John Swinton

John Swinton (born December 12, 1829 in Saltoun near Haddington , Scotland , † December 15, 1901 in Brooklyn Heights , New York) was an American journalist , newspaper publicist and speaker . He had his greatest influence on public opinion during the 1860s as a main editorial writer for the New York Times . He was best known for his own weekly newspaper, John Swinton's Paper , one of the most important newspapers of the American labor movement of the 1880s. After his newspaper went bankrupt, he worked as an editorial writer for the New York Sun for 12 years.

Life

youth

John Swinton was born on December 12, 1829 in West Saltoun, East Lothian , Scotland . Swinton's father immigrated to America when John was very young and became a settler pioneer in what is now Illinois . He died soon after arriving in America, which is why John entered professional life at a very young age.

Swinton began an apprenticeship as a printer in 1841 at the age of 11 . Two years later he moved to Montreal , Canada , where he worked as a “journeyman printer” (traveling assistant printer). Swinton stayed in Canada until the late 1840s.

Swinton returned to the United States to attend the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Hampshire County , Massachusetts , Classical Philology study. Before completing his studies, he moved to New York City , where he began a medical degree at New York Medical College , which he completed without a final exam. During this period, Swinton's attitude became politically radical on the slave issue and he organized campaigns for abolitionism . In 1856 he moved to Kansas , where he got involved with the Free Soil Party . He took a job as a manager at the Lawrence Republican newspaper , an anti-slavery press.

He later moved to the slave state of South Carolina and worked as a printer and typesetter for the state printing company. Swinton gave private lessons to African Americans during this period that had to be kept secret.

Journalistic career

Swinton returned to New York City in 1860 and wrote a medical article for the New York Times that was so well received that Swinton was offered an editorial position. Swinton was helped by his brother Raymond, who had started at the Times in 1858 and had quickly risen to management. He stayed with the Times for ten years, throughout the American Civil War, and became its top editorial writer.

After leaving the Times, Swinton worked as a freelance journalist from 1870 to 1875. He wrote a variety of articles for Horace Greeley's New York Tribune .

Swinton represented the political positions of that section of the labor movement that the administration considered radical. He spoke at the rally in Tompkins Square , New York City, in the spring of 1874 , which grew into riots that were forcibly quashed by police. Swinton's ability to speak stood out, and in the fall of 1874 he was persuaded to run for mayor of New York at the top of the list of the newly formed "Industrial Policy Party". Swinton received few votes and considered his candidacy itself to be rather symbolic.

Swinton was active in the New York trade union movement, speaking at workers' meetings and raising union issues to the city council. He became active in the affairs of the cigar makers, in the union campaign against the " tenement system ".

In the aftermath of his freelance work, Swinton took a permanent position as an editorial writer for the New York Sun in 1875 and remained in that position for several years.

The speech at the Twilight Club 1883

His speech in 1883 at the Twilight Club, which met on April 12, 1883 in D'Orville's Restaurant in the Mills Building in New York, was particularly well known. John Swinton, co-founder of the club, was invited as a guest of honor, and participants were fellow journalists. Each club meeting had an intellectual topic for discussion that was covered after dinner. Contributions should not be longer than 5 minutes, "with the express consent that every speaker expresses his or her deepest convictions without hesitation and with the full assurance of the appreciation and benevolence of all listeners." The topic was: "Some things that an editor dares not discuss. ”Swinton's contribution was an opinion on“ press independence ”after someone had allegedly mentioned it before him.

“There is no such a thing in America as an independent press, unless it is out in country towns. You are all slaves. You know it, and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to express an honest opinion. If you expressed it, you would know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid $ 150 for keeping honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for doing similar things. If I should allow honest opinions to be printed in one issue of my paper, I would be like Othello before twenty-four hours: my occupation would be gone. The man who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the street hunting for another job. The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to villify (sic!), To fawn at the feet of Mammons, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same - his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an 'Independent Press'! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes. "

“There is no such thing as an independent press in America, except in remote small towns in the country. You are all slaves. You know and I know. Not a single one of you dares to express an honest opinion. If you did bring it to expression, you would know in advance that it would never appear in print. I get paid $ 150 for keeping honest opinions out of the newspaper with which I am associated. Others of you get similar salaries to do similar things. If I allowed honest opinions to appear in one issue of my newspaper, within 24 hours I would be like Othello: my job would be gone. The one who would be crazy enough to write honest opinions would be on the street looking for a new job. The business of journalists in New York is to twist the truth, to lie bluntly, to pervert it, to revile it, to crouch at the feet of Mammon and to sell one's own country and people for their daily bread, or whatever is the same , for his salary. You know and I know; What nonsense to toast to 'press independence'! We are tools and servants of rich men backstage. We are jumping jacks. You pull the strings and we dance. Our time, our skills, our lives, our opportunities are all other people's property. We are intellectual prostitutes. "

