Speer: History of the Union of Russian Workers [April 8, 1919] 1 The Russian Workingmen’s Association, sometimes called the Union of Russian Workers (What It Is and How It Operates). [A Bureau of Investigation Internal Report] April 8, 1919 by Edgar B. Speer Report prepared in he Pittsburgh Office of the Bureau of Investigation. Document in DoJ/BoI Investigative Files, NARA M-1085, reel. 926, file 325570. At Pittsburgh, Pa. included some of the Russian Anarchists. There was trouble among the members of this organization and From the 6th to the 9th of January, 1919, the a Russian Anarchist by the name of William Shatov, 2nd Convention of the Russian Colonies was held in sometimes called Shatoff, who now occupies a promi- New York City. One hundred twenty-three delegates nent position in the Lenin Government in Russia; participated in the convention and they represented another Russian by the name of A. Rode, who is still 33,975 Russians, according to the Soviet of Working- living in the United States; a man by the name of men’s Deputies of the US and Canada Weekly. The inde- Dieproski; a Finnish Anarchist by the name of Peter- pendent element was represented by 60 delegates; son, who it is understood is still living in the United Union of Russian Workers, 49; Socialists, 9; Indus- States under the name of Peters; and several others. trial Workers of the World, 2; and Anarchists, 3. Dur- These met and formed a Russian Anarchist Group. ing the convention, Peter Bianki, who represented the The Group was in existence about 6 months when it Union of Russian Workers of the United States and began the publication of a monthly paper called Golos Canada and the Anarchists, declared from the con- Truda (Voice of Labor). This paper was published for vention floor: “The Union of Russian Workers deny any about 6 months in New York City when the Post Office form of power and Government because where Govern- Department in New York issued an order prohibiting ment begins, Revolution ends and where there is Revolu- its mailing on account of its anarchistic character. tion there is no place for Government.” Bianki further Through the influence of Golos Truda the Anar- declared that the Union of Russian Workers has found chist Group succeeded in getting a considerable num- it possible to support the Bolsheviki in its struggle ber of kindred spirits organized into Anarchist Groups against the counterrevolution because the Bolsheviki in Philadelphia, Penn.; Chicago, Ill.; Brooklyn, NY; undoubtedly are the most Revolutionary part of the and Elizabethport, NJ. After the newspaper was sup- Russian Social Democratic Party. The foregoing briefly pressed a conference or Convention was held in New sets forth the principles as they exist today of the Rus- York sometime in 1908 and it was decided to form an sian Workingmen’s Association, sometimes called the organization to be known as the Russian Workingmen’s Union of Russian Workers. Association and to publish a monthly paper (Voice of In 1907 the Russian Radicals in New York had Labor) to be owned by the Russian Labor Publishers no comprehensive organization. Some of them be- of New York. At this Convention the newspaper was longed to the Socialist Revolutionary Party, which also designated the official organ of the Anarchist-Com- 1 2 Speer: History of the Union of Russian Workers [April 8, 1919] munists in the United States and so was born the Rus- War Prince Peter Kropotkin, the father of modern An- sian Workingmen’s Association, sometimes called the archy and an advocate of Communism, sent an open Union of Russian Workers. letter to Russian Anarchists all over the world urging The following officers were elected: Shatov, Edi- them to enlist with the Allies and to fight German tor of the Voice of Labor, and A. Rode, Secretary and Militarism. Kropotkin’s reason for such action was that Treasurer. Plans were perfected for the organization in if German Militarism prevailed, Anarchist-Commu- various points and cities in the United States and nism all over the world would be unable to succeed or Canada of 50 locals under the name of Russian progress. He cited in his open letter what took place Workingmen’s Association. The New York Group as- during the Paris Commune of the 18th of March, sumed the leadership of the Association and from it 1871, at which time the French Government lost emanated all the plans and propaganda. The newspa- power to control the people in the Paris district and per was published monthly until 1912. From that year the French aristocrats and diplomats, realizing the situ- it was published weekly until it was finally suppressed ation, petitioned the German Emperor through Bis- by the Federal Government in 1917, the last issue be- marck for help. The German Emperor sent an army ing Friday, April 13th of that year. The publication to France and crushed the Paris Commune. office was at 586 East 140th Street. Probably the