Foreign Language Federations (1890s - 1930) - Finnish

FINNISH FEDERATIONS

The Finnish immigration to the United States was tied to two factors: growing repression in Tsarist Russia and the need for immigrant labor as part of the process of industrialization in the United States. Immigrant recruiters were dispatched to Europe to entice people to come to America, where available land was bountiful and the promises of employment rosey. Recruiters were especially active in the Central and Northern European countries.
The peak year for Finnish immigration to America was 1902, when 23,152 Finns came to America. The total number of Finns in America by 1920 was estimated at 400,000 -- a figure which included the American-born children of immigrants.

[fn: Työmies Society, Seventieth Anniversary Souvenir Journal, pg. 12.]

 

Earliest Radical Finnish Organizations and Press in the United States
In December of 1890, Finnish immigrants in Brooklyn formed the first workingmen's benevolent association, called the Imatra Society. The Imatra Society proclaimed as its raison d'etre that it undertook to give aid, counsel and advice to the Finns of New York, to maintain a library and to provide lectures and entertainments, to provide for the support of sick members and for the burial of dead members. During the subsequent decade more than 20 similar groups were established in Finnish settlements throughout the East and Midwest. In the words of historian John I. Kolehmainen:

"These associations did not, of course, proclaim a class-conscious crusade against the capitalistic order. Rather they sought to assuage the stings which their members were receiving at its hands; in a word, they performed a beneovlent, mutual aid function, which was invariably enriched and enlivened by efforts to raise the educational-cultural level of the immigrants and to provide opportunities for fun and relaxation."

[fn: John I. Kolehmainen, Sow the Golden Seed, pp. 16-18.]


Explicitly socialist propaganda among the Finns dates from 1899, when a number of independent branches sprung up, primarily in the East and Midwest. It was in this year also, during the month of August, that the Myrsky (Storm) Society was organized in Rockport, MA, the first American affialiate of the Socialist Labor Party. This short-lived group of 14 members was launched by an expelled socialist student from Helsinki, Antero F. Tanner. Tanner moved from the task of organizing to the task of publishing, launching a Finnish-language newspaper called Amerikan Työmies (The American Workman), a publication which declared its intention to speak for the poor and exploited. From its launch on Jan. 2, 1900, a total of 24 weekly issues of the 4 page broadsheet were published before the paper was terminated due to lack of funds.
Following the failure of his paper, Tanner launched a national organizing tour, hitting the road in 1900-01 along with his colleague and co-thinker, Martin Hendrickson -- a man who would emerge as a perpetual traveling spokesman for the cause of socialism. One of the places that Hendrickson pioneered was in the Finnish communities of Minnesota, where the first socialist club, "Jousi" [Crossbow], was established in Hancock, Michigan.

[fn: Michael Karni, "Finnish Americans," in Buhle, et. al. (eds.) Encyclopedia of the American Left (First Edition), pg. 227; Työmies Society, Seventieth Anniversary Souvenir Journal, pg. 18, 22; Kolehmainen, Sow the Golden Seed, pp. 18-19.]

 

In 1903, a satirical, pro-socialist journal called Uusi Meikäläinen [New Fellow-Countryman] was published in Fitchburg, MA, by a recent arrival, Urho A. Makinen. Makinen joined with another new Finnish emigre, Antti Tarmo, and others and purchased a small press in Worcester, MA, where the American Finnish Workers Publishing Co. was formed. On July 8, 1903, the board of this company began the publication of a working class newspaper in the Finnish language, Amerikan Suomalainen Työmies [American Finnish Worker]. This would emerge as the leading Finnish-language newspaper in America. The publication began to appear on July 20, 1903, as a four page weekly and it continued being published as such for the next ten months in Worchester, MA. The first editor of the publicaton was Victor Kosonen who editorialized in the first issue of the publication the fundamental role the paper would play in support of "human dignity and justice for the oppressed peoples." In May of 1904, the board decided to move the newspaper to the largest Finnish community in the midwest -- the small town of Hancock in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan.

[fn: Työmies Society, Seventieth Anniversary Souvenir Journal, pg. 14.]


