Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-03-07
any tlme decIaTsd War 81 cTalI Do

any time declared war on Craft IN
ionism
The original Craft Unions il France
were only few years ago dominated
by the political Socialists The An
ti-Socialist Industrial Unionistss
preached their gospel in the Social
list Craft Unions and finally brought
them into antagonism to the Social
list Party. The French Syndicalists.
worked in the French Unions exact
II as Tom Mann worked in the Brit
ish Unions. However. it may be we'll
to point out that their chief point Of
difference with the old leaders was
not as to the form Of the Union but
as to the. political basis !. of the I'm
ion. They opposed politics in the
Union. sssT s a
Emile Pouget,s one of the ablest Of
the French Syndicalists, IN his off
cial instructions to the workers as
to methods of organization, says:
zone question agitates the militants,
namely, organization by Gratis, or
organization by Industry. The, first
of these modes of organization one
may reproach as. perpetuating the
marrow spirit of Graft; but whatever
may be the preferences sof any one,
ii is necessary to prevent the, Union
from becoming sect" He condemns,
therefore, what he calls the Union
Of Affinities." which is merely 2
grouping together OF, sssideas," OF
Opinions" rather than q grouping
together of Interests" However
much theoretically he may prefer
Union by Industry, he seeks the
building up of the, Movement even
though it may be by Crafts. .lsa4
And in fact the working class Of
France is divided far more than we
are, In Paris alone there are six
trade Unions Of Jewelrya makers,
nine of lemonade vendors, twelve Of
bricklayers and stone, masons, nine
teen of painterss six OF locksmiths,
nine of train and omnibus workers,
seventeen of printers, nine Of bakers
and Six of plumbers. The form of
organization, therefore, plays a small
part ip the so-called French Syndical
ism. It allows NO politics in the
Unions and condemns any division of
the working class on lines Of organ
| ization, of religious faith, or Of poT
litical opinions. - The resolution,
therefore, of the Socialist Party, has
the sanction not only of every Euro
pean Socialist Party, but of every so
called Industrial Unionist who has
done anything to b@uild up the ac-
tual working class Movement. +,
As a remedy, the political Social
| list Trade and Labor Alliance was
infinitely worse than the so-called
disease of pure and simple Union
ism. AS remedy. the factious group
of affinities calling themselves the
| Industrial Workers of the World was
infinitely more re a ctionary than the
so-called Unionism which it sought to
displace. In fact, Pouget strikes at
the very root of the evil Of all such
rival Unionism when he calls it the
aUnion of Affinities," in contrast to
the .'Union of Interests" There is
in such Unions" he says, "intellec-
tual cohesion, moral communion,
identity of aspiration, but the ma
terial base is lacking, which alone
can give to such groups a durable
vitality" 40
Graft Unionism has at least this
firm foundation, that it is based on
| the material interests Of those who
are organized. Any effort, therefore,
] to form a rival Union, means, to at
tack the material interests of the or
gained. You threaten whatever pro-
gress has been made toward shorter
hours and higher wages. You threat
en- to bankrupt the funds THAT have
been laid by to protect the Union.
members in time of sickness, unem-l
ployment, or death. By any form OF
rival Unionism, you fly In the face
of the most fundamental principle of
MARKHAM Socialism and array against
you in open warfare the material in
terests of the organized section of
the working class.
In the Socialist Party Convention OF
1904 one Of the delegates, opposing
the Trade Union resolutions. declar-
ed: "Some one said OUT only hope
was in the Trade Union. Movement.
MY friends. If that is our only hope,
we have got dismal outlook for So
cialism. I am a Trade Unionist for
one purpose only: It is my material
interest. My material interest COM
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