New-York tribune., 1896-12-12
rHE HAMBURG STRIKE.
,rc of ENGLISH LABOR AGITATORS
TO INTRODUCE INTERNATIONAL
COOPERATION.
London. December 2.

o, shipping strike at Hamburg which
' -.,vung German commerce. is wage
I,,or like that which has been involved in
W., labor revolts on the Thames. at Belfast,
,,e TYNE and on the Clyde. AS Mr.. Tom
W states the case, 1t Is demand on the part
@1 @,..,ers for minimum of i'd. per hour against
', which they have been receiving. To be
W. ~ NAV be added that the men have been
.,g for a days work of ten hours As. 21ad..
,bsv are asking for IS. They have been
'.ars IS. Sd for a nights work Of eight and
~ hours. and they are now demanding 6s.,
ns .he same wages for Sunday work Six
VIZ" on hour. which would be equivalent to IL
r. T., America would not seem an extreme
.ara on the part of the longshoremen of
~.uburg and Bremen; and under ordinary cir
distances they would enlist sympathy in Eng
"a where higher wages are paid for similar
.., in the chief ports. If this sympathy be
..,a,d il is mainly because professional agi-
'..ors in England like Mann and Havelock Will
have ostentatiously assumed a large share
.snonsibility for this labor revolt in foreign
country
rha Hamburger Nachrichten" and other Ger
~ journals have been angrily describing this
,..or uprising as an English plot against the
ouerce OF a rival country. The charge is re-
wit
T~a o,ber English journals VIII ch lay stress
,nor the fact that emissaries of German Social
~, have been more active in instigating similar
..vo,ts in English ports than Mann Wilson ana
',.,- associates have been in encouraging the
.,.ssnt movement in Hamburg This. however,
=, On omen question. The German strike has
Tan organized by local trades union. which
.os been making systematic preparations for
.,rnorting the unemployed workmen: but the
,oodsrs have been encouraged, If not directly
,,snred by these English agitators. The lock-
..,, .ou,d he ordered, and $1,000 Of the $4,000
nort laborers could be withdrawn at moments
rotice from their usual occupation; and the area
n mdisturbance could he extended by sympathetic
sr,kes: but the success Of the movement would
d,pend in large measure upon the prevention
,,the entry of imported labor from other ship
pIue ports, and it was for this purpose that the
.sIstance of the English leaders Of the Inter
national Federation was enlisted similar
strikes In England had failed because laborers
had swarmed from German and other ports to
man ships and load and unload cargoes. The
Hamburg leaders received assurances that they
should not be crippled in their campaigns by
foreign levies.
TOM MANN'S FOREIGN CAMPAIGN
Mann and his associates. instead Of concealing
their interest in the Hamburg lockout have
seemed inclined 10 exaggerate the importance OF
their foreign campaigning. They have gloried In
their recent adventures in Germany and are
NOW emploving their resources and influence In
xunnort of the movement. They are appealing
m british dock laborers TO remain at home and
NOT 70 take up arms against their German breth-
rem who are arrayed in battle against capital
len, They have opened q subscription at the
,Aices of the International Federation on behalf
y tho German strikers and have identified them
,elves with the movement While they have un-
,oubtedlv been instrumental in encouraging II
rot directly instigating the lockout on the Elbe.
hey have not been inspired by motives OF hos
ility TO Germany and Its shipping interests
They are leaders of the new labor party. whose
supreme object is to effect an international
combination against capital Hamburg ana
Bremen have profted during recent years by the
struggle of London longshoremen
gainst shipping organizations; and Englsh
abor now has an opportunity for regalning
round which was lost: but these agitators are
Indifferent TO this advantage There can be little
|oubt that iey would bring about If they could
nave their way. a simultaneous strike in every
English port for the sake of developing the re-
sources of internationaism.
The sincerity Of these English labor leaders in
ympathizng openly with a movement on foreign
,oll for raising the wages and improving the
condition of port laborers and in accepting their
,wn share of responsibility for it cannot he
,eriously questioned. Mann and Wilson have
organized similar revolts in England and have
been unsuccessful Disaster has clouded all
heir recent efforts for workers in the various
md hot lea derc
ruinous to thousands who have followed their
advice They have emerged from retirement
With new principle Of action. This is interna-
tonal federation Of labor Under this sign they
IRE looking forward TO future campaigns Of con-
quest in class war They have been conspicuous
leaders in international labor congresses at
which the principles OF community OF interests
and concerted action in the working world have
been proclaimed The Hamburg strike. unless
settled by mediation without for
eign intervention vii. be practical test OF the
efficiency Of this nov sys,e OF organized agita-
ton They are intensely interested in the sue
cess Of the experiment.
INTERNATIONALISM IN LABOR.
This It is that imparts unwonted Importance
TO this labor uprising in Germany. lnternation-
alhm in labor Is a new and dangerous force
which creates alarm in conservative country
Ike England where little attention has been
paid TO the Socialistic and Anarchist vaporing
Of European congresses Of professional agitators.
German competition in trade has been keenly
felt. The Fatherland is the one country IN Eu-
rope which Englishmen have learned to dislike.
There would be no lamentations In London or
Liverpool or Hull If the shipping trade OF Ham
burg which has made phenomenal progress our
Ing the last generation. were to receive a serious
setback provided this result could be accom-
plished without imperilling English interests.
But with Tom Mann as the apostle OF lnterna-
eionalism. ready and eager to claim the success
of the Hamburg strike as his own TRIUMPH the
English press. voicing the opinion OF natlon
With the greatest shipping interests In the world
, In no mood for rejoicing over the misfortunes
" the chief German port Sympathy for the un-