Työmies' first Michigan-produced issue appeared on August 16, 1904, and included the election platform of Socialist Party Presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs. Circulation of the paper grew to about 4,000 in that year. Despite its successful relaunch and growth, Työmies was racked by an internal conflict between its ideologically committed editor, Taavi Tainio, and its owner, Alex Heisson, who sought to use the burgeoning socialist movement for his own financial gain. In December 1904, the conflict came to an abrupt end when editor Tainio was fired.
Tainio returned to Massachusetts and a flurry of meetings followed in an effort to launch a new genuinely Socialist newspaper. A space was let on the second floor of a building in downtown Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and on January 3, 1905, the first issue of Raivaaja (The Pioneer) was published.

[fn: John I. Kolehmainen, Sow the Golden Seed, pp. 29-31.]



Formation of Independent Finnish Socialist Party of America Branches
Organization of Finns into the Socialist Party of America began on a larger scale in 1902 and 1903. Dozens of Finnish language SPA locals and branches were organized during this period. The Finnish movement remained scattered and weak in these earliest years, however, only gradually coming together as a formal national organization in its own right.

[fn: J.W. Sarlund, "Report of the Finnish Translator-Secretary to the Socialist Convention, 1912," in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pg. 237.]

1. First Convention of Finnish Workers' Groups -- Cleveland, Oct. 3-5, 1904.
A Convention of independent Finnish groups was held October 3-5, 1904 in Cleveland to discuss ways in which the varous Finnish branches could better work together. The gathering was attended by 14 delegates, some of whom represented multiple branches. No formal organization resulted from this gathering however, and the approximately 40 branches spread around the United States retained their organizational independence from one another.
The meeting was called to order at 8:45 am by M. Hahl, organizer for the Cleveland Branch. Delegates attending included: Wilka Bomar (Milwaukee), Victor Hall (New York City), Erlass Heiman (Chicago), Anton Ihsksella (Cleveland), Victor Kosonen (Hancock, MI), Hannah Lehtman (Brooklyn), J.H. Lehtman (Brooklyn), A. Meminen, Livo Narhi (Minneapolis), Axel Pekkol (Glassport, PA), A. Savolan (Maynard, MA), and T. Tainio (Fitchburg, MA). Robert Bandlow was in attendance on behalf of the Socialist Party, which reported on the convention in the pages of its official bulletin.
A. Meminen was elected President of the Convention, T. Taino Vice President, W. Bowmar Secretary, and Victor Kosonen Assistant Secretary.
A committee of three was elected to confer with the Socialist Party to determine the conditions under which the Finnish Workers Groups might affiliate with the Socialist Party. Elected to the committee were J.H. and Hannah Lehtman and Victor Kosonen. According to Bandlow, "The consensus of opinion, as I understand, was to have their organizations reorganized as a body, they to adopt our platform and constitution and their locals to fraternize with our locals. They did not care to become identified with our city [Chicago' or this organization directly."

[fn. Robert Bandlow, "Report of Representation at Finnish-American Socialists' Convention," Socialist Party Official Bulletin no. 3 (Nov. 1904), pg. 3.]

According to the 1908 report of the National Finnish Translator of the SPA, the First Convention of Finnish Workers' Groups adopted a resolution calling for "the affiliation of each and every local with their respective county and state organization" of the Socialist Party.

[fn. Victor Watia, "Report of Finnish Translator," in National Convention of the Socialist Party Held at Chicago, Illinois, May 10 to 17, 1908: Stenographic Report,... , pg. 315.]

The Organization of Finnish Socialists [Yhdysvaltain Suomalainen Sosialistijärjestö]



2. Organizational Convention -- Hibbing, MN --- Aug. 1-7, 1906.

Scholars should be advised that contemporaries referred to this gatherring variously as the "first" or 'second" convention.
In 1906 another convention of Finnish groups was held, this time at Hibbing, Minnesota. Thirty branches were represented. It was here that plans were laid for a permanent organization, the Organization of Finnish Socialists [Yhdysvaltain Suomalainen Sosialistijärjestö], and a Secretary elected to coordinate the various local organizations and to prepare for the affiliation of this new organization to the Socialist Party of America.


