— 6 — Since the meeting room — la Salle Petrelle — has proved to be too small for the steadily growing number of delegates, the Congress has migrated to the Salle des Fantasies Parisiennes in Rue Rochechouart. The meeting opens at 10 a.m. and the floor is given to the various rapporteurs of the Comittee for the review of mandates.
The delegates, whose names follow, are in turn recognized as members of the Congress.
Each delegate stands up when his name is called and replies: “Here!” Each name is greeted with applause, which is particularly strong for Liebknecht, Bebel, Lawroff, Domela-Nieuwenhuis, Dr. Adler and the representatives of the miners from France, Germany, England and Scotland.
The number of recognized delegates is:
| French | 221, |
| German | 81, |
| English | 22, |
| Belgians | 14, |
| Austrians | 8, |
| Hungarians | 3, |
| Dutch | 4, |
| Russians | 6, |
| Swedes | 3, |
| Norwegians | 1, |
| Danes | 3, |
| Swiss | 6, |
| Poles | 5, |
| Spaniards | 2, |
| Rumanians | 5, |
| Americans | 4, |
| Portuguese | 1, |
| Czechs | 1, |
| Bulgarians | 1 |
| Total | 391 [1] |
Citizen Vollmar, reporting for Germany, declares that the Social Democratic Party is represented by 81 members who have been elected in all parts of the Reich, with the sole exception of the Province of Posen. The election of delegates was carried out in various ways. The election in public assembly, which we consider the normal mode, was only possible in 125 cases; in very many cases assemblies which were to vote for this Congress were banned or dissolved. In order to carry out the election of the delegates, people then resorted to voting lists which were circulated in the workshops, farms, and factories. One of these lists has 5,000 voters' names. The mandates granted are of two types: mandates from people who are only brought together by shared political convictions, and mandates from economic or commercial groups of workers in the same profession. One delegate may represent an entire trade union, another an entire region or constituency — in particular members of the Reichstag or a Landtag. In general, the election to the international —7— Congress had as many participants as the elections to the Reichstag. Among the elected are 11 current and 4 former MPs, as well as 3 authorized representatives of the miners who recently went through a strike, 2 from Westphalia and 1 from the Kingdom of Saxony. (Loud applause) There are also 1 student, 1 representative of the socialist Germans in the United States and 1 representative of the Socialist trade unions in New York.
(These two German-Americans are not included in the total of 81 Germans given by Vollmar, but are counted as Americans in the list above.)
Citizen Vaillant gives the French translation and adds that this great workers’ demonstration has happened under the rule of the Exceptional Law and the state of emergency. The German workers defied everything, obstacles and persecutions, in order to come to Paris to fraternize with workers of the whole world. Herein lies a new and luminous proof that the old social world is doomed to ruin once and for all, and that it is approaching a catastrophe in which we shall be called to do all our duty. (Loud applause.)
Citizen Liebknecht declares that he has already participated in many national and international congresses, but that none of them can be compared to the present one. “Not the national ones, if only because they were only national ones. But the earlier congresses of the International Workingmen’s Association could not offer anything similar either. The International Workingmen’s Association was only a great blueprint for the future: the plan of a general workers’ fraternity and workers’ organization — but a plan which, as a result of the youth of the movement, has not yet been fully implemented in most countries. Just as in battles and sieges of antiquity the champions hurled their spear far out into the enemy ranks, over the wall of the best of the enemy, in order to urge the masses to rush after the missile, so the International Workingmen’s Association hurled the spear of the international struggle for liberation far ahead into the middle of the armies, into the middle of the fortress of capitalism — and the proletariat has rushed after to retrieve the spear and break up the armies of the enemy and storm their fortress. The International Workingmen’s Association, however, after showing the workers of all countries the common goal and teaching them the necessity of common action and struggle, had fulfilled its mission. It is not dead — it has passed over into the powerful workers’ organizations and workers’ movements in the individual countries, and lives on in these. It lives on in us. This congress is the work of the International Workingmen’s Association.
The international labour movement has become too large to be part of a single, unified organization. But the seeds of the International Workingmen’s Association have sprouted so well in the hearts of the workers that the idea of internationalism dominates every workers’ organization and movement of the present day. The International Workingmen’s Association, as far as it is still possible today, does not need to be re-established — it exists — exists to a far greater extent than the founders dared to hope — it embraces the entire class-conscious and purposeful proletariat of the whole world — a giant army in which the organized workers of the individual countries form the individual army corps; — but all army corps in one single army!
