Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

of course, this meeting facilitated the acquaintanceship between Hilman and the others.

Since I've been asked, no, I didn't worry at all about there being just one big monopolistic union. After all the AF of L was not, and is not, one big union. It is a collection to totally separate, sovereign, self-governed, self-perpetuating unions and has no authority or control over any of them. The only time I heard of the idea of one big union was with the IWWs who had that as a slogan. The IWWs, however, scarcely touched the rest of the country, except in the western area where they operated. They also operated in the Massachusetts textile field and in some silk mills in New Jersey, as well as a few other places. But their idea of one big union always seemed very theoretical to me. I still think it was.

It was just nonsense to suppose, as has been suggested to me, that the AF of L would join into a tighter federation for political action. It was impossible, just as it is now. The AF of L was a true federation of sovereign and self-governing unions. It was on the pattern of the British Federation of Trade Unions. It had no political ideas. The jealousies between the separate amalgamated unions were sufficient so that if one had even thought of the hazard of one big union, one would have known that