The Organization of Finnish Socialists was governed by a 5 member "Executive Board," elected by general referendum vote of the membership. In addition, paralleling the structure of the SPA of the day there was a "General Committee" in which each state was represented according to the number of locals. The group also made use of the referendum vote to solve contentious issues, again closely following the practice of the SPA.
One important innovation created by the 1906 Hibbing Convention was the establishment of the National Finnish Translator's office. Difficulties with rendering English into Finnish for the various local branches and the press caused Finnish groups in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin to hire a regular translator. This experiment proved to be a success and the Hibbing Convention established the position of National Translator, for the benefit of all member branches. Discussion was immediately held with the Socialist Party to have their National Translator work out of the national headquarters of the SPA in Chicago, a move which took effect with its formal affiliation of the Finnish Socialist Organization with the SPA on Jan. 1, 1907. The Federation initially paid for all office fixtures and rent for the Translator's office, as well as the Translator's salary. Effective in May 1908, the Socialist Party began providing free office space to the Finnish Federation. The salary of the Translator-Secretary also began to be covered by the SPA effective October 1910.
Victor Watia served as the first National Translator of the Organization of Finnish Socialists.

[fn: J.W. Sarlund, "Report of the Finnish Translator-Secretary to the Socialist Convention, 1912, in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pg. 237; Watia, "Report of Finnish Translator," pg. 315.]

The Hibbing Convention divided the group into three regional districts (alueet) for propaganda and organizational purposes -- Eastern, Middle, and Western -- each governed by its own 7 member District Committee. The three districts each employed a full-time District Organizer, periodically sent out additional special organizers, and published their own daily newspaper -- Raivaaja (The Pioneer) in the Eastern District (circulation over 6,000 in 1912), Työmies (The Worker) in the Middle District (circulation about 12,000 in 1912), and Toveri (The Comrade) in the Western District (circulation around 4,000 in 1912). This regional separatism of the Finnish organization's apparatus and press lead over time to ideological differences, with the Eastern District tending towards a more reformist orientation, while the Western and particularly the Central Districts tended towards a more revolutionary perspective.

[fn: J.W. Sarlund, "Report of the Finnish Translator-Secretary to the Socialist Convention, 1912, in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pg. 238.]

Funding of the Finnish Translator's Office was accomplished by the sale of special 5 cent monthly stamps to members of Finnish branches, as well as by dues rebates allowed by some (but not all) SPA state organizations. States allowing rebates in 1908 included Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

[fn. Watia, "Report of Finnish Translator," pg. 316.]


3. Second National Convention --- Hancock, MI --- [date?] 1909.

 

In addition to the three newspapers previously mentioned, the Finnish socialist movement of the 1910s issued a monthly theoretical-literary magazine called Säkeniä [Fitchburg, MA], a comic bi-weekly called Lapatossu [Hancock, MI], a women's paper called Toveritar [Astoria, OR], and provided a major source of funding and subscriptions for a paper published in Port Arthur, ON, Canada, called Työkansa.

[fn: J.W. Sarlund, "Report of the Finnish Translator-Secretary to the Socialist Convention, 1912, in Proceedings: National Convention of the Socialist Party, pg. 238.]

The Finnish Federation was well-known for its network of Federation-owned halls located in the major centers of the Finnish-American community. These halls provided facilities for meetings, speeches, and social events such as dances. Shown above is the Finnish Socialist Hall built in Astoria, Oregon in 1910.



4. Third National Convention --- Smithville, MN --- June 1-10, 1912.
There were 58 delegates from across the country in attendance at the 3rd National Convention of the Finnish Socialist Organization in the United States which was held in the building of the federation's college in Smithville, Minnesota. The convention discussed the relationship of Työväen Opisto [Working People's College] to the national organization, criticized the national officers of the organization and made plans for their future work, and criticized the content of the three national Finnish socialist newspapers -- expressing a desire to bring these under closer control of the national organization. A proposal at the 3rd Convention to do away with the 3 District System was defeated by the convention, although it was resolved (in theory, at least) that the Federation should endeavor in the future to take direct ownership of the three stock companies publishing the district newspapers in a "Socialist Trust." The practical details of this transition was left to the future. The date of the next convention of the Finnish organization was set for "the same year as the National Convention of the Socialist Party" -- which was projected to be four years later.

 
The Translator-Secretary of the Finnish Socialist Organization in 1912-13 was J.W. Sarland.
During 1912, the Finnish Socialist Organization published Finnish-language editions of the following leaflets:

The Socialist Party and Woman Suffrage --------------- 25,000 copies
To Wives of Toilers ----------------------------- 25,000 copies
O'Hare: Wimmin Ain't Got No Kick ------------------- 25,000 copies
National Platform of the Socialist Party --------------- 40,000 copies
The Children of the Poor -------------------------- 25,000 copies
Why Socialists Pay Dues (revised ed.) ---------------- 25,000 copies

[fn: J.W. Sarlund, "Report of the Finnish Federation" to the National Committee of the Socialist Party, May 1913, pp. 3-4.]

