Second International | The 1889 Congresses | Proceedings of First Congress (Possibilist)
—27—
Appointed as chairmen: Citizen Paulard, municipal councillor of Paris, for France; Citizen Camps, Spanish delegate, for abroad.
Citizens Jensen, Danish delegate, and Champy are selected as assessors, citizens Galiment and Bruguier as secretaries.
Before reading the previous minutes, —45— Citizen Lavy announces that a party will be given next Saturday, at the Hôtel-de-Ville, in honour of the two Congresses.
New very important messages of support reach the Congress.
Citizen Nic regrets that the secretary did not include in the minutes the resolution tabled by the Butte-Montmartre group concerning the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille.
Citizen Lavy replies that it is not practical to insert resolutions in full in the minutes. It suffices to note their intention.
On behalf of the English delegation, Citizen John Burns moves the adoption of the minutes. The minutes are adopted.
Citizen Lavy reads the minutes of the Tuesday morning session.
These minutes are adopted after a correction by Citizen Lenormand, who notes the presence at the Congress of 46 provincial trade unions, represented by 52 delegates.
Citizen Lavy reminds the members of the National Committee that, as part of the administrative committee, they have a duty to attend the meetings of this committee during the day if they can. He also asks the unions and the French groups to announce the number of their members.
On a motion by Citizen Blondeau, Citizens Caumeau and Lenormand, rapporteurs of the two credentials committees, are made responsible for receiving this information.
Citizen Costa translates a letter of support for the Congress from the dyers of Barcelona.
Citizen John Burns proposes that, in order to avoid wasting time, we should simply give notice of messages of support without reading the letters.
—46— Citizen Lavy informs Congress that the mandate for the delegates of the Union of the Lyon weavers had arrived.
A delegate from the American Federation of Labor reads an address from that federation.
After an observation by Citizen Denéchaud who points out that that citizen is not a delegate to Congress, he leaves the stage.
The next item on the agenda is the discussion of the proposal of the Belgian Workers' Party, relating to the merger of the two Congresses.
First a delegate from Austria-Hungary says that the verification of credentials for his nationality has been completed. One delegate has withdrawn. Another delegate, Citizen Schaubert, from Transylvania, was recalled to his country owing to a family bereavement. There remain 6 delegates representing 64 chambres syndicales, 25 groups and 35 towns.
Citizen Paulard, on behalf of the Congress, assures Citizen Schaubert of his regrets for his bereavement.
Citizen Lavy restates the Belgian Workers' Party's proposal on the merger of the Congresses.
Citizen J.-B. Clément, on behalf of a number of delegates, tables the following proposal:
Considering that the unity of revolutionary socialists and the merger of the two International Workers' Congresses conform to the feelings of the French and foreign delegates gathered in rue de Lancry at the International Congress organized by the Federation of Socialist Workers of France;
Considering further that the organizing committee of this Congress has appealed to all French and foreign socialist workers' groups without distinction of tendency and that it would have been happy if its appeal had been answered;
That the doors of this Congress have been and are open wide to all people of goodwill, of all understandings, whoever they follow;
That, therefore, there is no longer any need to discuss the issue of union or merger;
—47— We ask that the discussion should therefore only be of the foundations to be determined with a view to the union and the merger of the two Congresses.
Citizen Cipriani, on behalf of Italy, calls for the unity of socialists to fight against the bourgeoisie.
A motion for reconciliation, submitted to the Marxist Congress by citizen Domela Nieuwenhuis, Dutch delegate, has been rejected; another, by Citizen Liebknecht, German delegate, has been voted for.
Here are these two motions:
Domela Nieuwenhuis' motion
Congress, noting with regret that all efforts to unite into a single Congress have been unsuccessful,
Considering that the agenda of both Congresses is almost exactly the same,
Considering that the unification of the workers of the whole world is the duty of all,
Declares that this Congress is ready to merge with the other and demands that the mandates of the two Congresses should not be challenged by either side; decides that this resolution will be communicated to the other Congress and that as soon as it accepts an equivalent resolution, the present Congress will appoint a committee to come to an agreement with the committee of the other Congress.
Liebknecht motion:
This Congress recognizes that the members of the Conference and of the Parisian organizing committee have demonstrated their sincere desire to bring about an understanding of all socialist parties and workers' organizations regarding the International Congress and regrets that the steps taken to towards understanding and unity have not succeeded;
But considering that the unity of the proletariat is the indispensable condition for the emancipation of the proletariat and that consequently it is the duty of every democratic socialist not to neglect any attempt which might help to eliminate discord, Congress declares that it is still ready to come to an understanding and to unity provided that the groups of the other Congress reach a similar conclusion which all members of this Congress can accept.
