The I. W. W.: A Study of American SyndicalismBrissenden, Paul F. (Paul Frederick)
History
The I. W. W.: A Study of American Syndicalism
Brissenden, Paul F. (Paul Frederick)
Industrial Workers of the World; Syndicalism
The characteristic motto of the Knights of Labor was: "An injury to
one is the concern of all"--the same slogan which is today prominent
among the watchwords of the I. W. W. The Knights proposed, first to
bring within the folds of organization every department of productive
industry, making knowledge a standpoint for action and "industrial,
moral worth, not wealth, the true standard of individual and national
greatness"; second, "to secure to the toilers a proper share of the
wealth that they create ..."; third, the substitution of arbitration
for strikes; and, fourth, the reduction of hours of labor to eight per
day.[12] The Knights advocated government ownership of telephones,
telegraphs, and railroads; emphasized the principle of coöperation;
admitted women and negroes, and believed in having working-class
politics in the union and the union in working-class politics.
"The fundamental principle on which the organization was based was
coöperation," said Grand Master Workman Powderly, "... the barriers of
trade were to be cast aside; the man who toiled, no matter at what, was
to receive and enjoy the just fruits of his labor...."[13]
It was originally a secret organization, but that feature was
later abandoned. The following restriction on membership appears in
the constitution of the Local Assemblies: "... no lawyer, banker,
professional gambler, or stock broker can be admitted." Prior to 1881
physicians were also excluded. It is composed of Local Assemblies
(local unions) controlled by District Assemblies, a General Assembly
and a Grand Master Workman. These parts were closely related to each
other in a centralized system. Centralization of administrative
authority was considered highly important--indeed, it was thought
indispensable in order successfully to unite every branch of skilled
and unskilled labor--a task the Knights considered of prime importance.
They differed, however, from our more radical I. W. W.'s of today in
placing no little confidence in political methods, maintaining as they
did for many years a legislative lobbying committee at Washington. In
addition they believed, with the I. W. W., in the sympathetic strike,
the boycott--and the necessity of solidarity among all the ranks of
labor. The following excerpt from the _Final Report of the United
States Industrial Commission_ (1900) explains the administrative policy
of the organization:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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