New-York tribune., 1912-04-21

work they shall 40 ana now muCh they
shall be paid,
Its methods are:
FYrst-To capture the trade unions.
second-To organize them for strikes or
o,ber action as an army is organized for
battle.
Third-To declare general strikes and
N issue other commands 10 trade unionists
that will cause the swift and permanent
ruin Of the wage payers in any or every
Industry.
Let US take the coal trade to illustrate
how and where the Syndicalists wish to
arrive. without coal. they say, the state
must die, Just as the body dies without
food. Very we'll; the Syndicalst COM
rands that every miner shall stop work
ing There must be none Of those local
strikes In which miners were beaten be-
cause miners in other pits supplied the
deficiency. All miners must strike They
do-and the miners as result obtain
higher wages and drain as much of the
coal owners profits as they can divert into
their own channels. The coal owner is in
iured. the unions are strengthened in con-
6depce by their victory. owners Of other
sources Of wealth besides the coal fields
are injured Wage earners in other indus
tries are inspired TO organize themselves
fo- following the lead Of the miners.
aMoRE BRUTALITY THE BETTER"
The syndicalists do not rest content,
Theirs is not the old trade unionism's ideal
Of securing peace 1t Is exactly the op-
posite one victory is only valued IN pro-
portion as 1t encourages the wage earners
10 reopen the war Another general strike
comes when the Syndicalist generals see
that it will most effectively cripple the
coal owner. No laws. no agreements, no
concuiation boards, no sufferings among
the people. will influence the Syndicalist
decisions In fact. the more brutality the
better; the more robbery the better. The
strikes are ordered with the purpose OF
bleeding the mine owners OF every farlhihs
OF their profits, and, when the prohts nave
disappeared, Of so ruthlessly multiplying
their losses that they will abandon the
mines forever. Ruin, not for year or LOT
q decade, but cureless ruin, VIII nave Deeh
inflicted on the mining companies. Inc
CAPITALIST and the small shareholders VINO
did not work in the mines, but DIRE"
dividends. will have been cleared out
And now the whole Of the money that Is
paid for coal at the pithead will go INTO
the miners pocket. He will pay his own
wages. So the Syndicalist tells him. The
miner will be the owner Of the mine.
The Socialist desires the mines TO belong
10 the state and to be worked in the Inter
ests Of the whole Of the population. The
syndicalist regards state ownership as
more powerful tyranny than ownership Dy
large capitalists and small shareholders.
When tfe owners had been appropriated
the syndicalists would administer the bust
ness. "A statistical department to ascertain
the needs Of the people" is suggested In the
syndicalist circular recently spread among
tbs South Wales unions. a production
beard" would tell the men in the various
branches what quantity of coal TO dig,
leaving TO the men themselves to deter
mine under what conditions and how the
work should be done" And 1t should be
noted. by the way, that SynGicalism does
not depend on general strikes alone to
transfer other mems property to the man
uai workers. Instead Of strikes, or In ad-
dition to them, it would instruct the wage
earners 10 lessen their output, so that the
capitalists ruin might be hastened. The
production board" then, would not neces-
sarily wait for the final catastrophe to
capital before regulating the tonnage Of
ccal mined
HOW SYNDlCALISM BEGAN.
That is syndicalsm In his remarkable
book "Syndicalism and Dabour' Murray
siI Arthur Clay says the French word
"syndicalsme" is of recent origin. Even
in France "Syndicalisme" has only lately
stood for the new doctrine of robbery by
strikes and by reduced daily output But
the general strike which is it's chief weapon
was discussed by the congress of the Inter
national Labor Association at Brussels in
l&S There il was declared that lit was
only necessary for producers TO cease to
produce in order to make government i'm
possible
In 1873 a congress Of the Internationalists
al Geneva recommended the organization
OF labor for a general strike on interna-
tonal lines Sir Arthur Clay remarks that
the idea had been vague in the minds of
leaders OF the proletarist; 1t appears 10
have been an anarchist OF the name Of
Iortelier "a Partisan carpenter who IN
b@ first suggested its adoption as definite
policy
The Social Democratic followers OF NJ.
Guesde did not approve II. but they we're
routed and at a Joint congress OF trade
unionists and Socialists held at Nantes IN
1884 the policy Of Syndicalism, or the gen
eral strike in opposition TO that Of the
Conquest 4 public powers by electoral
methods, was adopted by 55 votes TO 81,
With 8 abSentlons"
In the next year tho representatives. OF
tne same trade unions founded at Limoges
'he Confederation Generate du Travail
no" the most prominent Of all Syndicalist
bodies. II contrived the strike OF French
postal employees in 1909. Soon the Postoffice
was losing 10000 a day and 10000 tele-
grams and 10000 letters we're undeliv-
ered But a second strike was a fasco.
lhe government having dealt severely with
uose who took part in II.
Ine next move of the Confederation
Oeherale du Travail was the railway strike
vi 1910 Again the government won by mil
nary mobilization Of the strikers. In other
european countries the syndicalists have
uohe some passing mischief. But their fail
ules nave been conspicuous enough to jug
NY the hope that the British workingman
=, Vst theT cries Ior CLASS WdI.
no" do the Socialists look upon Syndic-
ahsmT They with the Anarchists, have
One OBJECT IN common. "To each,' says
nr arthur 'the destruction Of the existing
usahization OF society is an Indispensable
p'ehhinary. II might be thought
a' the syndicalst propaganda Of revolu-
80" 50 obviously opposed 10 the object
S'a'e Socialists that the latter would
,e vigorous efforts TO counteract it.
, 80, ior the moment syndicalists are val
se allies In attacking and disintegrdt-
lhk socIetvD En- A.. ....-.A.. al. III