John Swinton's Paper

In 1883 Swinton left the Sun to start his own newspaper, the well-known John Swinton's Paper. The first edition of Swinton's new publication appeared in New York City on October 14, 1883. John Swinton's Paper was a four-page newspaper with six columns that appeared once a week. The headline of each issue stated Swinton's goals:

1. To stand up firmly for human rights in the American understanding.
2. Fight against what is increasingly wrong in society and industry.
3. Promoting the organizations and interests of working people and disseminating news from trades and unions.
4. Unifying political forces, finding a common platform, and sending messages to young people in these areas (work and trade unions).
5. Warning to the American people of the dangerous activities of millionaires, monopolists, and plutocrats.
6. Prospect for better times of fair play and public welfare.

In his publication, Swinton was free to promote his own radical ideas about the American labor movement: his newspaper gained nationwide circulation. Swinton’s main targets were what he called the “robber barons” of the day, including Jay Gould and William Henry Vanderbilt , who were faced with an endless stream of satirical cartoons, poetry and aggressive editorials. In his newspaper Swinton took a stand against the rampant exploitation of prisoners and contract labor by immigrants, and in particular he described the fate of Chinese immigrants in railway construction in dark tones.

Swinton's opposition to contract (forced) labor, highlighted in a series of articles beginning October 28, 1883, is said to have induced the New York State Assembly to open an investigation into these activities leading to a prohibition of this system in the State with effect from 1885.

Swinton tried to achieve a similar effect overall against the immigrant contract labor system. With this system, workers were brought in by employers, often to break strikes; they were kept with only a minimal standard of living and support to save their money for those who stayed at home. Swinton used an undercover reporter, an investigative reporter, to expose the abuses of this system, which in January 1884 resulted in a US Congress decree that removed legislation on the matter in January 1885. Subsequently, Swinton continued his crusade against the system, the Conservative Democrat administration accusing President Grover Cleveland of failure to improve these laws.

Although Swinton gained a significant and influential readership in the union movement, the John Swinton's Paper was not an economic success. Swinton resisted financial support from third parties, insisting instead on subscriptions ($ 1 a year), newsstand sales (3 cents per copy), and paid ads (25 cents per inch per column). As early as December 1884, losses began to mount, a process that accelerated in 1887 when the Knights of Labor began boycotting his publication due to Swinton's opposition and commitment to a network of rival unions that would later be led by the American Federation of Labor merged.

In August 1887 the financial decline was no longer sustainable. In the last issue of August 7, 1887, Swinton stated that he could no longer sustain his newspaper's losses. He wrote:

“My resources are no longer sufficient to bear further burdens in the future. I've been ruined by this newspaper and all the work I've put thousands of dollars into over the past four years - all out of my own pocket. "

Next life

Swinton returned to paid journalistic work for others and retained a prominent role as a speaker on the labor movement issue.

Swinton ran for the Senate for the Progressive Labor Party in 1887. Swinton made a serious effort to win this election but was eventually defeated.

In 1892 Swinton returned to his previous position in the editorial team of the New York Sun and wrote editorials for the newspaper. He held this position until 1897.

Death and Legacy In
1899, Swinton lost his sight but continued to do his best to remain active as a writer despite his disability. Swinton died in Brooklyn Heights , New York, on December 15, 1901, three days after his 72nd birthday. He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. There is a memorial on his grave that was erected by local trade unionists.

Work

Books and pamphlets

• The New Issue: the Chinese American Question. New York: American News Company, 1870.
• The Tompkins Square Outrage: Appeal of John Swinton, Addressed to the Legislature, through the Committee on Grievances, and Delivered in the Assembly Chamber at Albany, March 25th, 1874. Albany: 1874.
• John Swinton's Travels: Current Views and Notes of Forty Days in France and England. New York: GW Carleton & Co., 1880.
• Storm and Stress: Address of John Swinton of New York, Held at the Social Democratic Festival, Ogden's Grove, Chicago, Sunday Afternoon, June 12, 1881. Chicago: np, 1881.
• Old Ossawattomy Brown: Speech on the 22nd Anniversary of John Brown's Death, Delivered in… New York, December 2, 1881. New York: np, 1881.
• A Model Factory in a Model City: A Social Study. New York, Press of Brown, Green & Adams, 1888.
• Addresses before the American Federation of Labor Convention at Philadelphia, Pa., Dec., 1892. With William Salter and Amos J. Cummings. Washington, DC: American Federation of Labor, n.d. [1892].
• Striking for Life: Labor's Side of the Labor Question: The Right of the Workingman to a Fair Living. New York ?: American Manufacturing and Pub. Co., 1894.
• A Momentous Question: The Respective Attitudes of Labor and Capital. Philadelphia: AR Keller Co., 1895.
• 1860 - Lincoln, Debs - 1895: A Remarkable Article Written in 1895 by the Great New York Journalist, John Swinton. Terre Haute, IN: Anchor Co., n.d. [1895].