—48— Citizens Blondeau, delegate of the wheelwrights, and Aveline, delegate of the Federation of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, submit the following proposal:
Congress accepts the merger under the following conditions:
1. Verification of mandates by a joint committee of the two Congresses;
2. No proposal other than those on the agendas of the two Congresses can be discussed.
Citizen Gelez also table the following proposal:
Having regard to the proposals for unity made in each Congress by the foreign delegations;
Congress
Declares that it is fully convinced that the triumph of the principles of social equality imperiously demands the international unity of all bodies of socialist workers;
But, considering that on both sides we find ourselves in the presence of delegates with particular mandates which they must obey; and, further considering the material difficulties and the delays that would result from immediately merging the two Congresses together into one;
We propose:
1. That each Congress discuss its agenda separately;
2. That for similar questions put to both Congresses, each of them appoints a separate general committee for resolutions, composed of 15 members;
3. As soon as the discussion on these identical questions has ended, in each Congress, the two general committees for resolutions meet to formulate a single report on each identical paragraph;
4. The vote on these three reports will take place in a plenary conference held (in a new hall) and in which all the delegations to the two International Socialist Congresses of 1889 will be assembled;
5. This plenary conference will also rule on the delegation's proposal for the next International Congress, for which it will set the agenda;
—49— 6. The organizing committees of the two Congresses will have to agree on the holding of this conference, which will take place immediately the Congress has ended.
The Danish delegate calls for workers' unity. This citizen recognizes that the Workers' Party (the Federation of Socialist Workers of France), received the mandate to organize the Congress of 1889 from the International Congresses of Paris and London.
The delegate of Austria-Hungary says there is no use discussing the merger issue any further. We would waste precious time. However, a plenary meeting of the two Congresses, for voting on the resolutions, could take place.
Citizen John Burns says he has friends in both Congresses. The French must set aside the topics of disagreement as did the English delegates of the Trades Unions and the Social Democratic Federation. In each Congress, delegates of each nationality could come to an agreement to make a start on negotiations for the merger.
Citizen Besant, an English delegate, says that the Possibilist Congress is open to everyone. She observes that there are English people in the Marxist Congress who have delegated themselves. Congresses are socialist parliaments where there should only be delegates of the workers.
Citizen Parnell, delegate of the London Trades Council, adds that in order to carry out the merger, the delegates should have their mandates verified. We cannot accept fictitious mandates.
Citizen Vliegen, Dutch delegate, says that the verification of mandates is a question of principle. The Congresses must merge in order to more easily achieve the emancipation of the proletarians of all countries.
Citizen Viterbo de Campos, delegate of Portugal, is of the opinion that the merger is impossible, because the Portuguese delegates —59— in the Marxist Congress do not represent the workers. He asks that this fact be made known to the public. [1]
Citizen Costa says that the Italian delegates have been instructed to attend both Congresses and to iron out the difficulties in effecting the merger. He adds that the verification of mandates is a simple formality that can be dispensed with.
Citizen Lavy, member of the National Committee of the French workers' party, replies that this Party had made all possible concessions. It leaves the responsibility for dividing the proletariat to others. Celebrities do not have the right to put themselves above the general will. The French workers' party received the mandate from the International Congresses in Paris and London to organize the Congress of 1889. It fulfilled its duty. If the dissidents want to come over to us, they must accept the common rule by submitting their mandates for validation.
We want to achieve union between the workers of the various countries. May each nation retain its autonomy, and by this means the revolutionary forces, bound together as one, will triumph.
An end to the debate being requested, it was put to the vote and agreed.
The principle of fusion is accepted, but the delegates of the Marxist Congress will have to have their mandate validated by nationality in the combined Congress.
Votes in favor: England, Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Spain, France, Portugal, Switzerland.
Votes against: America, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Poland.[2]
The session ended at twenty past midnight.
1. There was one Portuguese attending the Marxist Congress, but he attended only as an observer, not a delegate.
2. Belgium, Italy, and Holland - the three countries most in favour of merger, and which were attending both Congresses - voted against the motion, knowing that the clause requiring a second validation was intended to make it unacceptable to the Marxist Congress.