THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, May 17, 1919 Red May Day in Prison 11 fresh ED on my hands, red on my clothes, red on my By Martha Foley what use is it to try to change conditions? But no, conirades and in their hearts.
it is unreal. And yet on the other side of the bars a Blood drawn from helpless men, women and, who tvas arrested, convicted on perjured testimony, policeman is saying, We ll show you that this isn yes, children, by the relentless clubs and cruel bullets and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment. Russia, that you can try such things in America.
of the thugs and police of Boston.
The officer goes away. There is silence inside for Sitting in a close, lusty cell with seven cowering descend police with clubs drawn. Without ado they a moment and then from the men section comes, in women live the day over and over again. In the strike right and left among the body of marchers. Men Italian, the music of the International. And we next cell a woman, who has seen her husband beaten fall to the ground, stunned by the blows. The crowd sing. sing with triumph and fervor we are not yet unconscious, is mowing in the agony of premature of non Socialists surge over toward us (and strives to conquered. After the International we sing the child birth. We plead for a doctor. olice officers, out do the police in brutality. They are armed with Red Flag and the Russian Hymn. Our songs give.
can they be men born of woman. jeer: Tf you don large pieces of timber, with lead pipe and heavy wire.
courage and new life.
like it you can go back to Russia. Outside a howling Men prostrate on the street are kicked and locaten In the morning we are thrust into closed vans and mob, made up of the very workers for whom we have mercilessly. Women are attacked and children tramtaken to cells in the courthouse there to await the adand are giving our all, thirsts for our blood.
pled upon.
ininistration of justice. The pregnant woman, still go back twenty four hours. It is May Day. The man carrying a club approaches an officer near me courthouse like the without medical attendance, is taken with us. The sun is shining in a clean blue sky, leaves and grass of and complains that his crowd is not large enough to surrounded by seething young, vivid green stir in the warm breeze, the call of kill off those damn Bolsheviks. The officer advises throngs including many children. Teaching the spring is in the air and one thrills to its challenge. him to get together all his crowd, as they are too Hymn of Hate to German school children was no new world is in birth.
worse than the encouragement given the children of joyous, living crowd fills to overflowing the Dud encouraging the mob to violence. Oh, go to hell! is Roxbury in their attacks upon us. Jewish woman that most significant of all holidays International who asks me if am with those foreigners. To his derstand too well. We sit on iron gratings in the ley Street Opera House. They are there to celebrate the answer. report him to the sergeant in charge thing very precious, her love of children. And unLabor Day; and this year its significance has been in You ought to be proud of your associates, retort: cells in the courthouse basement and wait and wait.
creased a thousandfold. In Russia the workers have am, thank God, am!
won; they are winning in Germany, in Hungary, in Then a Russian saying: came to America away The police threaten to use their guns.
Aristria; gaining all over Europe and awakening in One from the Czar, because they told me it was the land man tears open his coat bares his breast crying of liberty. Now am arrested for having been beaten America the veryone in tae kolliset rougit efervereins Kill Kill on the sergeant takese deliberate din cat up and what is my family going to do?
of all men alike, of all races. Even the children, Down the corridor a young boy is sobbing. In the spirit tlhat animates us. There are speeches received be set upon once more by the mob. Stones are hurled, rested for stealing. He was physically unable to answer to my question he tells me that he was arlaughing and playing seem to have captured some of refuge to door ways whence we are dragged forth to more with enthusiastic applause and singing. Tears come work, having just undergone an operation, and temptato my eyes as listen to the many languages blending arrived and men and women are thrown headlong into manly little chap and his heart almost bursts with each grown amazingly. Several more patrol wagons have tion proved too strong for him. He seems to be a into the International, and hear the cry coming them. Two officers drag me to a patrol and a dozen sob. Only a boy who should be in school with his down through the ages of peoples pitted against people, slaying one another that the masters might fatThey are too dazed to offer any resistance; and yet, is here. But such things cannot go on forever, some ien on their blood.
At the end of the meeting the chairman announces that the parade that had been planned cannot be held they are cooly beaten over the head with the billies of day an eruption must come and then let the masters since a permit was denied. However, we are all in sound of those clubs cracking against the skulls which beware. As they sow, shall they reap.
the police. Will the sweetest music ever silence that At last secure from the next cell a newspapervited to go to the Bazaar which marks the opening of never was so anxious for one and am asked to still rings in my ears?
the new Socialist hoine in Roxbury, at New Interread. read slowly and clearly to the other comnational Hall. Slowly we leave, and slowly in the In the station we are pushed and shoved about. Al rades. With what a thrill we learn of the demonstrastreet the various groups coalesce into a body of ready a large crowd has gathered outside and they tions: in Cleveland, in Detroit, in Chicago, in New marchers bound for New International Hall, half a York and in Paris. Each account is received with mile distant. Some of those in the vanguard are carAfter being listed we are closely herded into small cheers. We are not alone! There are others, many, rying red flags. We are all happy, we are all wishing cells and spend the night in cramped position. We many others and we triumph!
