"From the hustling "Red" town of Hamilton, Ohio, comes an order for 8,000 "Great Fear" leaflets to put the truth about the Russian Soviet Const.i.tution in the homes of the workers of that community."
"The Eye Opener," the official national organ of the Socialist Party of America, in its issue of January, 1919, shows its sympathy for the Spartacans by the following article:
""You Did Not Die In Vain!"
"American Socialist Party to
"_Liebknecht and Luxembourg_.
"The Socialist Party executive committee has adopted a resolution on the death of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg, Germany"s two most uncompromising foes of Kaiserism and imperialism. It is as follows:
""The National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of the United States of America, has learned of the deaths of our beloved comrades, Dr. Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg, who are reported a.s.sa.s.sinated by the agents of the reactionary forces of Germany, who are now conspiring to deprive the workers of that country of the opportunity to establish a free government there.
""These comrades, always true to the principles of revolutionary Socialism, in the face of unqualified opposition before, during and after the great war, commanded the love and admiration of all the lovers of international liberty, and have, by their incomparable devotion to this great cause, made their names immortal in the history of working cla.s.s liberation.""
From the "New York Times," November 18, 1918, we learn that the Chicago Socialists endorsed Bolshevism.
A despatch by the International News Service from Cleveland, Ohio, March 31, 1919, informs us that C.E. Ruthenberg, leading Socialist of that city, after a meeting of the Cleveland Socialists on March 30, announced that the members of the party had just voted in favor of the adoption of the Bolshevik doctrine of Lenine and Trotzky for the further direction of the Cleveland party and that the action of the members was practically unanimous.
"The Call," New York, April 3, 1919, gave notice of a pro-Bolshevist meeting to be held by the Socialists on the following Sat.u.r.day afternoon at Park Circle, New York City:
"This is the first of a series that the Socialist Party of Harlem proposes to hold, inspired by the success of the Debs meeting two weeks ago at the same place, when 15,000 people attended.
"The a.s.semblage on Sat.u.r.day, besides demanding that the United States recognize Soviet Russia, will also give a welcome to the Soviet Republic of Hungary."
In its issue of April 10, 1919, "The Call" recorded the approval by the Queen"s County, New York, Socialists of the Bolsheviki and Spartacans:
"We desire to clearly place ourselves on record for, and openly and actively sign ourselves with the revolutionary proletariat the world over, as at present expressed by the policies and tactics of the Communist Party of Russia (Bolsheviki), the Communist Labor Party in Germany (Spartacans) and other parties in harmony with them."
On May 31, 1919, "The Call" published the declaration of the National Executive Committee of the party in favor of Bolshevism, Communism and Spartacism: The Socialist Party of the United States "supports whole-heartedly the Soviet Republic of Russia and the Communist government of Hungary.... In Germany, Austria and countries similarly situated, its sympathies are with the more advanced Socialist groups."
In "The Call," May 17, 1919, Martens, the representative in the United States of the Russian Soviet Government, is quoted as saying:
"Russian workers, whom I represent, acknowledge with grat.i.tude the sympathy toward the struggles of Soviet Russia evinced by the Socialist Party of America, as well as by the Socialist Labor Party, the I. W. W. and other organizations of the working cla.s.s, and they return the sympathy without discrimination."
"The Call," March 30, 1919, informs its readers that Cleveland Socialists were organizing a Workers" and Soldiers" Soviet, and again, on April 1, 1919, that soviets had been established in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. Eugene V. Debs, in an article written by him in "The Cla.s.s Struggle," said:
"From the crown of my head to the soles of my feet I am Bolshevik and proud of it."
"The Call," April 14, 1919, published Debs" "Last Minute Message to All New York Socialists":
"As I am about to enter the prison doors, I wish to send to the Socialists of New York who have loyally stood by me since my first arrest, this little message of love and cheer. These are pregnant and promising days. We are all on the threshold of tremendous changes. The workers of the world are awakening and bestirring themselves as never before. All the forces that are playing upon the modern world are making for the overthrow of despotism in all its forms and for the emanc.i.p.ation of the ma.s.ses of mankind. I shall be in prison in the days to come, but my revolutionary spirit will be abroad, and I shall not be inactive. Let us all, in the supreme hour, measure up to our full stature and work together as one for the great cause that means emanc.i.p.ation for us all. Love to all my Comrades, and all hail to the Revolution.--Eugene Victor Debs."