 
The Finnish Socialist Organization in the United States showed the following pattern of growth:

1906 ------- 53 branches ------- 2,000 ave. members for year
1907 ----- 133 branches -------- 2,928 ave. members for year
1908 ----- 150 branches -------- 3,960 ave. members for year
1909 ----- 160 branches -------- 5,384 ave. members for year
1910 ----- 173 branches -------- 7,767 ave. members for year
1911 ----- 217 branches -------- 9,139 ave. members for year
1912 ----- 248 branches ------- 11,535 ave. members for year
1913 ----- 260 branches ------- 12,651 ave. members for year
1914 ----- 227 branches ------- 11,657 ave. members for year
1915 ----- 212 branches ------- 10,273 ave. members for year

[fn: J.F. Maki, "The Finnish Socialist Federation" in The American Labor Year-Book, 1916. (NY: Rand School Press, 1916), pp. 130-132.]

 
In 1913-14, factional differences within the Finnish Socialist Federation erupted and led to a split. The constructive socialist Eastern District, centered around the newspaper Raivaaja, named a slate of candidates for the Executive Committee of the Federation in the 1914 referendum election. Apparently supported by a moderate group heading the newspaper Työmies, the Raivaaja group was elected in its entirety.
The newly-elected Executive Committee attempted to exert control of the organization, publication, and assets of the predominantly revolutionary socialist Central District. The leading figure of the constructive socialist (Right) faction was National Committeeman Frank Aaltonen of Minnesota. Leaders of the revolutionary socialist (Left) faction included Workers' College instructors Leo Laukki, A. Rissanen, and Yrjö Sirola -- the last of whom went on to play an influential role in the Finnish Revolution of 1918.


Middle District Convention --- Duluth, MN --- Feb. 21-28, 1914
The 1914 convention of the Middle District was the scene of a showdown between the constructive socialist and revolutionary socialist wings of the Finnish Federation. The gathering was attended by 49 regularly elected delegates, elected by election districts. In addition, the Central Distict Committee, Työmies, and the Working People's College each were granted one delegate with voice but no vote to the convention.
An action was taken by the new Executive Committee on June 17, 1914, calling for sanctions against any local or individual supporting the new left-wing Finnish-language newspaper, Sosialisti, published in Duluth. Some 40 branches were expelled and another 30 withdrew amidst allegations that they advocated syndicalism and direct action, in contradiction to the constitution of the SPA. Most of these branches were located in Minnesota and Michigan, with only a few located in the Western States. In reality, these charges of "syndicalism" were trumped up, the locals expelled being essentially revolutionary socialist and industrial unionist in orientation.
The National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of America was called into the Finnish Federation dispute, siding with the Right Faction and prohibiting expelled Left Wing members from forming their own Finnish language Socialist Party locals outside of the control of the Finnish Federation itself. An account of this controversy appeared in the pages of The International Socialiist Review in 1915, available here as a downloadable pdf file.

[fn: J.F. Maki, "The Finnish Socialist Federation" in The American Labor Year-Book, 1916. (NY: Rand School Press, 1916), pp. 130-132. // "An Appeal to the Investigating Committee of the NEC," Sosialisti v. 2, no. 11 (Jan. 13, 1915), pp. 1, 3-4. // T.E. Latimer, "Executive Committee Rule," in The International Socialist Review, Feb. 1915.

5. Extraordinary Fourth National Convention --- Chicago, IL -- November 22-2X, 1914
The 4th Convention was called to resolve the factional warfare that was erupting within the Finnish Federation. It pitted a constructive Socialist Eastern "majority" faction against a midwestern "radical" faction, grouped around the Duluth, Minnesota newspaper Sosialisti and led by Leo Laukki, a former managing editor of Työmies. The majority faction seems to have easily controlled the gathering.
A special subcommittee of the Socialist Party's NEC consisting of Executive Secretary Walter Lanfersiek, Oscar Ameringer, and James Maurer attended the November convention of the Finnish Federation and held another session at which 7 representatives of each faction made their case verbally and with documents. The subcommittee reported to the December 12-13, 1914 session of the NEC and recommended that the constructive socialist leadership of the Finnish Federation be backed unconditionally. According to the unanimously-passed resolution of the NEC, "the decision of the Finnish Federation as to expulsion of locals or members shall be accepted by state, county, and local organizations as final." This decision assured a continued factional war with mass expulsions and resignations from the federation.
The 4,000 or so Left Wing defectors from the Finnish federation retained control of the Federation's Work People's College, located in Smithville, MN, and in 1915 began publishing a new newspaper of their own called Industrialisti. By 1920 this new publication claimed a readership of over 20,000.

