From Amsterdam To London

WOOD, Isaac Salomon van der

leader of the Amsterdam branch of the First International, was born in Amsterdam on September 25, 1843 and deceased in London on March 15, 1918. He was the son of Solomon Isaac van der Hout, occasional, and Catherine Joseph Hoepelman. On December 19, 1866, he married Sara Harpman, with whom he had a daughter and three sons. Name in English also spelled as Vander Wood.

Van der Hout, joined shortly after the Third Dutch Workers Congress, on 28 and 29 May 1871 held in Amsterdam, with the Amsterdam branch of the (First) International. In the summer of 1871 he was with, among others, Klaas Ris and FWL Sauer founder of the Joint Association in Amsterdam, where he was director until late 1872. This Joint Association was the heart of the Amsterdam branch of the International. In September 1871, Van der Hout behalf of the association elected to the Alliance Board of the Dutch section of the International. Then late 1871 from the Joint Commission Association a Generation of Orphans Association was founded, Van der Hout, it also sits. In this way, Van der Hout became actively involved in setting up unions for even unorganized professions such as bakers and houtzagersknechts companions. This organization activities were not limited to Amsterdam. In mid 1872 we discussed the activities of the Joint Association - and Van der Hout - accelerated. Amsterdam was a political agitation movement around the open meetings of the Joint Association of Dalrust. There was talk about the high cost of living for workers. In August that led to two street demonstrations in which an address was handed to the mayor. At the time the movement seemed to really stir Van der Hout exerted a moderating influence. After he had led the first demonstration, he tried to avoid the second and he was against the idea of Sauer to strike as a political lever to use. At the Hague Congress of the International from September 1 to 7, 1872, Van der Hout present as delegate to the Amsterdam branch. Since he arrived in the showdown between K. Marx and the absent M. Bakunin. Van der Hout described his position in this conference afterwards as neutral. He had a real Dutch position held, abstaining from the political and the political goal of the Internationale. Yet he signed the Declaration of Bakoenistische minority, which the authority of the General Council was rejected. Meanwhile, the Dalrustbeweging, after meeting with the leaders of the Hague Congress, had its peak. The meetings lasted until December 1872 is still continuing, but public response decreased significantly.

When Van der Hout, after many odd jobs at the end of 1872 was unemployed again, and he decided Sauer test their luck in London. After a farewell in Amsterdam and Utrecht, they departed from Rotterdam on December 3. Their families remained behind temporarily in Amsterdam, supported by associates. Van der Hout had a recommendation letter from H. Gerhard Marx with him. Sauer and he tried in London by Fr. English to find jobs. Van der Hout, however, was soon offered work in Germany and left in February 1873 at Alten-Essen. There he worked as a miner. From Germany he wrote some articles for The Werkman. In June 1873, Van der Hout, a short time in the Netherlands. He had sitting in the office of the Congress of the Democratic Union of North and South Netherlands, on June 2, 1873 held in Amsterdam. Shortly afterwards he returned with his family back to Alten-Essen.

Early 1874 the family lived in London back in East End. That there was a hard life, in the letters of Van Der Hout of English, he wrote twenty years. Again and again he knocked in English for money because of unemployment or illness. And every time they helped him. As a token of gratitude for his long support and friendship was invited to the English silver wedding Van der Hout, beginning 1892, when it was present. During his stay in London, Van der Hout also remained politically active. In November 1877 he was one of the founders of the International Labour Union, which they tried the tradition of the First International to continue. Most of the members who also had been active in the International, had the 'anti-Marxist "British Federal Council belonged. Van der Hout was both the Provisional Council and the Council elected and appointed contact person for the Netherlands. In October 1878 he proposed a special conference with the intention of an International Labor Congress in London to prepare. He was selected in the preparatory committee, but the whole plan came to nothing. In the ensuing 25 years, but possibly even longer, he remained in London's East End, local political activities. He was in any case from 1883 a member of the Labour Emancipation League and who regularly acted as a speaker in the open air, usually in the area of Bethnal Green and Hoxton. After connecting the Labour Emancipation League in June 1884 when the Democratic - from August 1884 Social Democratic - Fédération he was from time to time for this organization operates. In addition, he spoke on topics such as 'socialism', 'socialism as against the views of Charles Bradlaugh' (a freethinker, who against the British socialists marketing), "the social question ',' freedom in England 'and' status and life of foreigners in England '. From 1885 he represented at official occasions regularly Tower Hamlets Radical Club. This was the case with the large memorial meeting for the Paris Commune on March 22, 1885 in Bloomsbury, where he was one of the speakers was next to William Morris and Friedrich Lessner, and the impressive demonstration for freedom of expression in Dod Street and West India Dock on September 27, 1885, which estimated that between thirty and fifty thousand people took part. Here he belonged to Stewart Headlam, who had also been active in the International Labour Union, John Burns, George Bernard Shaw and HM Hyndman of the speakers. With the Labour Emancipation League, he immediately upon its establishment in December 1884 joined the Socialist League. Of this he was a member of successive sections Mile End and Bethnal Green and Mile later Hackney. Although these throughout the existence of the Socialist League under the influence of Joseph Lane of the fiercest anti-parliamentary departments heard, called Van der Hout occasionally for the electoral rights of adults and participating in local elections. After the dissolution of the Socialist League he took during the nineties and in the first years of the twentieth century, participated in the activities of local chapters of the Social Democratic Federation and radical workers' clubs in the East End.

During his last years lived in Van der Hout Whitechapel in East London. At this time two of his sons lived with their families also in East London (in Hoxton and Shoreditch) and third in the district of Richmond. Van der Hout died in Whitechapel Hospital to the effect of a malignant condition in the mouth. If action was abandoned rag.


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LITERATURE: Bymholt, History, M. Nettlau, "Ein Klang der Nach verschollener International: The International Labour Union" in: Archiv für die Geschichte des Sozialismus und der Arbeiterbewegung, 9th jrg., 1921, 134-145, Th. van Tijn, Twenty years Amsterdam (Amsterdam 1965), JJ Giele, The first international in the Netherlands (Nijmegen 1973); F. Boos, William Morris' s Socialist Diary (London 1985; earlier but less comprehensive in: History Workshop, No. 13, 1982, 1-75,, moreover, the references to Van der Hout by Boos often incorrect); D. Forest, True friends people. The early socialist movement in Amsterdam 1848-1894 (Amsterdam 2001).

PORTRAIT: I.S. van der Hout, no known portrait, letter of I.S. van der Hout to Fr. English (IISH, Marx-Engels Archives L 2450)


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Author: Piet Wielsma, Heiner Becker

Originally published in: BWSA 2 (1987), p. 68-70