The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-01-10

not of the whole community, but oi
the particular set of workers who
used them. The Trade Unions were
to be transformed into National com
panies' to carry on all the manufac
lures. The Agricultural Union was to
take possession of the land, the min
ers' Union of the mines, the Textile
Unions of the factories. Each trade
was to be carried on by it's particular
Trade Union, centralized in one
Grand Lodge" (History of Trade
Unionism, Webb, p. 144)
In the opinion of Owen, the new
Moral World would be established in
six months. The change from the cap
italist system to a complete organiza-
ton of industry, under voluntary as
sociations of producers, was to come
suddenly upon society, like a thief in
the night. "One year." declared a
disciple of Owen, may disorganize
the whole fabric of the world, and
transfer by sudden spring the whole
political government of the country
from the master to the servant"
In this early pre-Marxian attempt to
form one big Industrial Union, we find
Unionist of today. The latter have
mot contributed a single new thought
I or doctrine that was not part of the
philosophy of this early Utopian So
cialism. Low dues, organization by
industry, the gathering together of all
workmen in one big general union, the
injury of one is the concern of all, the
decentralization of power, the General
Strike, the entire reorganization of the
world in the interest of the workers,
and the conduct of all industry by in
dustrial unions-every idea of modern
syndicalism was embraced in the
movement led by Robert Owen.
1t spread like a conflagration
throughout England 1t flared up in
a manner that brought terror to the
ruling classes; and, after binding
flash of light, it was smothered out
and trampled into the dust by two
simple weapons of the employing
class-the lockout and the courts.
The employers organized their op-
position, and every man connected
with the new movement was locked
out and every leader was black-listed.
Instantly the new union was over
whelmed with the demands for aid
from it's impoverished members. The
General Strike was converted into
lockout, and the lockout into COM
plete rout of the enormous masses OF
utterly helpless and impoverished
Trade Unionists. The leaders were
arrested, tried and convicted. Some
of them were sentenced to seven years
transportation. Enormous subscrip-
tions were raised by the General
Union; stupendous petitions were cir
culated. Boycotts, strikes, and riots
were resorted to, but "by the end of
the summer" says Sidney and Bea-
trice Webb, "it was obvious that the
ambitious projects of the Grand Ma
tional Consolidated and other Trade
Unions had ended in invariable and
complete failure. In spite of the ris-
ing prosperity of trade, the strikes
for better conditions of labor had been
uniformly unsuccessful. In July, 1884,
the federal organizations all over the
country were breaking up. The great
association of half a million members
had been completely routed. OF
the actual dissolution of the organiza-
ton we have no contemporary record,
but the impression which it has made
on the sober Trade Unionists may be
gathered from the following descip-
ton, which appeared in a working
class journal seven years afterwards;
We were present says the editor of
the Trades Journal, at many of the
meetings of the Grand National Con-
solidated Trades Union, and have a
distinct recOllecllOH OI inc SAcilS-
ment that prevailed in them-of the
apparent determination to carry out
its principles in opposition to every
obstacle-of the enthusiasm exhibited
by some of the speakers-of the noisy
appreciation of the meeting-the loud
cries of hear, hear" "bravo!" 'hur-
rah!" union forever!" etc. 1t was
the opinion of many at that time that
little real benefit would be effected
by this union, as their proceedings
were indicative, not of calm and dis
passionate investigation of the causes
of existing evils, but of an over-ex-
cited state of mind, which would
speedy evaporate, and leave them in
the same condition as before. The
event proved that this opinion was not
ill-founded. A little mole-hill obstruc-
ted their onward progress, and rather
than commence the labor of remov-
1 ing so puny an obstacle, they chose to
turn back, each taking his own path,
regardless of the safety or the inter
ests of his neighbor. II was painful
to see the deep modification of the
generals and leaders of this quickly
inflated army, when left deserted and