Adelante (1902)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Adelante (Forward) was an anarchist weekly newspaper for workers published in Santander, Spain, from May 1, 1902, to March 8, 1903. In its nine months, it drew a large group of contributors and was known for its long-running feud with the Marxist socialist movement. The first issue appeared on International Workers’ Day (May 1, 1902) with the by-line Workers Sociological Weekly and the slogan Solidarity and Science.

Printing took place at Imprenta El Dobra in Torrelavega because no Santander printer would publish an openly anarchist paper. The paper’s leadership changed several times: Diego Cortázar began as director, followed by Francisco G. Moldes (from August 24, 1902), José Manuel Méndez (from October 5, 1902), and Juan Blanco (from December 7, 1902). The editorial team included Anastasio Juan Herrero Muñoz, Eduardo Pérez Iglesias, J. Manuel Hernández, Jesús de Amber, and Tortajada (from Torrelavega). Notable contributors included Diego Martínez Barrio, Emilio Carral, José Montero Iglesias, Vicente Blanco, Vicente Daza, and Francisco Pi y Arsuaga. Adelante often reprinted articles from El País, Tierra y Libertad, Les Temps Nouveaux, and El Rebelde.

Published on Sundays, it was sold at seven kiosks and by street vendors. A copy cost 5 céntimos, and a three-month subscription was 1 peseta. The newspaper’s format was about 42.9 by 31.2 cm, with four pages and four columns. Adelante rejected “workerism” and used a sharp tone against its proponents. It was hostile toward the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, and the rivalry with La Voz del Pueblo sometimes led to violence against its editor. The last issue appeared on March 8, 1903, and a total of 42 issues were published.