Communism; Industrial Workers of the World; Socialism
"The I. W. W. represents the revolutionary section of the working
class in opposition to the opportunism of Gompers et al. Therefore
we must, in order to make working class organizations
revolutionary, join hands with the I. W. W.
"The resolutions and the manifestoes of the Left Wing are
revolutionary expressions. But action counts for more than words.
If all Left Wingers are sincere they will join in the I. W. W. and
endeavor to make the I. W. W. the dominant working-class
organization throughout the country. The times demand that we must
make ready to enforce our demands. No pious resolutions will bring
us freedom. Only POWER through organization on the job will bring
us freedom. True it is that we have to resort to mass action. But
the basis of our mass action must be organization on the job. The
I. W. W. represents the highest form of industrial organization and
therefore merits our support. So we trust that ALL Left Wingers
will join with the I. W. W. This is not the time to indulge in
hair-splitting. If you are enraptured by what has taken place in
Russia, do your share here in America."
This appeared in May, 1919. Six months later we open the December, 1919,
"One Big Union Monthly" and read:
"We need hardly repeat the now well known facts that the workers of
western Canada and of Australia have in mass adopted our principles
in the course of this year. Close upon these significant events
came the news that the three fragments into which the Socialist
Party was split endorsed industrial unionism, while two of them
rather outspokenly favored the I. W. W.
"Later we were able to state that the increase in our own
membership in the course of the 12 months, September 1, 1918, to
September 1, 1919, was about 50,000. Now we are able to inform our
readers that the growth of the last three months has been
unprecedented. Lumber workers, miners, construction workers, marine
transport workers and many other unions report many thousands of
new members. We are getting a footing in fields that we have never
been able to touch before, such as the printing industry and
building construction. Carpenters and painters are joining us by
the thousand. On November 9th delegates of eight independent unions
in different industries, representing something like 250,000
workers, met in New York City and took the first steps for an
affiliation with the I. W. W.--in spite of jails and persecution.
And let us not forget that the Negro workers of the U. S. are
organizing on the basis of our program.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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