The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-12-07

alton General du I'rayaiD are follow
ing in their practice. The chief prac-
tical proposal of this school is known
direct action" Yvetot in his "A.
Z. c. Syndialiste" says. Direct action
in making the employer give
way through fear Of his interest,"
While preaching the general strike.
this leader commends the individual
strike. every person being free to de-
eide upon the limits of his own acJivi-
ties. lie sabotage" which in Great
Britain is known as "Cacanny'-the
employs neglecting his employers in
tereSts Systematically while pretend
ing to be at work is one of the forms
OF direct action. Nothing could better
the difference in spirit be-
tween the American and the continent
tai European workingmen than this
practice which 1 have never known to
be even tacitly recognized by any body
OF ware workers in America except
IN instances of Office holders. One of
1Eetot's examples in lie sabotage IS
this, "a salesman IN a shop could give
exact and full measure in selling A
piece of goods instead of short meas
ure as his employer YOU nave him
do The leaders of this division OF
the mass Of workers in Europe in re-
volt assedt that through their multi
rlicity of small strikes their 'sabot-
age" their anti-military campaign.
their street agitation. their repetition
at attempts at a general strike. which
on several occasions in different cOun-
tries have been followed by great
changes in the franchise. as we'll as
in economic respects they will worry
more benefits to the workers from So
ciety than a possibly come from par
liamentary socialism. They assert that
while they have been abStaining from
voting. but necessarily stirring up dis
content. often manifested in bold illus
trations Of their direct action, they
have been the main factors in forcing
from employers a shorter workday
and from governments the weekly
rest day. which all the talking and bill
introducing in a generation by social
ist members OF the various parliaments
have failed to do. They consider the
eight-hOur day rendering self-educa-
ton and improved physical condition
possible to the workers worth more
than all the pensions, sick funds or
charitable schemes instituted through
government.
A phase of the European move
ment not possible among us is shown
in the importance accorded to intel
lectuals." This is explanable In part by
the illiteracy of the lower stratum Of
many continental Ecropean laborers,
especially in Southern Italy, in Austria
and Hungary. and in part by the start
given to the political movement Of the
S Of the continent before the day
Of rad unionisn. When I asked in
Italy "How is it hat such strikes as
you have just described to me were
led by college men or others not of
the occupation engaged" The reply
was, The strikers were too ignorant
to organize themselves n negotiate
with their employees In Northern
Italy and in Austria what trade union
ism there is, has been mostly devel-
opment out of the political party. the
Old-time leaders more or less holding
on to their places.
In Germany some Of the book writ
ers and Herr Professors are still
parliamentary leaders. but the trade
unions are differed, led and in many
cases represented in the Reichstag by
men from their own ranks. The con
siderable corps Of secretaries of semi
public, semi-philanthrOpic bodies do
much writing on social subjects, a
great part Of it necessarily favorable
to unions. In England Sydney Webb,
for example, has a place in the esteem
Of abor leaders on account Of the his
toric value of his works on labor, but
politically their support Of him is ex-
ceedingly weak. It would be difficult
in this Ountry for any writer on the
subject to attract the attention Webb
once did in England, perhaps because
Q fthe youth Of u national existence
he ane need for Such work does not
here exist. That the 'i~ntellectuaiS"
find less play for their role as the level
Of education moves upward is shown
by the fact that the best labor organi-
zations are invariably differed and led
by members of their own ranks. In
general the 'intellectual' as q leader
occupies a dubious position In the
eyes Of his constituents as we'll as the
general public. He may be sincere and
disinterested, no doubt he often is, and
h may be doing some c~ommendable
work. but he knows his kind is to be
tolerated by the rank and file only so
long as no n anon themselves can
be found tic replace him. while the in
tellectuals not in the unions or radical
organizations have little for him out
bitter criticism. Said a professor to
me, "You will observe that the intel
iectuals are nearly all in politics; rare
ly will you find them as b repre-
-o-+.;-nc Cd xric;1p fr1Io fro6o union