Paul F. Brissenden. The I.W.W. A Study of American Syndicalism.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

PART I

BEGINNINGS

I – FORERUNNERS OF THE «WOBBLIES»

Early revolutionary bodies

English prototypes

Early radical unions in the United States

The National Labor Union

The Knights of Labor

The Internationals

The Sovereigns of Industry

The United Brewery Workmen

The United Mine Workers of America

Haymarket

The American Railway Union

The Western Federation of Miners

W. F. M. strikes

The Western Labor Union

The American Labor Union

The Socialist Labor Party and the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance

The French Confédération Général du Travail

II – THE BIRTH OF THE I. W. W.

Pre-convention conferences

The rôle of the Western Federation of Miners

The January Conference

The Industrialist Manifesto

Attitude of the A. F. of L.

The Industrial Union Convention and the launching of the I. W. W.

Character of industries and unions represented

Numerical predominance of the Western Federation and the American Labor Union

Daniel DeLeon and the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance

Doctrinal elements represented in the convention: reformist, direct-actionist and doctrinaire

The dominant personalities

III – THE I. W. W. versus THE A. F. OF L.

Attitude of the revolutionary industrialists toward the Federation

Critique of craft unionism

“Union scabbery” and the aristocracy of labor

Emphasis on the unskilled and unorganized

The “pure and simple” union and the “labor lieutenant”

Repudiation of the policy of “boring from within”

Convention resolutions

The preamble and the clause on political action

The attitude of DeLeon and the S. L. P.

The I. W. W. Constitution

Classification of industries

The structure of the organization

The local unions and other subordinate bodies

The General Executive Board and its powers

Other provisions

Influence of “DeLeonism” in the convention

The primary importance of the Western Federation of Miners

Samuel Gompers on the convention

Other comments

What the constitutional convention accomplished

PART II

THE FIRST PHASE

[The «original» I. W. W.]

IV – MAIDEN EFFORTS ON THE ECONOMIC FIELD

The situation at the close of the first convention

Progress during the first year

Activities among A. F. of L. locals

Friction with Federation unions

Practical compromises with the craft-union idea

Internal dissension

Breakdown of the Metals and Machinery Department

Defection of the Western Federation of Miners

Early strikes and strike activities

Strike policies

The New Jersey Socialist Unity Conference

The discussion on socialism and the trade unions

The Unity Conference resolutions

The second I. W. W. convention

Growth in membership

The Industrial Departments

V – THE coup OF THE «PROLETARIAN RABBLE»

The «reactionaries» vs. the «wage slave delegates» at the second convention

The DeLeon-St. John attack on President Sherman

Pre-convention conference of the «DeLeonite rabble»

The indictment of Sherman

Playing freeze-out with the «wage slave delegates»

The per diem resolution and the defeat of the Shermanites

Abolition of the office of General President

The findings of the Master in Chancery

Contemporary comment on the quarrel

DeLeonism and the Socialist Labor Party at the second convention

The Western Federation of Miners

I. W. W. finances

VI – THE STRUCTURE OF A MILITANT UNION

An organization for farm laborers and city proletarians

The I. W. W. and the lumber workers

Provision for foreigners

Foreign language branches

The local union

Relation of locals to the General Administration

Centralization

District Industrial Councils

Industrial Departments

Further discussion of political action

The Moyer, Hay wood and Pettibone case 170

Defense activities of the I. W. W.

Proposal for a general strike

Effect of the Moyer-Haywood case on the I. W. W.

VII – THE FIGHT FOR EXISTENCE

The third convention

The condition of the organization

Membership strength

The I. W. W. at the Stuttgart Congress

Political parties and the trade unions

The political clause of the Preamble again under discussion

VIII – «JOB CONTROL» AT GOLDFIELD

The A. F. of L. and the I. W. W. in Goldfield, Nevada

Character of the Goldfield local of the I. W. W.

The town unionists and the mine unionists

Proposed consolidation of the two groups

Attitude of the Mine Owners’ Association

Federal military intervention and investigation

Report of the Commission

What the I. W. W. accomplished at Goldfield

The I. W. W. and the Western Federation in Nevada politics

I. W. W. strike activities in other parts of the country

General organizing activities

IX – DOCTRINAIRE versus DIRECT-ACTIONIST

Condition of the organization on the eve of the schism of 1908

Effect of the financial panic of 1907

The widening breach between the I. W. W. and the Western Federation of Miners

The line-up in the I. W. W. on political action

The personnel of the convention

Walsh’s «Overalls Brigade»

The Socialist Labor Party Delegation and the unseating of Daniel DeLeon

The issue between the DeLeonites and the Direct-actionists

“Straight industrialism” versus parliamentarianism

The preamble purged of politics

Rump convention of the DeLeonites at Paterson, New Jersey

A bifurcated I. W. W.

