The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-01-17
INDUSTRIAL UNIONISM In OTHER
COUNTRIES PROVES A FAILURE

out readers, and have engendered de-
moralization, skepticism and disgust
I'm truth, l begin to ask myself if
with our great phrases of insurrec-
ton, direct action, sabotage, and chas-
ing the foxes, we are not, after all,
from a revolutionary point of view,
but little children beside the social
istic voters of Germany"
Now these quotations are given be-
cause they all emphasize one point
that the general strike is childish
fancy of poorly organized workers.
Are we but little children? asks
Herve. When to the infancy of the
French union movement, poverty is
added there is reason enough why
that movement should be violent.
THE fundamental condition which de-
termines the policy of direct action"
says DR.. Louis Levine in his excellent
on THE Labor Movement
in France" lis the poverty of French
syndicalism. Except the federation
du Livre, only very few federations
pay a more or less regular strike ben
efit the rest have barely means
enough to provide for their admins
trative and organizing expenses and
can not collect any strike funds worth
mentioning In 1908, for instance,
there were 1913 strikes; of these S37
were conducted by organized work
men. Only forty-six strikes was regu-
lar assistance assured for the strikers,
and in thirty-siX cases only was the
assistance given in money. The
French workingmen, therefore, are for
ced to fall back on other means dur
ing strikes. Quick action, intimida-
ton, sabotage, are then suggested to
them by their very situation and by
their desire to win"
The greatest general strike the
world has ever known was at the very
beginning of the trade union movement
in England. The American Railway
Union was involved in a tremendous
strike almost before it had begun its
great work of organization. The his
tory of the Knights of labor, and of
every other movement for organizing
labor, shows the same thing that We
now see in France, Italy, Spain, and
Russia. Wherever the workers are
first organized they resort to mass
strikes; and every group that has at
tempted to organize the workers has
had, sooner or later, to adopt rules
and regulations to prev ent strikes.
This is true even of the 'revolu-
tionary" industrial workers of the
world Trautman, at the convention
of 1906, declared that the organiza-
tion underwent so many so-called wild
strikes that it is the duty of this con-
vention to adopt such laws as will
prevent the calling of strikes by the
will or by the determination of two or
three men. If any individual
may call a strike or if any organiza-
ton may be organized and precipitate
a struggle, we may just as well say,
'disband' There must be a reg
ulation.
OF course what William D. Hay
wood calls the general strikes Of
France, Italy, Spain, and elsewhere
are not general strikes in any sense
whatever. They are little more than
wild, unruly, and disorganiZed mObs,
who leave their workshops for time
"to descend" as the ysay in France
into the street" They are the pro-
duct of a mob psychology that seems
to be aroused to action whenever and
wherever the workers first begin TO
realize the faintest glimmering of soil
darity The strike of the A. r. U. was
a masterpiece of organization com
pared with most of the strikes in Rus
sia, Spain, Italy, or France. The re-
cent great strikes in Britain, the dock
ers' strike in London in 1889, and the
recent Swedish strike, are all master
ly demonstrations of what really or
ganized men can do. But the strikes
which have been called to our atten-
ton as examples for the American
movement TO follow are but diseases
of an infantile trade unionism.
For some reason, the recent advo-
Gates of such mob-uprisings fail to
mention that nearly every such strike
has been followed by reaction. AS the
officials of the industrial workers of
the world were forced to call out for
regulation to prevent utter ruin, so
have all other actual organizations
had to do likewise, after the early
spasms of revolt. Every single trade
union in England, after the general
strikes of the Owen period, plead with
the workers to forswear strikes for
ever.
g. Keep from it (striking),"
said the stone masons of England, as
YOU would from a ferocious animal
that YOU know would destroy you. :.
Remember what it was that made us
so Insignificant in 1912. We inn
plore you, brethen, as you vaule your
own existence, to avoid, in every way
possible, those useless strikes. Let us
have another year OF earnest and at