Second International | The 1889 Congresses | Proceedings of First Congress (Possibilist)
The session opens at 2.30 p.m. under the chairmanship of citizens Blancvalet, a Belgian delegate, and Philippe, a delegate from Paris; the assessors are citizens John Burns, an English delegate, and Soulery, a delegate from Algeria.
Citizen Lavy acts as secretary.
The minutes of the previous session are read and adopted.
The English delegation declares that it has rejected Article 6 of the draft resolution on the first item of the agenda, because it wants no overtime at all.
Citizen Lavy reads the following motion which was tabled at the morning sitting of July 18:
A committee will have the task of receiving, translating and forwarding to the interested parties all the communications addressed to it which concern the social and industrial condition of the workers.
Citizen Greenwood states that he intended to complete Hyndman's motion and not to substitute another for it as Citizen Fenwick said, and to mark the —78— character of this motion, it should begin: "The Committee, etc."
Citizen Eveleigh tables the following resolution:
Congress resolves:
That state and municipal laws be promulgated for the adoption of a pair of modern languages, specifically French-English, to be taught at the same time in the schools of France, and on our side, English-French in secondary schools and free or endowed schools; other nations to adopt at least one pair of modern languages, for example German-English or German-French, Dutch-English or Dutch-French, Italian-English or Italian-French; whichever best meets the wants or needs of each nation. In short, one of these two universal languages, English or French, should be taught side by side with the mother tongue of each nation."
Citizen Eveleigh expands on his proposal. He explains that we could use the English language as the universal language of trade, and the French language as the language of diplomacy.
Due to their superb literature these two languages are within the reach of all nations. In England this proposal has been very well received. The Lord Mayor has promised to take an interest in it.
The English delegate’s proposal is put to the vote and adopted unanimously.
Citizen Lavy reads a note from the secretariat. The note states that to date the French delegation is made up of 521 delegates representing 227 Chambre Syndicales and circles for social studies. The foreign delegation is made up of 124 groups and Chambres syndicales are represented by 91 delegates. In total: 369 groups and Chambres syndicales, and 612 delegates.
Citizen Verrycken, a Belgian delegate, reads —719— out a motion presented by the Organizing Committee for the Congress on the second question:
The Congress,
Wishing to establish permanent relations between the organizations of different countries, but resolved not to allow the autonomy of these organizations to be undermined,
Decides:
1. That permanent relations must be established between the socialist organizations of the different countries, but that in no case, and under no pretext, can these relations undermine the autonomy of the national groups, these being the only and best judges of the tactics to be employed in their own country;
2. That an invitation be extended to chambres syndicales and occupational groups to federate nationally and internationally;
3. That the creation of an international bulletin written in several languages be considered by the socialist parties of the various countries;
4. That it is appropriate to ask each workers' organization to issue a card to those of its members who change residence, in order for them to be recognized by their brothers in other countries;
5. That Committees be established in each country where they do not exist to maintain international relations in the occupational and political and social realms;
6. That each year, for one year only, the national Committee of a country should act as a central international body for correspondence. This Committee is prohibited from making any decision exceeding the role assigned to it.
The report of the Committee was adopted unanimously by the nationalities present in the session.
Citizen Allemane demands that the Hyndman Amendment not be put to a vote. Each nation, having autonomy, is free to decide whether its interests require one or two committees for international relations.
—80— Congress decides that it is in this sense that item 6 of the resolutions on the second question should be understood, as well as the addition presented by Citizen Greenwood, the substance of which is as follows:
This Committee will be tasked with receiving, translating and forwarding to the interested parties all communications addressed to them and relating to the social and industrial conditions of the workers.
A copy of this resolution will be sent to the Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee of the Congress of Trades Unions, with an invitation to put it to the Annual Congress to be held in Dundee in September 1889.
Citizen S. Headingley conveys to Congress the good impression made on the English delegation by the votes just cast by Congress. The British believe that these votes are rebuilding the International.
Citizen Waudby, an American delegate, proposes the following resolution which is adopted:
The International Labour Congress declares that its resolutions in favour of the reduction of working hours and the limitation of the work by women and children, and other protective measures, cannot be taken as expressing its full program of industrial reform.
These measures are only demanded to provide for the present, to alleviate the hardships of labour and to grant the leisure, education and organization necessary to finally lead to the appropriation and control of all means of production by the workers themselves. That, we assert, is the only measure that can ensure labour its full rights.
Congress next adopts the following motion tabled by Citizen Bowen, a US delegate:
The International Labour Congress condemns immigration as a remedy for industrial crises; it is false in principle, cruel in practice, only helps the countries from which the immigrants come, and causes serious harm to the nations in which they seek asylum.
—81— It is, rather, a temporary relief for the nations of Europe, and will be rendered unnecessary by the nationalization of the means of production and a fair distribution of the products of labour.
Congress approves of the law of the United States which prohibits the importation of contract labour, and declares that every government should introduce a law forbidding such contracts in their respective territories and another law punishing incitement to immigration through false promises and misrepresentation.
Citizen Fulgueroso, a Spanish delegate, speaks about the creation of a newsletter intended to disseminate socialist principles in different languages. He proposes that resolutions taken for this purpose be sent to the Committee responsible for organizing the next international Congress.
The creation of a publication translated into several languages will considerably facilitate international socialist relations.
Congress next turns to the third item on the agenda: Combinations of employers and intervention by the public authorities.
Citizen Caumeau explains that employers and capitalists know how to combine to contribute to the defeat of the workers who demand either a salary increase or a reduction in working hours. The public authorities have a duty to intervene in these conflicts, but not as they usually do, by shooting workers.
Citizen Herbert Burrows, an English delegate, says that in England there are rings which corner the market in copper and other metals.
He believes that no legislation can prevent these rings. On the contrary, it is necessary that these rings be preserved, because they are the swansong of capital.
—82— When they fall, the moment will be ripe for the nationalization of the means of production.
The following resolution is read out:
While recognizing the extreme difficulty, in the present state of capitalism, of preventing by law the formation of Rings or combinations, Congress declares that all possible efforts to organize the workers must be made, so that when the time is right they are ready to take over the means of production and exchange that the current monopolies have created, in order to use them for the good of the workers, and not for the benefit of one class.
Signed: Robert HUNTER, delegate of the bottle glassworkers of England; Herbert BURROWS, S.D.F. delegate; Paul J. BOWEN, Delegate of the Knights of Labor, America.
Citizen Allemane proposes that the Congress hold three sessions on the 20th July. It is decided to stick to the two normal sessions.
The session ends at five o'clock.