[fn: Michael Karni, "Finnish Americans," in Buhle, et. al. (eds.) Encyclopedia of the American Left (First Edition), pg. 228. // "An Appeal to the Investigating Committee of the NEC," Sosialisti v. 2, no. 11 (Jan. 13, 1915), pp. 1, 3-4. // "Decision of the National Executive Committee on the Finnish Controversy" in Sosialisti, op. cit., pp. 2-3.]

 
Despite the NEC's earlier action, the factional war continued to rage among the Finnish Federation of Minnesota. The (Left Wing) state party organization refused to issue charters to new locals organized by the (Regular) Finnish Federation in the state. On this the NEC declined to act at its Sept. 11-15, 1915, meeting in Chicago, drafting instead a letter which noted that "Under the present national constitution of the Socialist Party, the Executive Committee has no jurisdiction in matters of this kind, and is therefore powerless to act. We are convinced any action we take as a committee instead of helping the situation may but lead to further friction and bitterness." An appeal was made to the Minnesota State Committee to "take up these differences in a spirit of comradeship."

[fn: NEC Minutes, Meeting of Sept. 11-15, 1915, The American Socialist, Sept. 25, 1915, pg. 3.]

 

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Finnish Revolution
In Finland, the reaction crushed the revolution of 1918 and exacted a bloody vengeance, known as the "White Terror." According to Finnish historian Jaakko Paavolainen, during and shortly after the Civil War, reactionary Finns executed 8,380 people for purported "war crimes" or other reasons. The great majority of these came from the Finnish provinces of uusimaa, Turku-and-Pori, Häme, and Viipuri.

[fn: Jaakko Paavolainen, Poliittiset väkivaltaisuudet Suomessa 1918 II. "Valkoinen terrori." (Helsinki, 1967). Cited in Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pg. 53.]

---

 
In July of 1919, the Finnish Socialist Federation, headed by Translator-Secretary Henry Askeli, issued a proclamation calling for affiliation of the SPA to the Communist Internantional and demanding "the renewal of the program of the American Socialist Party," calling on it to "reject the viewpoint of petty bourgeois socialism" and demanding that it adopt "Marxian revolutionary socialism."

[fn: "Finnish Socialist Federation Endorses Left Wing Program," in The Ohio Socialist, July 16, 1919, pg. 3.]

On August 30, 1919, the Emergency National Convention of the SPA opened in Chicago. Of 124 official delegates present, 6 were from the Finnish Socialist Federation. These included both representatives of the Left like Henry Askeli and Yrjö "George" Halonen and those aligned with the Center-Right bloc, including Yrjö Mäkelä, Victor Annala, Wilho Hedman, and Lauri Moilanen. There were no members of the Finnish Federation elected to the National Executive Committee of the SPA; Matti Tenhunen of Superior, WI was nominated, but didnot receive sufficient votes. The convention was generally hostile to immigrant party members and a decision was made that applicants for party membership had to promise to apply for US citizenship within 3 months. This attitude alienated the Finnish Federation, driving that group increasingly into opposition to the SPA's ruling clique in Chicago.

[fn. Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pp. 78-79.]
In the aftermath of the split, the Finnish Federation saw the Socialist Party as the least bad option. Writing in Työmies in September of 1919, Finnish Socialist Federation Translator-Secretary Henry Askeli characterized the CPA as composed mostly of foreigners who were opponents of political action and who favored a program impossible to carry out in the United States. The Communist Labor Party was no bettter, according to Askeli -- an amalgam of adventurers, writers, soap box orators, and embittered Socialist regulars out only for revenge. The Socialist Party, even if controlled by the Center-Right, was the preferred option, in Askeli's view: "With work and by raising the level of consciousness among the membership, we can make it into a party capable of fulfilling the requirements of a political party for today's revolutionary workers."

[fn. Henry Askeli, "Mihin puolueeseen nyt" [To Which Party Now?] in Työmies, Sept. 17, 1919. Cited in Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pp. 78-79.]

