The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-07-16

The events of the first OF May OF
last year in Paris marked the awaken
ing of the labor movement of France
from the nationalism of the war; and
the even more intense natonalism of
the peace. The complete reawakening,
however has come only with the first
of May of this year, and the general
strike which accompanied it. Though
the strike movement could hardly be
called success, and finally died out
three weeks after its inception, its
importance must not be under-estim-
ated, for it marked the beginning Of
a new spirit and new policy in the
trade.union movement of France and
more particularly in the central fedora
tion of labor organizations, known as
the Confederation Generate du Trav-
all, or more familiarly the &c. G.. t."
The G. G. r. exhibits local coloring
as strong as that Of France itself
compared with other countries and
this national flavor is not greatly in
fluenced by the diversity of political
opinions among its members. Before
the outbreak of the war in 1914 there
was decided conflict over policy
between the reformists and the re.
volutionists, which was intensified by
the war itself toward which the major
ity of the members of the c. G.. r.
assumed a favorable attitude. The
reverberations of the issue of Second
or Third International, of Berne or
Moscow respectively, have been felt to
considerable extent within the fold
of the c. G. t., but the influence of
all the political international issue has
been greatly mitigated by the strict in
sistence of the organization on a non.
political policy within its ranks.
The c. G. r. has thus far been
more successful in its national policy
than in international action. An out
standing achievement is the Eight
Hours Bill which was passed by the
French Chamber on April last. On
the other hand the general strike pro-
posed rs a manifestation against the
intervention in Russia and Hungary,
which was fixed for July ., 1919
proved a total fiascO. The recent
strike is another proof of the French
character of the c. G. 4. The question
about which it chiefly revolved was
that of the naturalization of the rail
ways which is generally considered in
France to be of the greatest import
ance. The railroad system of France is
urged need of reform from every point
of view. The welfare Of the system has
been sacrificed to the interests of
capitalist contractors until there is
now permanent deficit which keeps
the whole railroad system in n back
ward condition of operation and de-
velopment. Such state of affairs
would Justly have encountered general
disapproval, and it is to the credit Of
French labor that their view Of the
situation has been more free Of re-
dictionary bias than that of either the
Government or the Chamber, although
il is certainly to the interest of th1
French state no less than that Of the
railroad unions that consideration be
given to the naturalization program
of the G. G.. T.
A complete program of nationalizs'
tion has been worked out by the
Econmie Research Cmmittee Of the
G. G. T. which includes many Of tho
best thinkers on social and economic
questions. It proposes to entrust the
management of the railroads to an
impartial body composed of the re.
presentatives of all classes. In the
administration Of the railroads the la
Der program recognizes the necessity