During this S. T. and L. A. period Daniel DeLeon looked upon revolutionary unionism as being necessarily pro-political rather than pro-industrial and non-political. He then felt that the political movement must dominate the unions as they are in Germany dominated by the Social Democracy. He later became convinced that revolutionary unionism must dominate the political movement, and that the revolutionary union had a decisive mission in the Socialist movement.
The S. T. and L. A. [says Fraina] was largely a weapon to fight conservative A. F. of L. politics. The friends of the A. F. of L. roared in protest and ... split the Socialist movement to save the A. F. of L.... DeLeon's revolutionary unionism was largely a means to prevent the socialist political movement [from] being controlled by the Aristocracy of Labor and the Middle Class--two social groups which ... have certain interests in common and against the revolutionary proletariat.[68]
The composition and membership of the S. T. and L. A. in July, 1898, were as follows:
German Waiters 260 Ale and Porter Union 200 United Engineers 60 Marquette Workers 70 Carl Sahm Club 80 Piano Makers 520 Bohemian Butchers 150 Bartenders 90 Furriers 250 Silver Workers 40 Empire City Lodge 35 New York Cooks 55 German Coppersmiths 80 Macaroni Workers 65 Progressive Cigarette Makers 970 Bohemian Typographia 32 Swedish Machinists 98 Progressive Typographia 15 Pressmen and Feeders 18 Independent Bakers No. 33 60 Independent Bakers No. 25 45 Liberty Waiters 65 ----- 3,258[69]
Far from being superior to the old [craft] organization(s), [says Stone] it is very much inferior.... With an insignificant membership, without controlling as much as a large factory, not to speak of a trade, at war not only with the bosses, ... but with every trade union which does not come under its mighty wing--it was unable to undertake any step of importance, in order to improve the condition of its members. The only strike of significance which it had, that at Slatersville [Rhode Island] was a failure after it had cost the Party about $1,500....[70]
The Alliance was scarcely more than a phantom organization on the eve of the launching of the I. W. W. in 1905. The same may be said of all the western unions which in that year merged in the I. W. W., except the Western Federation of Miners. The S. L. P. and the S. T. and L. A. "talk of capturing the convention to be held on June 27 [the 1st I. W. W. convention].... That convention should be not a revival, but the funeral, of the S. T. and L. A."[71] This expressed fairly well the attitude of the Socialist party men. "Born in hatred, suckled in dissension," as one socialist writer sees it, "the sole partisan trade union that ever arose to deny the principles and policies of international socialism came to destruction by its own venom, not however, until it had implanted the poison of its spirit into the Industrial Workers of the World."[72]