Textos & Dados

Letter from Marques da Costa to IWA

1924, Rio de Janeiro, May 8th. Dear Comrade D. Abad de Santilln: The fact that our comrade Domingos Passos (Assistant Secretary of the Workers Federation of Rio de Janeiro) shows me today your last letter, which referred to the Second Congress of the IWA and incites us to take part in this important international event, has made me decide to write you these lines, that I want to mark the beginning of an exchange of correspondence as constant as spontaneous and therefore helpful to our relations and work of revolutionary advertising. I know you long, through chronicles and brilliant articles that you sent to La Protesta, that I read constantly for more than three years, and when I knew that you had been was elected member of the Secretariat of the AIT, I got joyful and waited immediately to be able to enter into direct relations with the Secretariat, to expedite the completion of the work we had started against the few Bolshevik elements that since 1922 began to undermine the old Federation of Workers of Rio de Janeiro. My duties, however, they had never given to me - and this has been since eight long years! - Stop and maintain relationships with all of those whose contact I would not ever get away from! I have done, however, what I could achieve. Today, FORJ is the most categorical statement of the revolutionary spirit and characteristically libertarian tendencies of the workers of Brazil! The divisive campaign of false communists hadnt had any worth. The decisive attitude of the Union of Workers in Civil Construction, courageously seconded by the Alliance of Workers in Calados, General Union of Workers in Hotels Restaurants and Similar, UG Metalworkers' unions and other syndicates were the shot to death in the centralized and dictatorial claims of the moscowized. Maintaining the revolutionary integrity of the syndicalism, since the first to the third Workers Congress (1906-19131920) was interpreted and practiced in Brazil, according to the conception the anarchists have about it, the FORJ was obviously intended to be the exponent that today is the revolutionary organization of workers of here. Now its being draw, in the syndicalist horizon that had been darkened of heavy lead clouds, as a new dawn. And if we can achieve, as desired, the two things that we will vote with body and soul, well soon be able to complete victory of our ideals, that we hope to see prevail on all the campaigns of defeatism and demoralization of the stipend by Moscow. These initiatives, in which success depends of the immediate revival of our languid CGT are: 1) a conference Intersyndical - or perhaps regional - with representation of the revolutionary syndicates of the Rio de Janeiro (Distrito Federal) and the State of Rio, the State of So Paulo, the State of Minas Gerais and the State of Esprito Santo; 2) the representation of revolutionary

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syndicates of Brazil (and we count as you count with the ones of the State of Rio Grande do Sul and others, such as Par, Amazonas, etc..) In the second Congress of the International Association of Workers, and as a complement of these initiatives: the achievement of our fourth national congress. Everything depends on the will and energy of the anarchist elements that, despite the indifference of the masses and crapulism of the traitors, that hadnt left their place to the "flies" of capitalism and opportunism. And I have the safer hopes we will succeed. We'll see ... I would finish this letter (?) When occurred the idea of sending you some copies of "A Ptria", where I work as editor-worker. And I will send you these copies. You will see in them, the "Seo Trabalhista," what goes through this brasiliensis land ... The workers organization hasnt, unfortunately, been able to maintain its newspaper A Voz do Povo, which I dont know if you ever come to read, it was a journal that provided great service to the advertising and revolutionary organization, but it died, fell disastrously in the hands of those types that later had to flee miserably to the ranks of Russian communism, leading to divisionism within the aforementioned Federation of Workers. When he abandoned this organization, under the conditions that I mentioned in the above lines, the Union of Workers in Civil Construction - to which I belong - founded a weekly newspaper O Trabalho - which was forbidden to be published after seized by police in state of siege (which lasted 18 long months of terrible persecution!) - the closing of gold of the government of Epitcio Pessoa, against whom was the military uprising of July 22nd. [sic]. Founded the FORJ, when everything seemed to show that the country was going into a period of peace, politics and a less reactionary government, it was the Civil Construction which suggested the idea to publish O Trabalho under the auspices of the Federation and as an organ of the Workers Federation Rio de Janeiro. We didnt have, however, what we needed: workshops. We appealed, therefore, to the bourgeois press. Everything was ready to publish our newspaper in the winds of advertising, when a new obstacle appeared. One of the most monstrous projects of law against the freedom of thought had been torn out of the archives of the Senate: the law of the press. It was discussed and voted on quickly, we just were able to publish the fifth issue - first of the new phase - which was the last glimmer of a hope that illuminated the great effort that dissipated. I will send you also a collection of O Trabalho. Now, fortunately, our stubbornness, our intransigence, our tenacity, not to say our invincible will and activity, seem to have created a new environment, new hope ... It has been in the "Seo Trabalhista" of A Ptria that our work has been performed. In it I have published, since sixteen months that I am here (without leaving my profession, which is carpenter), I have made all our publications, making all our campaigns. A Ptria that I have - that we have the anarchists of Rio de Janeiro - made all the advertising of the IWA. So I ask you to send, addressed to my name of the Press Service of IWA circulars, bulletins, etc... Etc.., I ask you with remittances a copy. And it is just for now. Believe me comrade and right friend. Marques da Costa

My address: Marques da Costa 31 Rua Chile 31 (Editorial staff of A Ptria) Rio de Janeiro Brazil

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Handwritten letter from Marques da Costa to Abad de Santillan. Brazil, 1924. Rio de Janeiro, May 8th, 9 p. Archive Abad de Santillan, Korrespondenz, 1924. (IISG). Adolfo Marques da Costa

".... he was one of the leaders of the Union of Workers in Civil Construction, in Rio de Janeiro. He collaborated in the newspaper A Plebe; he was editor of O Trabalho and other newspapers. He was born in Portugal, was arrested with other militants on July, 7th 1924 and deported to Lisbon. in Pinheiro, Paulo Srgio. Michael M. Hall A Classe Operria no Brasil 1889 1930 documents Volume 1 O Movimento Operrio So Paulo: Editora Alfa - Omega, 1981.

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