THE “INDUSTRIAL SOLIDARITY”
The Industrial Solidarity is a typical I.W.W. paper. It comes nearer than any other I.W.W. paper to reflecting the mind and the spirit of the average hobo. It is a six- or eight-page weekly and sells for five cents. It is published in Chicago from where it is distributed to individual subscribers or in bundles to the peddlers or newsdealers.
The issue of July 1, 1922, contains the following articles:
In bold headlines across the front page under the caption, “Company Brought on Herrin Mine War” is a detailed narrative of the whole affair written by George Williams who is supposed to have been an eye-witness. This article contains four full columns, two of them on the front page. Another front-page article is devoted to the freeing of political prisoners. It has special reference to the fifty-two I.W.W. in Leavenworth who refused to ask the President for pardon. The article is headed, “Hundreds of Cities in Million Signature Petition Drive.” The slogan was “Let Them Go Free.” Attorney-General Daugherty, who at best is not popular with the floating population, is shown in a cartoon on the front page marching in a parade carrying a banner on which is inscribed, “Please, Let Morse out of Prison.” Over the cartoon is written the ironical legend, which harks back to some remark that had been used against the “Wobblies,” “This is no Children’s Crusade.”
Considerable space is devoted to the spring drive for membership. At the time of the publication of this number the drive was on in full blast in the harvest fields where the so-called “slugging committees” were out enrolling members. One long article was published telling of “conditions” in Kansas and Oklahoma where the Ku Klux Klan was offering active opposition to the I.W.W. The articles had been sent in by some “bo” who told in detail how the “Wobblies” outwitted the “town clowns,” or local police, and the K.K.K.
According to the I.W.W. literature list for April, 1922, the following periodicals are issued regularly:
| Name | Issued | Where Published | No. Each Issue | Language |
| Industrial Solidarity | Weekly | Chicago | 12,000 | English |
| Industrial Worker | Weekly | Seattle | 10,000 | English |
| Industrial Unionist | Bi-weekly | New York | (?) | English |
| Golos Truzenika | Bi-weekly | Chicago | 3,000 | Russian |
| A Felszabadulas | Weekly | Chicago | 5,000 | Hungarian |
| Il Proletario | Weekly | Chicago | 6,000 | Italian |
| Solidaridad | Weekly | Chicago | 5,500 | Spanish |
| Rahotnicheska Mysl | Weekly | Chicago | 2,800 | Bulgarian |
| Muncitorul | Bi-weekly | Chicago | 4,200 | Roumanian |
| Jedna Velka Unie | Monthly | Chicago | 2,700 | Czecho-Slovak |
| Tie Vapauteen | Monthly | Chicago | 7,000 | Finnish |
| Industrialisti | Daily | Duluth | 16,000 | Finnish |
| Snaga Radnika | Bi-weekly | Duluth | 3,500 | Croatian |
“Wobbly” papers are extensively used as lesson sheets. Solidarity has one long article of this character which is an analysis and criticism of craft unionism. Finally, there are several communications from members on the road and four or five editorials on questions of the day.
The Solidarity is only one of a number of I.W.W. publications, but the most important as far as the hobos are concerned. The organization maintains a publishing company of its own, the Equity Press, which is situated at the I.W.W. headquarters in Chicago.