Page:The Social General Strike - Arnold Roller (1912).djvu/20

 worker, and so the mere pleasure to produce will be the mightiest impulse and surest guarantee for all working artists, and a splendid inspirer, sufficient for all necessities. Since impulses of human occupation, the abilities and notions of men are so vastly different, it will be possible to satisfy the most manifold necessities of humanity.

However, before the realisation of this ideal—perfectly free Communism, needless of regulation—there will probably be a time of transition, the form and organisation of which will be determined principally by the working men bound in Trade Unionism.

One sees this clearest in France, and it was proved best by the organ of the French Trade Unions, La Voix du Peuple, which mainly made the propaganda of the General Strike its task.

The organisation in France is characterised on a large scale as follows:—

All members of a trade in a city unite in a local Trade Union; for example, the local Union of the cabinet makers of the city. All other trades of the same city also have their local Unions. All these local Unions unite in the "Bourse du Travail" (Labour Exchange) of the same city. Here is where they hold their meetings, where they have courses of instruction and entertainments, and where they discuss their common affairs. The collective organisation of one city is, according to this, the Labour Exchange. All Labour Exchanges of all cities in the whole country are again united by the Federation of Labour Exchanges.

Again, every local Union besides is a member of the Union of all Unions of cabinet makers of France. All Trade Unions, again, are united in their Industrial Union, locally and nationally organised; for instance, the cabinet makers' Union in the local Union of the woodworkers, the local Union of wood workers in the national Union of the woodworkers for all France.

All national Industrial and Trade Unions of France of all trades are again united by a general organisation, the "Confederation Generale du Travail" and the "Federation des Bourses du Travail," whose members, previously united, form a netlike structure, working hand in hand.

Of course, all these Trade Unions are autonomous and line up next to each other; not one superior to the other. Here is no "Executive Committee," no "General Assembly"; only a committee of communication and correspondence.

In the months inclusive of June to October, 1902, La Voix du Peuple (Voice of the People) had in its columns a public discussion regarding the work of the present organisations—in the future—on the day of the General Strike, and about the form of organisation and function which they proposed to give to the newly-to-be-erected society. An immense number of answers which the Trade Unions sent in, a highly interesting result in regard to their uniformity, were published. Outside of the general points, each Trade Union in its reply especially dealt with the position which it would take in future,as well as during and directly after the victorious General Strike.

For instance, amongst others, in the name of his Union, the