the strike was won The IWW saw beyond strikes: Strikes are mere incidents in the class war;they are tests of strength,periodical drills in the course of which the workers train themselves for concerted action.This training is most necessary to prepare the masses for the final "catastrophe,"the general strike which will complete the expropriation of the employers. The idea of anarcho-syndicalism was developing strongly in Spain and Italy and France at this time-that the workers would take power,not by seizing the state machinery in an armed rebellion,but by bringing the economic system to a halt in a general strike. then taking it over to use for the good of all.IWW organizer Joseph Ettor said: If the workers of the world want to win,all they have to do is recognize their own solidarity.They have nothing to do but fold their arms and the world will stop.The workers are more powerful with their hands in their pockets than all the property of the capitalists... It was an immensely powerful idea.In the ten exciting years after its birth,the IWW became a threat to the capitalist class,exactly when capitalist growth was enormous and profits huge.The IWW never had more than five to ten thousand enrolled members at any one time-people came and went,and perhaps a hundred thousand were members at one time or another.But their energy,their persistence,their inspiration to others,their ability to mobilize thousands at one place,one time,made them an influence on the country far beyond their numbers.They traveled everywhere(many were unemployed or migrant workers);they organized,wrote,spoke,sang,spread their message and their spirit. They were attacked with all the weapops the system could put together:the newspapers,the courts,the police,the army,mob violence.Local authorities passed laws to stop them from speaking;the IWW defied these laws.In Missoula,Montana,a lumber and mining area,hundreds of Wobbdteg arrived by boxcar after some had been prevented from speaking.They were arrestdone after another until they clogged the jails and the courts,and finally forced the town to repeal its antispeech ordinance. In Spokane,Washingtet in 1909,an ordinance was passed to stop street meetings, and an IWW organizer who insisted on speaking was arrested.Thousands of Wobblies marched into the center of town to speak.One by one they spoke and were arrested,until six hundred were in jail.Jail conditions were brutal,and several men died in their cells, but the IWW won the right to speak. In Fresno,California,in 1911,there was another free speech fight.The San Francisco Call commented: It is one of those strange situations which crop up suddenly and are hard to understand. Some thousands of men,whose business it is to work with their hands,tramping and stealing rides,suffering hardships and facing dangers-to get into jail.... In jail they sang,they shouted,they made speeches through the bars to groups that gathered outside the prison.As Joyce Kornbluh reports in her remarkable collection of TWW documents,Rebel Voices: They took turns lecturing about the class struggle and leading the singing of Wobbly songs.When they refused to stop,the jailor sent for fire department trucks and ordered the fire hoses turned full force on the prisoners.The men used their mattresses as shields, and quiet was only restored when the icy water reached knee-high in the cells.the strike was won. The IWW saw beyond strikes: Strikes are mere incidents in the class war; they are tests of strength, periodical drills in the course of which the workers train themselves for concerted action. This training is most necessary to prepare the masses for the final "catastrophe," the general strike which will complete the expropriation of the employers. The idea of anarcho-syndicalism was developing strongly in Spain and Italy and France at this time-that the workers would take power, not by seizing the state machinery in an armed rebellion, but by bringing the economic system to a halt in a general strike, then taking it over to use for the good of all. IWW organizer Joseph Ettor said: If the workers of the world want to win, all they have to do is recognize their own solidarity. They have nothing to do but fold their arms and the world will stop. The workers are more powerful with their hands in their pockets than all the property of the capitalists. . . . It was an immensely powerful idea. In the ten exciting years after its birth, the IWW became a threat to the capitalist class, exactly when capitalist growth was enormous and profits huge. The IWW never had more than five to ten thousand enrolled members at any one time- people came and went, and perhaps a hundred thousand were members at one time or another. But their energy, their persistence, their inspiration to others, their ability to mobilize thousands at one place, one time, made them an influence on the country far beyond their numbers. They traveled everywhere (many were unemployed or migrant workers); they organized, wrote, spoke, sang, spread their message and their spirit. They were attacked with all the weapons the system could put together: the newspapers, the courts, the police, the army, mob violence. Local authorities passed laws to stop them from speaking; the IWW defied these laws. In Missoula, Montana, a lumber and mining area, hundreds of Wobblies arrived by boxcar after some had been prevented from speaking. They were arrested one after another until they clogged the jails and the courts, and finally forced the town to repeal its antispeech ordinance. In Spokane, Washington, in 1909, an ordinance was passed to stop street meetings, and an IWW organizer who insisted on speaking was arrested. Thousands of Wobblies marched into the center of town to speak. One by one they spoke and were arrested, until six hundred were in jail. Jail conditions were brutal, and several men died in their cells, but the IWW won the right to speak. In Fresno, California, in 1911, there was another free speech fight. The San Francisco Call commented: It is one of those strange situations which crop up suddenly and are hard to understand. Some thousands of men, whose business it is to work with their hands, tramping and stealing rides, suffering hardships and facing dangers-to get into jail. . . . In jail they sang, they shouted, they made speeches through the bars to groups that gathered outside the prison. As Joyce Kornbluh reports in her remarkable collection of TWW documents, Rebel Voices: They took turns lecturing about the class struggle and leading the singing of Wobbly songs. When they refused to stop, the jailor sent for fire department trucks and ordered the fire hoses turned full force on the prisoners. The men used their mattresses as shields, and quiet was only restored when the icy water reached knee-high in the cells. no profit use only