Scott Nearing

“ For several weeks before the Congress sessions, the British capitalist press had been busy with a campaign to split the ranks of labor by lining up unions and industrial action on one side, the Labor Party and political action on the other. This "splitting tactic" is an old game in Britain, and the workers know how to meet it. They have no intention of dividing their forces and they are far too keen and too experienced to fall into the trap. ”

“ Those who believe that a new order of society is inevitable before we can remedy the existing evils—and to which in this address I have directed attention—cannot do other than rejoice that at last there are clear indications of a world movement rising in revolt and determined to shake off the shackles of wage slavery. ”

“ After it was over, British workers dropped back into the unemployment slough.
Capitalist imperialism is an economic failure. The British Empire was the first among the capitalist empires. Britain furnishes a classic example in this field. Capitalist imperialism succeeds as long as it can find new resources, new markets, and new workers to exploit. When the opportunity for exploitation fails, capitalist imperialism fails. This is necessarily true because capitalist imperialism is a system of exploitation. ”

“ British Labor won a breathing spell in July, 1925—not a victory. Conversations among workers, speeches at public meetings and articles in the labor press are filled with the warning: "Next May!" It is in May that the coal subsidy comes to an end, and the issue between miners and mine owners over a wage reduction will really be fought out. Meanwhile unemployment mounts and wage reductions continue in other trades.
British workers face a real issue. Leaders and members of the rank and file alike realize this. All are preparing to meet it, and on a national and international scale. ”

“ In the year 1824 the great Act of Liberation took place, and during the succeeding 100 years the best men and women that any movement has known have contributed to the building up of our movement as we know it to-day. Not only in Britain but in every country where the Trade Union Movement is now established the memory of the men and women who struggled to establish the Industrial Movement should be held in honour. ”

“ I think Congress will agree with the General Council making it quite plain to the Government and the whole world that, being conscious of the fact that our British movement has won its way from such conditions of slavery as are being imposed in China to our present comparative or limited freedom, we are prepared, on behalf of the British Trade Union Movement, to raise our voice in condemnation of the atrocities committed by the British and other employers in China, and in wishing the Chinese people every success in their struggles against the employing and imperialist class in their country. ”

“ On the subject of British imperialism the resolution was equally emphatic: "This Trades Union Congress believes that the domination of non-British peoples by the British Government is a form of capitalist exploitation having for its object the securing for British capitalists (1) of cheap sources of raw materials; (2) the right to exploit cheap and unorganised labour and to use the competition of that labour to degrade the workers' standards in Great Britain. ”

“ Nothing but wisdom and prudence in the leaders and loyalty and devotion in the rank and file could enable the Trade Union Movement to come through a period of such unparalleled crisis with its essential unity unimpaired, its organisation fundamentally sound, and its future uncompromised. ”

“ Fellow delegates, I make bold to say that the organised workers we represent have given in the last four years an impressive demonstration to the whole world of their unity of purpose, their capacity to make sacrifices for the cause in which they believe, and of their determination to maintain the industrial organisation they have built up. ”

“ There is now a new atmosphere, and it is our duty to bend all our energies to the reconstruction of the International Trade Union Movement on the basis of toleration, mutual understanding, and unity of purpose. ”

“ Strong men champion the issues; state them forcefully; debate them ardently. In the course of every such debate a larger issue emerges—the issue of Labor Unity. Old labor men recognize it. Young labor men are schooled to watch for it. ”

“ Simultaneously the backward centres of industrial and political slavery are organising and rising in revolt against the capitalist order of society; and so we see India, China, and other Eastern countries in the throes of upheaval and demanding the right of self-determination. ”

“ We are told in some quarters that we are giving too much time to our Russian comrades, but does not every member who is desirous of establishing a world-wide international movement perceive the immense stride forward that would be made by bringing in six and a-half millions of organised workers? ”

“ It is imperative that we shall have a clear understanding with the Trade Unions throughout the world. A step in that direction is to strengthen and bring into the International Federation of Trade Unions all the countries of Europe, and the work of your General Council during the year will be looked back to in years to come as contributing to the building up of an effective international organisation. ”

“ We do not blame our own capitalist class especially, for capitalism is the same all over the world. In Palestine, where the working class is trying to get the merest semblance of Trade Union rights, arms are used against them. ”

“ I can conceive of no greater blunder and disservice to the movement than that of raking up all the nasty and bitter statements that have been made during the past four to five years and trying to breathe new life into, and fan into flame, the hatreds arising from war conditions. ”

“ Again, there was the Soviet Republic—the world's first experiment in working class government—invaded, blockaded, starved, denounced, lied about. White terror was financed and supported in Finland and Hungary ”

“ Parliamentarism as a means of attaining the new social order is under strong labor suspicion in Britain today. There is every indication that the workers are preparing for direct industrial action. The success of the Minority Movement indicates such a course. The temper of British workers and their leaders certainly suggests it. ”

