Foreign Language Federations (1890s - 1930) - Bohemian

BOHEMIAN (CZECH) FEDERATIONS

 The Early Bohemian Radical Movement in America

There seems to have been some sort of Bohemian (Czech) radical movement which emerged iin the United States late in the 1890s.
It is unclear at what point the various Bohemian branches combined into a national organization; this seems to have taken place at some point in the first half of the first decade of the 20th Century.
In 1900, the Czech daily newspaper Spravedlnost [Justice] was established, with the paper going to daily status in 1906. The publication did not run as a profitable operation, as it was periodically forced to cover its operating costs covered by collections and profits from fundraisers such as bazaars, pictnics, and dances.
In 1908, Bohemian branches in Cleveland, Ohio, began to publish a weekly newspaper, Americke Delnicke Listy [American Workingmen's News]. A second weekly called Pravo was pubished by the same group beginning in 1912. These Cleveland papers were published in their own printshop, which also handled other job printing work.
In 1911, the New York Bohemian socialist organization together with the Czech trade unions started a weekly newspaper called Obrana [Defense]. This New York group also published sundry other literature in the Czech language, including books and pamphlets.

[fn. Josef Novak, "Report of Bohemian Section"in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pp. 242-243.]

The Bohemian Section of the Socialist Party of America
The Bohemian Section of the Socialist Party of America was affiliated with the SPA in December of 1911, with the organization's first Translator-Secretary, Josef Novak, assuming his post on Dec. 13 of that month. At the time of its formation, the Bohemian Section had 37 branches with a membership of about 800 spread across 10 states.
During the first three months of its affiliation, the Bohemian Section added seven new branches, bringing the total to 44, with a membership of 1,164 in 11 states. Nearly a third of the organizational structure -- 13 of the 44 sections -- was located in the city of Chicago.

[fn. Josef Novak, "Report of Bohemian Section"in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pp. 242-243.]

 

On Saturday, June 18, 1921, the Cook Country convention of the Socialist Party was held. Amid acrimonious debate, a resolution was passed instructing the Chicago delegates to the 1921 SPA national convention in Detroit to vote against affiliation of the party with the Communist International. This proved a pretext for the Bohemian branches of Chicago to bolt the convention. Karol "Charles" Kolarik, Secretary of the SPA's Bohemian Federation, was dispatched to Detroit to issue an ultimatum, promising that the Bohemian Federation would depart the party if the convention did not approve the 21 conditions for affiliation with the Comintern. This was rejected by the convention, and the Left Wing of the Bohemian Federation followed Kolarik out of the SPA. A Right Wing maintained its support of the old organization, however, and the Socialist Party continued to have a Bohemian Federation through the 1920s.

In the first quarter of 1931 a meeting of the Federation in Chicago adopted a new proclamation of principles, reorganized the administration of the Federation, and arranged for a national conference of the Federation to be held in Cleveland in July 1931.
Charles Glaser was the Secretary of the SP's Bohemian Federation in 1930-31.

[fn. Proletarec [Chicago], v. 26, no. 1232 (April 23, 1931), pg. 8.]

 

Bohemian group of the United Communist Party of America
In December 1920 there was only one primary party unit ("Group") of the United Communist Party using the Czech language. It was located in Chicago.

[fn: DoJ/BoI Investigative Files, NARA M-1085, reel 940, doc. 501 -- downloadable below.]

 

The Czecho-Slovak Federation of the Workers Party of America
The Bohemian Federation of the Socialist Party split over the issue of affiliation with the Comintern at the 1921 national convention, held in Detroit at the end of June 1921. The Left Wing leaving the Socialist Party established themselves as the "Czecho-Slovak Marxist Federation," while a loyal rump of Bohemian Federationists remained in the ranks of the SPA.
In June of 1922, the Czecho-Slovak Marxist Federation submitted the question of affilation with the Workers Party of America to a vote of its members. In July the Executive Committee of the group further took up the question, voting nearly unanimously to affiliate with the WPA. The organization published an official organ called Spravdelost from an office located at 1825 S Loomis St., Chicago.

[fn. Comintern Archive, f. 515, op. 1, d. 146, l. 168; d. 147, l. 73.]

The decision of the Executive Committee was ratified by membership referendum vote and the Czecho-Slovak Federation, reportedly including about 800 members, began paying WPA dues effective October 1, 1922.

[fn. Comintern Archive, f. 515, op. 1, d. 146, l. 168; d. 143, l. 14.]

As of June 1923, the Secretary of the Czecho-Slovak Federation of the Workers Party and editor of the Chicago-based Czech daily, Spravedlnost, was Karol "Charles" Kolarik.