Re: [Marxism] Anti-Imperialism and the IWW

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Calvin wrote:
> Why then did Walter Nef, head of the I.W.W. Agricultural Worker's
> Organization, say "We are against the war, but not organised and can do
> nothing" (Patrick Renshaw *The Wobblies*, p. 329)? "Even 'Big Bill'
> Haywood the angry and militant I.W.W. leader, had to back off: "I am at a
> loss as to definite steps to be taken against the war". Finally, the
> I.W.W. decided to duck the issue as much as possible. The word went out to
> white workers to stick to local economic issues of higher wages, etc. and
> not oppose the government. 'Organize now... for the postwar struggle
> should be the watchword'" (Sakai, p. 68).

In Oklahoma, the Socialist Party and the IWW formed a "Working Class Union"
and planned a draft resisters' march on Washington. There, 450 members of
the union were arrested and sentenced to prison. In Boston, 8,000 marched
against the war. The draft had been instituted because men were not
responding to the call to enlist. But ultimately more than 330,000 were
classified as draft evaders...

When the leaders of the IWW were put on trial for their activities against
the First World War, one of them spoke to the court:

"You ask me why the IWW is not patriotic for the United States. If you were
a bum without a blanket . . . if your job had never kept you long enough in
a place to qualify you to vote; if every person who represented law and
order and the nation beat you up, railroaded you to jail, and the good
Christian people cheered and told them to go to it, how in hell do you
expect a man to be patriotic? This is a businessman's war, and we don't see
why we should go out and get shot in order to save the lovely state of
affairs that we now enjoy."

full: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/Opposing_War_Party.html


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