6. Fifth National Convention --- Chicago, IL --- Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, 1919
The 5th Convention of the Finnish Socialist Federation gathered at Imperial Hall, located on North Halsted Street in Chicago and was attended by 42 delegates. As the delegates gathered, a split of the organization loomed. As a news account in the New York Call put matters:

It is certain that the convention will see a breach in the ranks, as several Finnish Socialist locals have already decided to demand that the party affiliate with the so-called Third International. A few Finnish Socialist locals already have demanded taht the Finnish Federation should join the Communist Party, but this is not likely to happen, although it is possible that some of the Finnish locals will secede from the party ahnd go to the Communists.

Going into the convention the Federation was deeply divided, with the Eastern district and its organ Raivaaja standing steadfastly for the Socialist Party, the Middle District and its organ Työmies highly critical of the Socialist Party (although still not advocating abandoning the organization), and the Western District and its organ Toveri attempting to steer a middle course.

[fn. Adolph Salmi, "Finn Socialists at Odds; Will Gather Monday," NY Call, Oct. 25, 1919, pg. 5.]

The Federation temporarily suspended the 3 district organizations, an action that was ostensibly intended as a means of preserving organizational unity by quashing "district spirit." Final approval had to be made by membership referendum, which was passed at the beginning of January 1920. This change was a victory for the Left Wing within the Finnish Federation, as it placed the maverick Eastern paper Raivaaja under closer control of the central leadership of the Federation.
The convention battled for several days over the lines of the Federation's two main newspapers, the social democratic Massachusetts paper Raivaaja and the more leftist Upper-Midwestern paper Työmies. After several days of debate, a resolution on Raivaaja was passed which criticized that paper for not altering its position to the left after the Aug. 1919 removal of Editor-in-Chief Frans Josef Syrjälä by referendum vote. The paper was accused of opportunistic views and "wrong" attitudes against the ousted majority of the Socialist Party. The position of Työmies was endorsed.

[fn. Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pg. 83.]
The Federation was divided between two main positions: staying within the Socialist Party of America or severing ties and existing as an independent organization. The 5th convention appointed a "Conciliatory Committee" composed of representatives of these two main views. The Eastern members of this group did not want to seceed from the Socialist Party, instead advocating that Finnish branches remain affiliated and carry out their affairs in a manner acceptable to the party. The representatives of the Central and Western Districts also emphasized the need to preserve unity of the Finnish Federation, arguing that the best means to achieve this would be to have the federation remain independent of any political party, while permitting individual members of the Federation to join the SP, the CPA, the CLP, or to stay independent of them all. The latter position ultimately won the day by a vote of 21 to 20, with all 19 Eastern delegates voting to remain in the SPA and all 19 delegates from the Middle and Western districts voting for independence. The deciding votes were cast by the representatives of the three Finnish papers, with F.J. Syrjälä of Raivaaja voting with the Eastern group and the representatives of Työmies and Toveri voting with the majority. The decision was referred to a vote of the membership of the Federation; a split seemed imminent.

[fn. Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pg. 86.]

In January 1920, a referendum was taken of the Finnish Federation's members. Powered by a united East, the final vote showed 3,775 to 2,259 in favor of remaining within the Socialist Party. The 6,070 votes indicated that 56% of the Federation had participated in the vote; of 3,800 votes cast in the Eastern District, some 3,212 (82%) favored continued affiliation with the SPA. Voting in the Eastern District was very heavy (67% voting), in the Middle District rather lighter (47% ), with voters in the Western District seemingly apathetic (just 29% voting).

[fn. Annual Report of the FSF for 1919, Työmies, Jan. 21, 1920, cited in Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pg. 90.]

 

On March 4, 1920, the Executive Committee of the Finnish Federation directly queried Executive Secretary Otto Branstetter and the National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party about its plans with regard to the Comintern. The NEC formally responded to this document with a statement in November, indicating that membership in the Communist International had become impossible.




6. Sixth National Convention --- Waukegan, IL --- Dec. 25, 1920-Jan. 2, 1921.
The Finnish Federation held a Convention late in December of 1920. Throughout the year the United Communist Party had been conducting a campaign among the Finns to attempt to separate the organization from the Socialist Party. The program met with success, with Executive Secretary Wagenknecht claiming in May 1921 that a majority of the delegates to the 6th Convention of the Finnish Federation were already members of the UCP. Wagenknect noted in this May 1921 report that the UCP had 79 Finnish language groups, "and new groups are being formed constantly."