that everyone else should be happy, but trouble is listen to the obscene language of the mob outside and Again we sing the Red Flag and the International.
of the guardians of the law inside. The pregnant Outside the crowd shouts and presses against the On the opposite side of the street a rapidly increas woman screams and the woman next me cries silently barred windows. They think they are free and us ing gang of hoodlums is following us threateningly. her babies are being left uncared for all night. imprisoned. But we know better, and to their cries policeman steps into the street, speaks to one comrade Sleep refuses to come. It is a nightmare! It is not of Down with the Bolsheviki! Kill the dirty Bolat the front and then retires. Soon patrol wagons it cannot be real. revulsion towards all mankind sheviks! our song answers Arise ye prisoners of dash past, turn and block the street. From it seizes me. If some can be so cruel then all can. Of starvation, Arise ye wretched of the earth.
brewing T!
in Allies, the sailors of bis diplomats Poor Peace Better Than Proletarian Revolution THE development of capitalistic society was char By Nicholas Hourwich and alert Gernian diplomats and generals, and their acterized by Karl Marx as a development that aids, the social patriots; they never really and sinproduces its own grave liggers. This char ance of the revolutionary masses of the German cerely placed any confidence in the points. The acterization proves more than correct as concerns proletariat and provided a plausible excuse for the act of signing the armistice, under conditions of marthe eace Conference in Paris; for this Conference, Germau diplomats to sign the armistice. It was tial law and the revolutionary situation in Germany; more than anything else, perhaps even more than re simply an excuse. For we did not think at the tine allowing the Allies, in conformity with the armistice contribute to 110 breaking down the illusious of lil single moment, lulled the vigilance of the experienced military annals: surrendering with conscious revolutionary Suciulist conception of the fundamental which had been the first to raise the banner of the nature of Capitalisin among the proletarian inasses Revolution. all this we consider of all countries.
acts of deliberate Deporting Democracy treason and betrayal of the Revolution by the bourgeAnd, thanks to the successful activity of the Letter from Herman Shuster, Immigration and bourgeois Peace Conference, that which formerly was under Station, Boston, Mass.
atempt to betray and disarm the German Revolution stood and prophesied by revolutionary Socialists Circumstances compel me to appeal for your assist with the aid of foreign bayonets, an attempt which alone is now becoming obvious to all.
ance. am detained at the above mentioned sta finds its analogy in the project of General Ivanov The Tourteen Points of President Wilson, it is tion, and was arrested in ClevelandOhio, in Decembnow clear, have been in the hands of the Allies (reer 1917. for failing to register. But as the proposed to the Czar in the early days of the March authorities were unable to prove my right age they Revolution, a project involving opening the Russian garelless of the particular aspirations of Wilson in this preferred to switch the charge to entering the to the Germans and the surrendet of Riga or that matter) nothing but Ixit with which to catch illegally. Therefore, my deportation to Russia has by General Kornilov.
Gierman fish.
been ordered by the Department of Labor, Washington, The German Socialist traitors of the EbertThese Fourteen Points at the time lulled the in May 1918, but up to date this order has not Scheidemann persuasion and the ordinary bourgeois vigilance of the revolutionary masses of the German been carried out. They simply keep me in detention traitors knew and felt sure that the Allied knife without giving me the opportunity to leave on parole proletariat. these Fourteen Points provided a or tipon bonds until the deportation can be effected.
for the German diplomats to In the winter of 1917 received, while at the countywith their connivance, since they were a party to the the armistice agreement dictated by the Allies and jail, Cleveland, a letter from the Industrial Workers plot.
in obvious contradiction to the points; and now, of the World, 1001 West Madison St. Chicago, Ill. when the conditions of the armistice have been com. holding card No. 204, 122 Industrial Union 200 and crerste dhenage bourgeois Germany, but to devour. plied with, when the Rhine provinces are occupied to the effect that a lawyer was ordered to see And now it has come. The knife all members detained there. However, loy suen the gentleman.
Germany has descended. The peace conditions imnost helpless at the feet of the Allied imperialists, On February 4th inst. mailed a registered letter posed by the Allies will transform Germany into a thiesc Fourteen oints are declared as rubbishi, as to Mr. Louis Ratnosky, No. 27 4th St. New York vassal of the Allies. But we have no doubt that the a useless serap of paper. Terms of peace are im City. Lalor Defender. but in spite of the fact that German bourgeoisie and the Ebert Scheidemann Govposed upon Germany in comparison with which the have the return receipt at hand, never heard of him.
ernment will, while protesting, pay this price and a infamous Brest Litovsk conditions of peace imposed Therefore heg of you the favor to take this matter still liiglier price if necessary, in order to secure in upon Soviet Russia by Germany appear as innocent, up and let me know whatever you might learn by inthe Allies a guardian and defender against the prolekind and meek.
quiring into my case.
tarian revolution that is still threatening.
The Fourteen Points, we repeat, lulled the vigilBetter to save something than to lose everything!
plausibile excuse have never hanging over Allied