To implement the program of the International Workingmen’s Association in all its parts, to continually improve the national organizations, —8— to tie the bond of internationalism ever tighter — that is our duty — the duty of all the emissaries of the proletariat who have come together in this great international workingmen’s parliament.
The English Chartists already had a “workers’ parliament.” However large the Chartist movement was, that workers’ parliament only included the delegates of English workers. The earlier international congresses cannot be compared with this Congress either, because most countries were only very imperfectly represented, and in some cases not represented at all, so those congresses could not be regarded as a true expression of the international workers’ movement. In this Congress of ours, however, the entire workers’ movement of the world is represented, if not yet completely, to such an extent that we can say without arrogance: this is a global workingmen’s parliament — the first that the world has ever seen.
The workers of all countries have turned their eyes confidently on us. And that trust will not be misplaced — so announces the enthusiasm that shines in all our eyes.”
Citizen Vaillant speaks in the same spirit and recalls the international character of the Commune of 71. The Congress will mark an epoch in the history of the struggle for the liberation of labour. In order to avoid any loss of time, the speaker requests the selection of a permanent bureau, which should be drawn from all nations and a faithful image of the congress in miniature. He excuses himself from voting, as he is chairman for the day. (Unanimous agreement.)
The bureau is composed as follows and in the following order: Switzerland — Brandt; Germany — Bebel and Liebknecht; France — Lafargue and Vaillant for the socialist organizations, Besset for the Paris trade unions, Lavigne for the departmental trade unions; Italy — Cipriani and Costa; Netherlands — Domela-Nieuwenduis; England — Morris, Citizeness Marx-Aveling and Cuninghame-Graham; Spain — Iglesias; Hungary — Leo Fränkel; Scandinavia — Petersen, Jeppesen and Palmgreen; Alsace-Lorraine — Jaclard; Russia — Lawroff; Poland — Mendelsohn; German Austria — Popp; Belgium; — De Paepe and Anseele; United States of America — Ahles; Romania — Mangle; Finland — Finn.
At the suggestion of citizen Lafargue, the miners’ delegates from France, Germany, England and Scotland are added: Lacombe, Dieckmann, Ehrhardt, Stolle, Keir Hardie.
Citizenesses Jankowska and Zetkin and citizens Deville, Guesde, Ferroul, Longuet, Daumas, Frohme, Wedde, Geyer, Bernstein are appointed as secretaries.
To translate from French into English — Citizeness Marx-Aveling and Morris; from English into French — Longuet; from German into English — Krantz; from French into German — Vollmar; from French and English into German — Liebknecht and Bernstein.
The delegates of the remaining nations declare that they do not need a translator, as some understand French and some German.
There follows the reading of the telegrams of endorsement and the letters that have arrived from various countries, the majority from Germany.
Telegrams read out:
Arnstadt; Berlin, — the Berlin building workers; Berlin — the general metalworkers’ association in Berlin and the surrounding area; Berlin — the bricklayers (Grothmann); Berlin — Association of plumbers of Berlin and the surrounding area; Hamburg — the workers of Hamburg, Altona —9— and surrounding area; Hamburg — the stonemasons; Hamburg — the moulders of Hamburg-Altona; Dresden — the Dresden carpenters in Saxon Switzerland, Schandau; Dresden — the 4th, 5th and 6th constituency of Saxony; Leipzig — the socialists gathered in the Pantheon; Grüna (Saxony) — the electoral association; Würzburg — the workers; Lübeck — the moulders; Frankfurt am Main — the workforce; Brandenburg — the workforce; Burgstädt — the electoral association; Chemnitz — Quartet Association; Cologne — the workers; Darmstadt — the Social Democrats; Glauchau — worker; Gotha — the workers; Elmsborn — the workers; Forst — the party comrades; Hartmannsdorf — Association of Manufacturing Workers; Heilbronn (Württemberg) — many workers; Hohenstein-Ernstthal — the workers; Meissen — the carpenters; Nuremberg; Posen; Ronsdorf — Assembly of voters of the Lennep district; Schlachtensee — Berlin workers' club Cubarippe; Schneeberg — 19th Saxon constituency; Wandsbeck — the shoemaker; Zwittau (oder Zwickau?) — the comrades; London — the members of the communist workers' education association; Boitsfort (Brussels) — the German Social Democrats from Brussels.
