and organizing in its pages. It articles, reports and essays are an invaluable record of the U.S. class struggle and the development of Marxism in the decades before the Soviet experience. It was closed down in government repression in 1918.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/isr/v13n03-sep-1912-ISR-gog-ocr.pdf