items

• The New Slave Trade . In Bruce Shapiro (Ed.): Shaking the Foundations. 200 Years of Investigative Journalism in America. New York: Nation Books, 2003; Pp. 40-44.
• Karl Marx. In: same: John Swinton's Travels. In: The Sun. New York. No. 6 of September 6, 1880, p. 1.
• (Speech by John Swinton). In: Report of the "New Yorker People's Newspaper", No. 68 of March 20, 1993 on the memorial rally by New York workers for Karl Marx on March 19, 1883.

literature

• Garlin transmitter: John Swinton, American radical, 1829-1901. Including the full text of his interview with Karl Marx in 1880. New York American Institute for Marxist Studies, New York 1976.
• Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. In: Labor History, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1960, pp. 298-307.
• Marc Ross: John Swinton, Journalist and Reformer: The Active Years, 1857-1887. PhD dissertation. New York University, 1969.
• Robert Waters: Career and Conversation of John Swinton, Journalist, Orator, Economist. Charles H. Kerr & Co., Chicago 1902.

Web links

Wikiquote: John Swinton  Quotes

Individual evidence

1. ^ Sender Garlin: Three American Radicals: John Swinton, Charles P. Steinmetz, and William Dean Howells. Westview Press, Boulder, CO 1991, p. 4.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} John Swinton Dead: The Noted Economist, Writer, and Orator Gone. In: The New York Times. December 16, 1901.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} John Swinton. In: Gary M. Fink (Ed.): Biographical Dictionary of American Labor. Revised Edition. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT 1984, pp. 539-540.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Garlin: Three American Radicals. P. 5.
5. ↑ ^{a b c} John Swinton. In: William DP Bliss, Rudolph M. Binder (Eds.): The New Encyclopedia of Social Reform. New Edition. Funk and Wagnalls, New York 1908, p. 1184.
6. ^ Career and conversation of John Swinton, journalist, orator, economist. P. 87 , accessed March 5, 2017 . 
7. ^ Currey, Josiah Seymour (1918). Chicago: Its History and Its Builders. SJ Clarke Publishing Company, p. 182.
8. ^ American Notes & Queries . American Notes & Queries, January 1, 1942 ( google.de [accessed March 5, 2017]).
9. ^ The text follows: EJ Schellhouse: The New Republic. Founded on the Natural and Inalienable Rights of Man 1883, pp. 122–123 ( archive.org , quoting - copied from an Eastern paper - what “was uttered by a prominent New York journalist at a press dinner a short time since”, when “The hackneyed and ridiculous toast, 'The Independent Press,' was proposed.” There are other versions of the text, like that of Upton Sinclair
10. ^ Sinclair Upton: The Brass Check. A Study of American Journalism . 1920, p. 400 . Sinclair's version is probably the most common, but it differs from older ones.
11. ↑ George Seldes: The Great Quotations. Lyle Stuart, New York, 1960. p. 671.
12. ↑ Since there is no authorized translation and no rights are violated, I translated the text myself. Since it was a trade union event, addressing you is certainly more sensible than addressing you, which is completely unusual among comrades. The style of speech and the confidentiality of the content also contradict a formal you. Fork1960
13. ^ Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. In: Labor History. Volume 1, No. 3 (Fall 1960), p. 298.
14. ^ Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 300.
15. ^ Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 301, quoted from John Swinton's Paper. October 14, 1883, et seq.
16. ^ ^{A b} Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 302.
17. ^ ^{A b} Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 303.
18. ^ Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. Pp. 303-304.
19. ^ Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 304.
20. ^ ^{A b} Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 306.
21. ^ Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. Pp. 305-306.
22. ↑ John Swinton's Paper, August 7, 1887, cited in Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 307.
23. ^ Frank T. Reuter: John Swinton's Paper. P. 307.
24. ^ Reprint in: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe . Department I. Volume 25. Dietz Verlag, Berlin 1985, pp. 442-443.
25. ↑ Printed in: Their names live on through the centuries. Condolences and necrologists on the deaths of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Dietz Verlag, Berlin 1983, pp. 220-222.