most important convention that In 1912 a Convention of the Association was the Union of Russian Workingmen in the United States held in Philadelphia; Shatov and Rode had communi- and Canada held was the meeting in Detroit which cated with the French Anarcho-Syndicalists and a del- convened from July 1st to July 7th, 1914. At this gath- egate named Muchin was sent from Paris. Through ering a number of resolutions were passed which sub- the influence of Muchin, Shatov, and Rode, the Voice of sequently were drafted into the Constitution for the Labor, which had formerly been advocating Anarchist- organization. At this convention there were delegates Communism changed its policy to Anarcho-Syndical- from Brooklyn, New York; New York City; Cosmopolis ism, the reason being given at the Philadelphia Con- and Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Vancouver vention was that America was not yet ripe for Com- and Victoria, Canada; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati and munism and that the conditions of the working men Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, in this country could be better taken care of by Syndi- Maryland; Lynn, Salem, and Brockton, Massachusetts; calism than by Communism. and Providence, RI. The Association as it exists today Following the Convention, Muchin visited sev- is operating under the 1914 Constitution which has eral cities in the United States and spent some time in not been materially changed. The dues books as issued the Pittsburgh district. The Voice of Labor immediately to members today contain the preamble as adopted changed its policy following the Philadelphia Conven- by the Detroit Convention. That preamble is as fol- tion and began advocating Anarcho-Syndicalism. This lows: was done, however, without full authority from the Present society is divided into two opposing classes: 50 or more locals through the continent. The result the downtrodden Workers and Peasants, on the one side, was that immediately a great deal of contention arose producing by their work all the riches of the world; the rich people, on the other side, who have grabbed all the riches among the members of the Association as to whether into their hands. it should be the champion of Anarchist-Communism Many a time the Class of the Oppressed stood up or Anarcho-Syndicalism. The locals seemed to be against the rich parasites and their faithful servant and protector — the Government — to conquer its full Liberation equally divided and as a rule the membership of each from the yoke of Capitalism and Political Power; but every local was equally divided as well. A condition was time it suffered defeat, not being fully conscious of its own brought about that resulted in a faction of the mem- final goal and means, by which victory can be accomplished, thus remaining only a weapon in the hands of its enemies. bership of the Association operating with Muchin, The struggle between these two classes is being fought Shatov, and Rode, and a fraction opposed to the three also at the present time and will end only when the Toiling leaders. Masses, organized as a class, will understand their true interests and will make themselves masters of all the riches Contention grew and had about disrupted the of the world by means of a violent Social Revolution. Association when at the beginning of the European Having accomplished such a change and having Speer: History of the Union of Russian Workers [April 8, 1919] 3 annihilated at the same time all the institutions of the the organizers and prime movers put into practice a Government and State, the class of the disowned must establish the Society of Free Producers, aiming at satisfying systematic scheme of propaganda for the education of the needs of every individual person who, on its side, is Russian immigrants in the United States with a view giving to the Society their labor and their knowledge. to developing them into anarchists. Invariably schools For the attainment of these aims, we consider as of primary importance the necessity of building up a wide are established in connection with each local. It was Revolutionary Organization of Toilers which, by conducting planned to have each local situated in large centers of a direct struggle with all the Institutions of Capitalism and Russian population. When a local was established, a Government, must train the Working Class to initiative and independent action in all its acts, thus educating it in the night school, which operated from 3 to 5 nights a week, consciousness of the absolute necessity of a General Strike was started at the local’s headquarters. Approximately — of the Social Revolution. 75% of the Russians who immigrate to this country STATUTES OF THE UNION OF RUSSIAN are illiterate; they are not only unable to read and write WORKERS OF THE UNITED STATES English, but they are unable to also read and write AND CANADA, UNITED IN FEDERATION.