[fn: Report of the UCP to the Unity Convention, Comintern Archive, f. 515, op. 1, d. 50, l. 40.]
The 21 delegates voted by a tally of 16-5 to withdraw the Finnish Federation from membership in the Socialist Party, due in large measure to the failure of that organization to affiliate with the Third International. Even the representative of the Masschusetts paper Raivaaja voted for the independent organization, as did the delegates from New York state, contratry to their instructions. The increasing hostility of the old guard SP leadership stood in marked contrast to the rank and file of the Finnish Federation. Finnish Left Wing leader Elis Sulkanen sought to have the Finnish Federation depart from the Socialist Party on the one hand, but not to join with the United Communist Party on the other. Työmies backed Sulkanen in this view -- both were willing to leave the question of joining the Comintern through membership in one of its constituent parties to the future.

[fn. Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pp. 98, 102.]
As historian Auvo Kostiainen notes, "the Waukegan convention was the unofficial start of the Finnish-American communist movment. The sympathy of the Finnish-American radical 'independents' was on the communists' side, and a number of them were already members of the illegal communist movement. Now, they were waiting for the establishment of a legal communist party. During the following summer, the first open contacts were made with American communists and finally, at the end of the same year [1921], Finnish-Americans were an important element in the formation of an open communist party, the Workers Party of America."

[fn. Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pg. 105.]

 
Secretary of the Finish Federation was Henry Askeli, who maintained the organization's central office at 3323 N Clark Street, Chicago. The Executive Committee in 1921 included: K.F. Tuhkanen (Bloomington, IL); Imer Belle (Chicago); Fahle Burman (Waukegan, IL); Frank Laurila (Waukegan); Vaino Lehto (Waukegan); John Huttunan (Waukegan), and Caro Hyrake (travelling organizer).
In February of 1921, Raivaaja was captured by the Socialist Party loyalists who split the Finnish Socialist Federation in a bitter proxy fight. A new Left Wing Finnish language newspaper was established to take the place of the lost publication -- Eteenpäin, the first issue of which appeared on May 25, 1921 in New York City. After about a year, publication moved to Worcester, MA due to financial difficulties.




(reorganized) Finnish Socialist Federation [Yhdysvaltain Sosialistipuolueen Suomalainen Järjestö]
About 30 clubs with a membership of around 2,000, primarily in the Eastern region, withdrew from the Federation in the aftermath of the 6th (Waukegan) Convention in order to remain affiliated with the Socialist Party of America. This group of locals reorganized themselves as the Finnish socialist Federation in 1921, with a reorganization committee elected in January 1921 in accord with a suggestion of the National Office of the SPA.

At the end of February 1921 came the annual meeting of the Raivaaja Publishing Co., holding company for the Fitchburg, MA newspaper of that name. Just about all shareholders were represented by proxies at this meeting -- and some proxies were claimed by competing factions, each of which sent its own delegation to the meeting. "The tension between the two competing groups became so intense that even fist fights occurred, and poliice were called to keep order." Both sides had lawyers present. Supporters of the SPA gained the majority in the committee examining proxies and rejected delegates representing 3,000 shares, thus gaining control of the meeting for the faction loyal to the SPA. Raivaaja thus became the organ of the reorganized Finnish Socialist Federation and severed its connection with the independent Finnish Federation, which had founded the paper and ostensibly was its issuing authority.
The loss of Raivaaja was taken hard by Secretary Askeli and the Left Wing Finnish Federation -- the Executive Committee issued a statement accusing "eastern conservatives" of having stolen the paper from the federation.

[fn. Auvo Kostiainen, The Forging of Finnish-American Communism, 1917-1924. (Turku: Turun Yliopisto, 1978), pg. 107.]