“ The Miners advocate centralized power so that the General Council can be brought into disputes before and not after they have begun. No union ought to fight alone. It will be smashed every time. We must give to the Trade Union Movement centralized power. ”

“ British Labor, showing a solid front to British Capital and to the British Government, won its point in the face of as difficult an economic situation as recent times have produced. The success gave the whole British Labor Movement a new sense of the power that comes with Trade Union Unity. ”

“ Wage cuts totalling in the aggregate many hundreds of millions of purchasing power have been imposed upon the workers. In addition the Trade Unions have borne a dead-weight burden in the form of abnormal unemployment, which has depleted their financial reserves, and with a falling membership the yearly income of the unions has been substantially reduced. ”

“ We should aim at getting all of the world's workers into one organization that should have as its basis good wages and working conditions. We ought to assist in formingtrade unions wherever imperialism has planted its foot. ”

“ We must bring all the pressure of our movement to bear upon the Government, for Russia is a potential customer, with a developing country, whose demands will expand. She is securing markets elsewhere, and Great Britain is in danger of finding herself left outside the demands of this great and growing country. ”

“ Industries are in an appalling condition, and the employing class stand aghast at their own handiwork. For almost a century and a-half theirs has been the task to apply the economic policy of industry. ”

“ They set free the bankers from the burden of the banks; they set free the employers from the burden of conducting the factories; they set free the landowners from the burden of the land; and on that basis they hold power and have built up a working-class State."
Tomsky asked the delegates to give up mutual accusation and to assist in setting up one united Trade Union International, Russia, he said, was prepared to join such an International. ”

“ Let the employers who think the organised working class can be driven still further back take warning from this, This movement of ours has learned many lessons during these years of reaction engineered by the employers, and one of the lessons is that a militant and progressive policy, consistently and steadily pursued, is the only policy that will unify, consolidate, and inspire our rank and file. ”

“ Similarly, in the case of the lock-out of textile workers, the General Council were instrumental in assisting the unions to resist effectively the most insistent attempts of the employers to force the men back to work at reduced wages. Occurring at the period when the mining crisis was at its most critical stage, the textile lock-out did not command the public attention it ordinarily would have done, but here, just as in the mining dispute, the General Council worked assiduously to strengthen and consolidate the forces of the workers. ”

“ The three comfortable-looking, businessman-like American delegates talked of high wages, short hours, the stabilization of industry, super-power, labor banking and collaboration with the employers in the enforcement of the workmen's compensation laws. M. Tomsky, an undersized, stooping product of European proletarian life, spoke of the class struggle and of revolution. ”

“ Deny it as they may, the present chaos is of their making, for they have persistently and consistently denied the workers the slightest measure of control. 'Yours not to reason why, yours but to do and die' has been the policy forced upon our workpeople, even to the extent of the lock-out policy in some industries. ”

“ With unanimity also, the Congress passed a resolution instructing the General Council "to at once get into touch with the organised workers' political bodies, with a view to doing everything possible to put a stop to the murderous crimes being perpetrated against our working class Chinese comrades who are struggling to improve their horrible working conditions." ”

“ Those who support the Dawes Plan are inevitably driving the German working class to revolution.
"The capitalist press and the capitalist class never flatter labor leaders," Pollitt continued, "unless they have done something bad for the working class. ”

“ The lessons being taught to-day in those countries will fructify in the years to come. These achievements will stand as a beacon light, showing the way to a higher development of democratic welfare than the world has known. ”

“ It was also the first great national experiment in working class control. Russia is a Socialist Republic, and I wish to call your attention to the fact that it is the only revolution, the only economic change, that has received the universal condemnation of the exploiting classes. ”

“ If it is an industrial question, it must be dealt with by the Industrial Council, and any help that the political party can give must be given through that Council. Both sides have their work to do. The industrial man must devote his whole time to his job, and the political man should do the same. ”

“ From time to time the workers have been faced with demands for reductions in wages to encourage improvement in trade. As a result huge sums have been surrendered, amounting in the aggregate since 1923 to the enormous sum of £556,400,000 per year. I am inclined to believe that the extent to which the workers have conceded wages to help industry to revive is not fully realised. ”

“ We are proud of our movement, and I believe we are entitled to take pride in its achievements, not the least remarkable of which has been its ability to weather the storm of the last few years and to confront with unbroken spirit and resolute will the powerfully organised forces of capitalism. ”

“ Administrative separation of the Congress and the Labor Party precipitated the first real discussion of the Congress. The offices of the two organizations are in adjoining buildings; in the main the same delegates attend both the Congress and the Labor Party Conference; largely the same men aid in the executive direction of both bodies ”

“ The demonstration of Trade Union solidarity connected with the miners' struggle, a month ago, has given hope to the whole movement. The result will strengthen every section of working class organisation and help the unions to become 100 per cent. ”