The heroic and leading role played by Greek workers in the 1913-14 Colorado strike and their martyrdom on the Ludlow Massacre brought them to the attention of the larger U.S. labor movement. A comrade introduces their plight.

‘Greek Workers in America’ by Anastasios Papas from The International Socialist Review. Vol. 15 No. 2. August, 1914.

IN ORDER to make myself understood, I will first tell you something about Greece, the country where these workers came from. Greece, as all know, is a small country and, I am sorry to say, though it was once the greatest country in the world and possessed the most cultured people, is now, to use a common expression, a back number.

Modern industries have only begun to develop, and I must say that twenty-five years ago there was no modern industry of any kind in Greece. Since there was no modern industry, there was no modern capitalism, and here there is no modern capitalism, there you will find no labor organization or Socialist movement. So it is no more than logical to say that the Socialists are nothing but the creatures of the system.

At least 80 per cent of the Greeks coming to this country are either agrarian laborers or live-stock raisers. Try to imagine a Greek goat- or sheep-herder who was born and raised among the hills of sunny Greece, or the one who was tilling the soil with the old crude tools. Although these men lived in constant poverty, they had more freedom than the wage slave of the cities. These men never saw a mine, factory, railroad or other modern industry before coming to America. They never heard of a labor union or a labor strike and never heard the word “scab.”

They immigrated to this country with the hope of bettering their economic conditions, not knowing the true conditions existing here. They have often been· used as strike breakers. It is only a little over four years since the writer was in Salt Lake City, Utah. While there he heard of a Greek who appeared to be very prosperous and had made his money furnishing Greeks as strike breakers for the mines, railroads and smelters of the West. It is a known fact that Greeks, hired by these men, broke the strike in the smelters located near Salt Lake City.

But now we hear reports that these same Greeks, on account of their ignorance, had been taken advantage of by their strike-breaking agents, for you must remember that these workers did not understand the English language. All they knew was that they had to get a job. For the workers have only their labor power to sell, and if they don’t find a buyer they will have to starve. And hunger causes pain. It is a pity that we have to be governed by our stomachs, but, nevertheless, our stomach is our boss. But after these workers get from five to ten years’ experience of wage-slavery and capitalist oppression, they have learned something. Capitalism is their tutor. Now we hear about these men revolting against unbearable conditions, and we also learn that they make some noble fighters in the Class conflict. How true the words of Karl Marx seem: “Capitalism creates its own grave digger, the proletarian army.”

I want to state the purpose of this article, and that is this–how much better it would be for every working man, who has reasoning power, instead of antagonizing the foreigners, to try, and organize them and have them with you. Because the capitalists will use them against you. The capitalist recognizes no race, nationality or creed. Why are the workers so foolish as to divide themselves? Get wise and don’t be a scissor-bill.

As a class-conscious working man, I appeal to all my fellow wage-slaves, regardless of their race or creed, to organize industrially and politically, as a class. For only through the united action of the working class industrially and politically will the workers ever emancipate themselves. The master class of the world stands together to protect their material interests. Why do not the workers learn from their masters and do likewise? Workers of the world, your only enemy is your master.

The masters in every class conflict have shot down working men, women and children, regardless of race or color. When the hired murderers of the mine owners in Colorado shot and killed and massacred women and children, they did not ask their race or color. It was enough that they were working people. The hirelings of capitalism have all in a chorus denounced these men, women and children as “lawless, savage South European peasants.” This is only done to create prejudice in the minds of the American public and the American worker. It is indeed a poor excuse and a mockery after shooting the miners’ wives and children down like dogs, to try to shield themselves behind race prejudice.

Woe to the hands that shed this costly blood! Over the bodies of these martyrs do I prophesy that this foul deed will some day be avenged! And the spirit of Louis Tikas shall lead them on. O, Capitalism, Capitalism, thou marble-hearted fiend! You have starved us, outraged our mothers, wives and sisters; driven us to desperation, and we shall pay you back. Until every parasite has been put to work, let no wage slave rest.

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/v15n02-aug-1914-ISR-riaz-ocr.pdf