Page:Roads to freedom.djvu/79

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The Syndicalist Revolt
77

industry, and is thus a smaller unit than the Bourse du Travail.[1] Under the able leadership of Pelloutier, the Fédération des Bourses prospered more than the C.G.T., and at last, in 1902, coalesced with it. The result was an organisation in which the local Syndicat was federated twice over, once with the other Syndicats in its locality, forming together the local Bourse du Travail, and again with the Syndicats in the same industry in other places. "It was the purpose of the new organisation to secure twice over the membership of every syndicat, to get it to join both its local Bourse du Travail, and the Federation of its industry. The Statutes of the C.G.T. (I. 3) put this point plainly: 'No Syndicat will be able to form a part of the C.G.T. if it is not federated nationally and an adherent of a Bourse du Travail or a local or departmental Union of Syndicats grouping different associations.' Thus, M. Lagardelle explains, the two sections will correct each other's point of view: national federation of industries will prevent parochialism (localisme), and local organisation will check the corporate or 'Trade Union' spirit. The workers will learn at once the solidarity of all workers in a locality and that of all workers in a trade, and, in learning this, they will learn at the same time the complete solidarity of the whole working-class."[2]

This organization was largely the work of Pelloutier, who was secretary of the Fédération des Bourses from

  1. "Syndicat in France still means a local union—there are at the present day only four national syndicats" (ib. p. 66).
  2. Cole, ib. p. 69.