Portland Oregan - After a 100 year hiatus Firebrand are back

north america / mexico | local contacts | news report Friday April 22, 2005 17:32 by Firebrand - NAF

History of Firebrand

In a time when unions were illegal and workers were shot and beaten by Pinkerton thugs for trying to improve the conditions of their workplace, a group of radicals got together in Portland and put out a paper that challenged the bosses and oppressive ideas.

The original Firebrand was initially printed in 1895 in Portland, Oregon. With a weekly distribution of 3,000 copies, the paper cost 50 cents for a year's subscription and was read all around the world. The paper was distinctly anarchist, and focused on labor issues as well as other relevant topics; such as attacking capitalism, government, and promoting free love and a socially, economically, and politically liberated society.

The three main editors of The Firebrand were A.J. Pope, Henry Addis, and Abraham Isaak, but the contributors were many. There was lively correspondence, and articles submitted by readers throughout the world. Notorious radicals like Lucy Parsons, Alexander Berkman, and Emma Goldman appeared in The Firebrand.

The purpose of the paper, as stated in their title, was "for the burning away of the cobwebs of ignorance and superstition". One critic of firebrand described the graphic on the front page as "Its title is illuminated with a picture of a cobweb supported on one side by the dome of the capital at Washington, and on the other, the steeple of a church. Capitalists and clergymen are represented as spiders lying in wait to feed upon people enmeshed in the web. The firebrand is being applied to the web, and one wing of the capital appears to be involved in the resulting flames." Far from mincing words about their stand on labor, The Firebrand had this to say of the eight hour day, "Eight hours work for a master is eight hours too much. Not only because four of these hours are to enrich a master and to help forge weapons by which we are kept down-but also because these eight hours are not employed to produce what is useful and necessary for society but to produce what brings the largest profit to the exploiter."

Come 1897, the government decided that some folks were being a bit obscene, and in an attempt to uphold the strict and oppressive moral order, the obscenity law was passed. The Firebrand was not spared from this repressive law and on September seventh of 1897 the paper was suppressed. The Firebrand editors had this to say of their suppression, "the charges are made to suppress us simply because we are an anarchist sheet. The obscenity law, being broad enough to do this, has been violated."

The post office was instrumental in shutting down the 'obscene' Firebrand, saying they had "been keeping an eye on The Firebrand for some time." A.J. Pope, Henry Addis, and Abraham Isaak were sent to jail and fined over 2000 dollars collectively. We were unable to discover how long they were in jail and whether or not they ever brought the paper back to life, mostly due to incomplete historical records.

Firebrand- Now

The new labor collective Firebrand formed in the winter of 2003 from the need for radical labor organizing. We see all around us, in our workplaces and communities, the need to struggle against bosses, bureaucrats and all those who would profit from our misery. We recognize the need for unions and other community organization, and we see assaults happening against these organizations of working people everyday. We acknowledge that this is a harsh climate for workplace organizing, for forming unions, or defending our rights. Hence we see the need for radical tactics, and to fight back with all that we have available. In this, we hope to help create a forum in which we can discuss issues, share ideas and strategies, and build a community of resistance. We invite the opinions and ideas of working people involved with struggle in their workplace and community, and look forward to correspondence, letters, articles, criticisms and concerns. In this we hope that the spirit of Firebrand lives on in Portland and the 21st century.