The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-01-07
BY WILLIAM ENGLISH WALKING

BY WILLIAM ENGLISH WALKING
The American labor movement
can be fully appreciated only If it
is viewed from an internationl stand
point, Science tells us that If we
wish to measure and weigh the val
ue Of anything we must find some
standard, some basis Of comparison.
The only basis Of comparison in this
instance is the labor movement of
other leading industrial nations.
such as Great Britain, Germany and
France.
The comparison can be fairly
made by American labor, since it is
far more internationally minded
than the labor of any, other country.
American workers do not and can
not feel that they are better than
the British. German or italian work.
ers since they themselves are largely
British, German or italian by birth
or parentage. We know and ap-
preciate the labor and the labor
movement Of all these countries
through our own workers in our
own workshops.
| Greatest Opportunity.
| No working people on earth have
ever had such an opportunity.
| Within our own movement we have
hundreds of thousands Of represent
| atives OF the Syndicalism Of Ger
many, and the British Labor Party.
We are not only informed, we are
sympathetic. Every day for decades
all of these movements have been
presented and threshed out in local
| unions, central bodies and national
| congresses in this country. What
| ever of European experience is ap-
| plicable here has been, is being, or
will be adopted.
The British and the Germans do
not know one another in this way.
Nor does either the British or Ger
man movement know American la
Dor or what it has contributed to
the world. 1t is enough for them
that American labor has not follow
ed in German or British footsteps.
This is reason enough in their minds
for the allegation that American la
Dor is so years behind the times!
Let us see about that. And first
Of all put down the undeniable fact
that while America has learned and
is still learning from Europe, Euro
pean labor is not learning from the
United States. This proves not only
that we are the more International
! ly-minded. but that we are logically
and inevitably bound still further to
t increase our present points of super
iority. while gradually improving
those features Of the movement in
which we are inferior.
Internati0nalism Theoretical.
The internationalism of Europe
labor is in part absolutely genuine
based on the proximity Of the Euro
pean nations to one another and on
the extreme and immediate danger
to organized labor of any belicose
sentiments in the workers ranks.
But European internationalism is
also largely theoretical. This is
proven not only by the conduct OF
some Of the socialist parties during
the war, but by the present rivalry
in internationales; the labor move
ment Of each great nation Of Europe
now fathers a little Cor big) move
ment Of its own. The Third Inter-
national is the private property OF
Russia. The Two-and-a-half Inter-
! national is dominated by the French.
With the headquarters in London
and the executives largely British,
the Second Internationale is for the
moment in the pocket Of England
But the moderating influence of the
German right wing Social Demo-
crats-who against the British La
Dor stand for cooperation with
other democratic parties and for
coalition governments Is strong
and growing in that internationale,
and the British are working over
time to get the more radical Two
and-a-half Internationale- which
stands for 'the dictatorship Of the
proletraiat," but not for Moscow
domination-to amalgamate. This
amalgamation would counterbalance
the German moderates and give the
British a permanent balance OF
power.
America Must Lead.
| YET, even accOrd1ng-tO TINS tneOr-
etical internationalism, the Ameri-
can movement. representing as II
does the greatest and most advanced
nation, must inevitably lead. Then
this strangely illogical "internation.
alism" turns around and says we are
not following in the footsteps Of in
dustrially less advanced countries!
The American labor movement
does, indeed, differ from the labor
movements of Europe. Since thu
time Of Andrew jackson (aroun(
1890 we have had political" demo
cracy in Americas industrial regions
and soon after that we established
universal education. If politica
democracy up to the present ha
brought labor only a part Of wha
labor demands and expects, it ha
at least given US a century Of demo
cratic experience. training and prac
tice, a century of thinking in demo
cratic terms and a century of striv
ing toward democratic goals. It
due to this good fortune Of our his
tory and not to an Unborn superiorit,
Of American workers that tn
American labor movement is tn
only labor movement in the worl'