Vienna — the united button-turners and plasterers; Vienna — the blacksmiths; Vienna — the socialists of Floridsdorf; Kratzau — the socialists of North Bohemia; Moravian Ostrava — the socialist workers; Reichenberg (Bohemia): the comrades.
Budapest.
Basel — the German socialists; Lausanne — the freedom fighters; Geneva — the Central Committee of Geneva Workers; Saint Gallen — the German socialists.
Rome — Social Study Circle.
Madrid — National Committee of the socialist workers’ Party.
Lisbon.
Ternfuzen — the socialist propaganda club.
Christiania; Bergen.
London — the communist workers’ educational association.
Copenhagen.
Narbonne; Laumes; Marseille.
The congress received letters of endorsement and addresses from:
Berlin: The social democratic reading club ’Lessing’ declares its solidarity with the workers all over the world and demands the protection of labour from capital and protection of the peoples against the bellicose policies of the class governments.
—10— Berlin: The enlightened domestic servants send fraternal greetings and wishes for the fruitful work of the Congress.
Raumburg on Saale: The city's socialist group sends the congress the most sincere wishes for the success of its work.
Posen: At the request of the workers of Posen, Abdallah wishes the congress the best success in the interests of the proletariat and explains why Posen could not be represented.
Gersdorf: The Czech emigrants in Saxony are convinced that the proletariat can break its chains as soon as it unites in a world organization without distinction of nationality. They are therefore determined to fight together with the international proletariat and to win, and they call to the Congress: "Forward into the struggle!"
Vevey (Switzerland): The German workers’ association assures the congress of its full sympathy and sends wishes for the prosperity of the just cause of social democracy.
Zurich: The tailors' association declares its warmest sympathy for the work of the Congress and regrets that it was impossible for it to send a representative. The association considers any labour protection legislation that does not also cover domestic industry to be only partial and hopes that the congress will again remind the workers that they can depend on themselves alone in their endeavours, and that it promotes the international cooperation of the workers of all countries.
Vienna: The professional association of carpenters sends socialist greetings and support to the international socialist workers’ representatives.
St. Veit (Carinthia): The socialist group sends congratulations and fraternal greetings, and cheers the solidarity of the socialists and proletarians of all nations.
Großwardein (Hungary): Some workers’ voices explain their feeling of deep solidarity with the congress and its work and hope that these will have a positive effect on the organization of the Hungarian proletariat.
Buenos Aires (Argentina): On behalf of the comrades, Uhle sends the congress fraternal greetings and sincere wishes for the success of its work.
Glasgow: The Glasgow branch of the Socialist League affirms its regret for not being able to send a representative to the congress, as well as its fraternal feelings and wishes for the success of the congress.
London:The participants in a well-attended meeting at Hammersmith declare their sympathy for the Congress.
New-York-Brooklyn: The Central Labor Union of Brooklyn and vicinity declares its solidarity with the resolutions of the Congress and sends best wishes in the hope that the work of the congress represents a step forward for the emancipation of labour.
Montpellier: Citizeness Paule Minck expresses her conviction that the liberation of women can only take place together with the emancipation of the proletariat. The Congress will create the basis for a fruitful unification of the international proletariat. Citizeness Minck regrets that she cannot take part in the work of the congress.
Paris: The socialist-revolutionary group of the 18th arrondissement (Montmartre) expresses its sympathy for the congress and calls out “bravo” for the resolution to hold a demonstration in front of the Communards’ wall.
—11— Cette: The Porters Union declares its approval of the congress and sends best wishes and a number of requests regarding the items on the agenda.
These readings are followed by a letter from citizen Cleirac with the information that he could not take part in the work of the Congress because he was in prison.
Citizen Volders, on behalf of the Belgian delegates, asks that the question of the amalgamation of the congresses be taken in hand at once. The National Council of the Belgian workers’ Party has sent a letter to both Congresses on this matter. Citizen Volders insists that this letter be read out.
But since it is already 4 p.m., the Congress breaks up after scheduling an evening session for 8 p.m.
1. This list, which was correct on July 15th, was made out of date by the arrival of new delegates in the following days, so that it gives an inadequate picture. See more about this later.