CommunismSocialismStrikeTerrorismViolenceWorking Class

The New York COMMUNIST Vol. I, No. New York, Thursday, May 8, 1919 Price cents The Aftermath of May May Day.
TAY DAY, the day on which Labor greets the little children torn from their parents and fright have already half mastered that in organized not even.
has come and gone and Labor counts its sores. early in the afternoon by a gang of rowdies, badges The workers of England paraded through the Never was such a May Day; after five years of were torn from the women clothes and men were streets of English cities and nowhere is there a rechideous winter, life again began to bud, and Labor made to kiss the American flag, for which the gang ord of violence against them. Through the fashmarched in mingled hope and shame. In the ears sters professed a great reverence. The mob then ionable quarters of London the Socialist and Labor of the marchers, marching to demonstrate their marched to the new building of the New York movements paraded with banners voicing their onesolidarity with their brothers and sisters of all Call, where a group of people were looking over ness with their brothers in industry everywhere, lands, rang the echo of the cry from the millions the plant. The premises were invaded and after and crying their protest against capitalist tyranny of rotting corpses on the war torn fields of Eu beating the men, women and children present, the to the world, but no one moved a hand against rope: Your lack of solidarity scattered us here! mob proceeded to wreck the building. Over thirty them. In Ireland, under the bayonets of an And because Labor recognized the justice of the persons were sent to hospitals as a result of the alien power, the workers declared a general cry it marched with uneven tread, but because it raid. Minor incidents of the same character were strike without molestation. In France the determined that past shame should not blot out fu general throughout the city until late at night. action of the police resulted in protracted ture hope Labor marched, though its tread was un.
The whole affair, in its broader aspects, can be fighting and the injuries resulting were credited to the governmental forces. The mobs all on one side. Since the riot the press has Throughout the length and breadth of the land were deliberately inflamed against the Socialists condemned the authorities and governmental acSocialists and radical labor unions set out in and labor groups. On the eve of May Day the tion is pending against the police. Even the peaceful protest against the thousand wrongs in newspapers carried flaring headlines of the discov. American press, which acts against the Labor and herent in capitalist society, and in penance for ery of a nation wide bomb plot which they Socialists movements here, takes the side of the their own weaknesses, In protest against the openly charged to the Socialist and Labor move European marchers. And the reason is that the wholesale slaughter of their comrades through the ments, although up to the present time not the European movements have power. They are arlong years of war, against the continued slaughter slightest evidence has been produced to support ganized for their own protection and any attack is of their comrade in Russia, against the imprison the charg. At no other time would the discovery followed with swift retribution ment of their comrades and spokesmen in this of such a plot a plot in which as far as can be as duplication in England of the outros country; and in penance that they allow these certained on acceptable evidence nobody was seri throughout America last May Day would have to things to be. And everywhere the peace ously hurt be accompanied with the same amount sulted in swift and sharp resistance, if not open rovful parades were met with guns and bludgeons of publicity. The whole newspaper campaign was olution, therefore the English government we Organized bands of soldiers and sailoro set upon a direct incitement to mob violence.
careful that no bomb plots were discovered a the unarmed marchers, tore the flags and emblems Congressmen and senators have since seized on the eve of May Day and that no gangs of soldiers from their hands, beat men and women alike into the occurrences to announce that new laws directed and sailors were organized for the purpose of disinsensibility, raided the halls where meetings were against the Socialist and labor movements must turbing the parades.
in progress and wrecked the buildings, built after be frarned, and the Mayor of one of the largest The occurrences in this country are directly long years of patient effort and self sacrificing deAmerican cities, Mayor Hanson of Seattle, has traceable to the spirit of pogrom fostered by the votion.
taken the opportunity to advocate the hanging of prostitute press in suggesting that the radical Where the police did not actively engage in the members of the Nowhere has the govern movement is about to resort to terrorism; bomb attacks upon Socialists and unionists, they stood ment intervened to discourage the repetition of this throwing, assassination, and mob violence; the fact idly by encouraging the black hundreds by their mob violence. None of the rioters have been arthat the authorities allow, and in many places even inaction and, in some places, open approval. In rested, while hundreds of the paraders have been encourage the organization of irresponsible groups Cleveland the riot started when two army offi seized and thrown into jail. All the agencies of for the express purpose of intimidating and terrorcers assaulted some soldiers who were marching publicity have grasped the opportunity to call for izing the workers; and the psychology of submiswith the Socialists. Resenting the attack the parad. further repressive measures against Socialism and sion created in the Socialist and Labor movements ers hit back and immediately called down upon the the great body of the people have by their silence through their organs of publicity and the advice of heads of their women and children the blows of seconded these appeals and vindicated the actions their leaders. The three or four hundred althe police, who were apparently ambushed for just of the mobs.
leged soldiers and sailors, who take refuge in their such an opportunity. The determination of the uniforms, could not successfully interfere with Occurrences of this nature are not unknown to marchers to protect themselves as best they could any duly organized meeting or parade except with with their naked hands brought into action tanks the labor and Socialist movements. The history the connivance and approval of the police and juand revolvers with the result that two persons were of the past decade in Europe is red with such dicial authorities, who are obviously dominated by killed and scores injured. Wholesale arrests of the stories and today the history of Europe is flaming the powerful moneyed interests of the country, and Socialists, followed by heavy sentences, stamped with the record of the reactions of the people the fact that the doctrine of submission which has the approval of organized justice upon the acts masses to such incidents. European labor has anof the attackers.
swered such treatment with organized effort every.
been preached by the misleaders of the radical movement has devitalized the spirit of the rank and In Boston the police took the initiative and set where and in many places with open revolt. Rusfile.
upon the marchers with club and gun because they sia, Hungary and Bavaria have swept the system The American Labor and Socialist movements had the temerity to insist upon parading through responsible for such outrages out of existence. The have had ample warning of what they may expect the streets they, themselves, had built with their dictatorship of the proletariat is the workers anin the future and to the intelligent forewarned is slave labor. When the attack was resisted the mob swer to repression.
forearmed. The only method by which the workjoined with the police and unmercifully beat the What are the American Socialist and labor move ers can safeguard themselves is their own organparaders, following which 116 persons were ar ments to learn from the story of last May Day? ization. We expect nothing from the authorities rested and are at present held in heavy bail. Are they to learn that labor must bend its back in except the kind of treatment we received on May In New York, where the Socialist and labor dumb submission to no matter what tyranny? Are Day. We ask nothing from the capitalist state. Its groups merely attempted to hold meetings, gangs they to learn to bare their heads to the clubs of very violation of its own hypocritical principles is of soldiers and sailors invaded various Socialist organized violence and to submit their bodies to wonderful propaganda for revolutionary Socialbuildings and attacked those present while the po the will of prejudiced courts to the end that their ism.
lice stood supinely looking on. Men were beaten sores may heal behind prison bars? Or are they The workers are getting tired of dumb submisinto unconsciousness, women brutally assaulted, to learn the lesson that their European brothers sion to inexcusable brutality.