1. Convention --- Fitchburg, MA --- Aug. 13-15, 1921.
The first convention of the reorganized Finnish Socialist Federation was held at Fitchburg, Massachusetts from Aug. 13 to 15, 1921. The gathering was attended by 12 delegates, elected by membership referendum. At the time of the convention, the reorganized federation claimed 66 locals in 14 states -- 20 of these in Massachusetts, 4 in Vermont, 7 in New Hampshire, 4 in Connecticut, 5 in New York, 1 in Rhode Island, 4 in New Jersey, 7 in Ohio, and the balance spread out in a number of other states. The federation claimed a membership of 3300.
The reorganized Federation again made use of a division into 3 regions -- one comprising the New England states, one New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and part of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and the third the remaining portion of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the middle western states. Nine locals of the Finnish Federation organized youth groups, called Young People's Socialist Societies, chartered by the National Office of the Socialist Party and including 217 members at the time of the Fitchburg convention. Seventeen locals also conducted Socialist Sunday Schools, which included 946 children.
The Finnish Federation included a strong social (as opposed to political) component: 10 of the 66 locals of the reorganized Federation had brass bands at the time of the convention, 9 had singing societies, 18 had dramatic societies, and 13 had athletic clubs.
In addition to the daily Raivaaja, the reorganized Finnish Socialist Federation publishe a semi-monthly scientific and literary journal called Nykyaika. The reorganized Federation published 3 pamphlets up to the time of the August Fitchburg Convention -- one detailing the split in the federation, a second urging workers to support the Socialist Party, and a third containing the report of the Federation's fraternal delegate to the 1921 Detroit Convention of the Socialist Party, along with key resolutions of that gathering.
The reorganized Finnish Federation was headed by a National Executive Committee elected from the various locals in the Chicago area up to the August Fitchburg Convention. Due to the concentration of the reorganized Federation in the New England and Eastern US, however, that conclave determined to move federation headquarters from party headquarters in Chicago to Fitchburg -- ostensibly on a temporary basis. The local members of the National Executive Committee, previously hailing from the Chicago area, were henceforth elected from Locals Gardner, Fitchburg, Worcester, and Maynard, Massachusetts. The NEC of the Federation was to be elected each December by general vote of the membership, and was to hold office for one calendar year. This NEC was to directly appoint the Secretary of the Federation. Conventions of the reorganized Finnish Federation were to be held bi-annually.
The Fitchburg Convention reaffirmed the old model of federation relationship to the Socialist Party -- dues stamps were purchased by the Finnish Federation itself from the National Office in Chicago and were sold to the locals for 40 cents each; the locals then sold the dues stamps to the members for 50 cents each, keeping the difference to fund their own operations.

[fn: Jacob Spolansky, General Intelligence Report for Week Ending Oct. 8, 1921. NARA M-1085, reel 940, doc. unspecified; "Finn Federation Report Pledges Aid for Party," NY Call, Oct. 1, 1921, pg. 7.]

 

2. Convention --- city? --- February XX-XX, 1923.

The Socialist Party maintained a strong affiliated Finnish Language Federation throughout the 1920s and beyond. In 1927 this group counted an average monthly paid membership of 2,030 -- a figure which fell to 1,842 for the same months of 1928. Regardless, the Finnish Federation was the largest of the SP's five language federations in this period, contributing over 18% of the party membership in 1927 and over 16% in 1928.

[fn: Letter of National Executive Secretary Willam H. Henry to the NEC of the SPA, Nov. 24, 1928. Original in Bob Millar collection.]


 



Finnish Federation of the (unified) Communist Party of America
In late 1921, during the 5 months between formation of the unified CPA and the split of the Central Caucus faction, the Communist Party's Finnish Federation had an average monthly paid membership of 407, making it the 6th largest of the 10 Language groups in the party.

[fn: Comintern Archive: f. 515, op. 1, d. 75, l. 12.]

 

 

 



The Finnish Workers' Federation of the Workers Party of America
The Finns were the far and away the largest national group in the new Workers Party of America, established in the last days of 1921. In 1923 over 40% of the WPA's 16,000 or so paid members hailed from the Finnish Federation.
The Finnish Workers Federation had eight regional districts (alueet) -- 1. New England; 2. New York and the seaboard; 3. Ohio, including Western PA, Western NY, and Detroit; 4. Chicago, including Waukegan and Illinois communities; 5. Upper Michigan; 6. Minnesotat, including northern Wisconsin and the Dakotas; 7. Oregon and Washington; and 8. California. At times there were formal sub-districts in the mountain states and elsewhere that functioned under one of the regular districts.
Clubs in the various districts met annually in convetnion that reviewed the previous year's work, planned for the distribution and support of the Finnish-language press, planned for literature publication and distribution. Larger districts had full-time district secretaries and newspaper agents, who toured virtually house-to-house soliciting newspaper subscriptions and selling literature.

The Finnish Workers Federation merged with the International Workers Order in 1941.