The issue between the Detroit I. W. W. and the Chicago I. W. W.

The Wobblies’ criticism of parliamentary government

The doctrinaire state socialism of the Detroiters

The issue illustrated in the contrast between Daniel DeLeon and Vincent St. John

I. W. W. constitution non-political rather than anti-political

Influence of DeLeon on the I. W. W.

X – THE I. W. W. ON THE «CIVILIZED PLANE»

The development of the Detroit I. W. W.

Strike activities and friction with the «Summery» or Direct-actionist faction

The Anarcho-syndicalists versus the parliamentarians

The Detroit I. W. W. on sabotage

Eugene Debs’ plea for a union of the two I. W. W.s

The Detroit I. W. W. becomes The Workers International Industrial Union

PART III

THE ANARCHO-SYNDICALISTS

[The Direct Actionists]

XI – FREE SPEECH AND Sabotage

Condition of the Direct-actionist faction after the split with the Doctrinaires

The Wobblies establish the «free-speech fight» as an institution

The procedure in free-speech fights

I. W. W. tactics

Community reactions

The conventions of 1910 and 1911

Growth in membership

The I. W. W. press

Local unions organized and disbanded

The I. W. W. and the French syndicalists

International labor politics

The Syndicalist League of North America

The I. W. W. and the MacNamara case

Franco-American sabotage

Demonstration against sabotage at the 1912 convention of the Socialist party

Article II., section 6

XII – LAWRENCE AND THE CREST OF POWER

Strike activities in 1912

The Lawrence strike

The use of violence at Lawrence and the responsibility for it

Dynamite planting

The I. W. W. and the A. F. of L. at Lawrence

Results of the strike

I. W. W. patriotism and I. W. W. morals

The 1912 convention

The beginning of the conflict over decentralization

XIII – DUAL UNIONISM AND DECENTRALIZATION

The policy of «boring from within»

Dual unionism

An I. W. W. defense of «boring from within»

Tom Mann joins in the attack on dual unionism

Rejoinders from Ettor and Haywood

The 1913 convention

Centralization versus decentralization

The proposals of the «decentralizes»

The relation of the locals to the general organization

The Pacific Coast District Organization

The East against the West in the decentralization debate

The western Wobbly and the eastern

Geographical differences in I. W. W. local unions

An anarchist’s impressions of the 1913 convention

XIV – RECENT TENDENCIES

Continued hostility between the I. W. W. and the Western Federation of Miners

The labor war in Butte, Montana

The United Mine Workers and the I. W. W.

The 1914 convention

The I. W. W. and the unemployed

The resolution against war

Constitutional changes

Time agreements

Growth in membership

The slump in 1914-1915

Revival of activity

The Agricultural Workers Organization

The Everett free speech fight

The 1916 (tenth) convention

Present strength of the I. W. W.

Character of the membership

The I. W. W. abroad

Anti-militarist campaign of the I. W. W. in Australasia

Australian «Unlawful Associations» Act.

The Workers’ Industrial Union of Australia

«Criminal Syndicalism» laws in the United States

The turnover of I. W. W. members and locals

Conclusion

APPENDICES

I – Chart of early radical labor organizations

II – The I. W. W. Preamble: Chicago and Detroit versions

III – The structure of the organization in 1917. (Chart)

IV – Membership statistics:

Table A. Membership of Chicago and Detroit branches. (1905-1916)

Table B. Membership of the I. W. W. compared with the aggregate number of organized workers in the U. S., by industries

Table C. Membership of the I. W. W. and of certain other selected organizations and industrial groups. (1897-1914)

Table D. Membership of (i) the I. W. W. and (2) all American trade unions

V – Geographical distribution of I. W. W. locals in 1914. (Chicago and Detroit)

VI – Reasons assigned for locals disbanding. (1910-1911)

VII – Free-speech fights of the I. W. W. (1906-1916)

VIII – I. W. W. strikes. (1906-1917)

IX – Selections from the I. W. W. Song Book

X – Copies of State » Criminal Syndicalism» statutes

BIBLIOGRAPHY