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Schweizerische Metallarbeiter-Zeitung, 1916, No. 40 (September 30, 1916).... A “Survey” by E. Th.: “Economic nature” of the war.... “Collapse of the International”.... “The capitalists of ‘Ger- many’ organised” against those of “England”.... Besides being skilled workers (fitters, etc.) we must be politicians and strive for “socialisation of the means of production”.... “There can be no separating trade unions and politics”; we risk “condemning ourselves to the role of sick- nurses of capitalism”.... |
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In No. 41 (October 7, 1916) an unsigned article: “Survey (Another Point of View)” says that E. Th. agrees neither with the author of the article “Trade Unions and the Military Question” nor with the editorial postscript. He is against “isolating” the trade unions, “restricting” them to “purely trade union questions”. |
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The author defends the opposite view in 3½ half-columns: we cannot do everything; there is more than enough to do already (lists of reform- ist issues!!); we have had six articles on imperialism, and from the Social-Democratic standpoint; in 1904, Schneeberger, representative of the Central Committee of the Metalworkers’ Union in Lucerne, was opposed to “throwing our- selves (as a trade union) into political activity”, and he received 56 votes to 18 at the Lucerne trade union congress; and “instead of planned [p. 2, column 3] fruitful work aimed primarily at achieving, as far as possible, the goals set out in the trade union statutes, we shall generate a boundless mania for improving the world, with all manner of projects vociferously proclaimed and not one realised. The majority of the workers stick to facts. However much they would like to see ‘socialisation of the means of production’ they will not plunge into adventures.” |
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