From the same issue of "The Call" we learn that Debs, on leaving Wheeling, West Virginia, for the Moundsville prison, gave the following statement to David Karsner, staff correspondent: "I enter the prison doors a flaming revolutionist--my head erect, my spirit untamed, and my soul unconquered."
A press despatch from Toledo, Ohio, March 31, 1919, describes the serious socialist riot which took place that afternoon as a protest against the then impending imprisonment of Debs, the self-styled "flaming revolutionist":
"Toledo, Ohio, March 31.--When they were refused admission by city officials to Memorial Hall, a city building where Eugene V. Debs was scheduled to speak, 5,000 persons stormed the place, broke windows and doors, and then paraded the streets crying, "To h.e.l.l with the mayor." ...
"Announcement that Debs would not be permitted to speak was made late Sat.u.r.day night, after the Socialists here had prepared to handle an overflow crowd. The announcement appeared in the morning papers, and was the first notice the Socialists had that their meeting could not be held.
"When the hour for Debs to speak arrived there were at least 6,000 men and women congregated about the William McKinley monument in Courthouse Park, across the street from Memorial hall.
"A man mounted the base of the monument. "We"ll use Memorial Hall this afternoon if we have to wade through blood to do it!" he shouted. A policeman grabbed him and he was thrown unceremoniously into a patrol wagon. The man who essayed to speak next also was arrested.
"As the crowd sensed what was occurring the radicals began to hoot and boo the officers. Clubs were drawn and the crowd was made to move. Then came the parade through the streets and cries of "Down with the mayor!" "Hang him!" "To h.e.l.l with the police!" and others of a similar nature.
"It was after five o"clock before the police were able to disperse the crowd. Fist fights by the dozens occurred on corners. Hotel lobbies were invaded by the malcontents. Street cars were held up and threats of serious outbreaks were to be heard on every hand....
"More than seventy-five men were arrested, including Thomas Devine, Socialist member of the city council."
CHAPTER XIV
VIOLENCE, BLOODSHED AND ARMED REBELLION
Every year on May Day the Socialists are in the habit of publishing articles and making speeches of a more than usual revolutionary character. They are also fond of parading on that day to incite riot, and of holding meetings to stir up discontent and to foment rebellion among the laboring cla.s.ses. May Day, 1919, was an especially serious one in several cities of the United States and will long be remembered, because the Socialist riots occurred while the whole country was excited over the unsuccessful mailing of bombs to a score or so of eminent citizens. The most serious Marxian riots took place in Cleveland, Ohio, and were described in part in the "Chicago Tribune" as follows:
"Cleveland, Ohio, May 1.--An unidentified man was killed by a detective"s bullet, eleven policemen were shot or badly beaten, and about 100 persons wounded, many seriously, in general rioting which brought a dramatic finale this afternoon to a Socialist May Day demonstration here.
"About thirty persons, seriously injured, are in hospitals to-night, while scores of others, including women, were trampled by rioters or clubbed by police.
"Socialist headquarters was totally wrecked by angry civilians bent on putting an end to the demonstration....
"A mob of several hundred threatened police headquarters when C. E.
Ruthenberg, Socialist leader and former Socialist candidate for mayor, was arrested and for more than an hour the entire downtown section of the city was a warring ma.s.s of Socialists, police, civilians and soldiers, the latter riding down the rioters in army trucks and tanks.
"Dozens of shots were fired in Public square, where more than 20,000 Socialists and sympathizers a.s.sembled for a May Day rally and to protest against the convictions of Eugene V. Debs and Thomas J. Mooney.
"The trouble started in Superior Avenue, near East Ninth Street, when the head of one of the five Socialist parades, scheduled to meet in a ma.s.s meeting at Public square, was stopped, and Liberty Loan workers and an army lieutenant tore a red flag from a man at the head of the marchers, practically every one of whom were carrying red flags.
"In less than ten minutes riots had developed at several other points, mounted and foot policemen being switched from one location to another to quell the fighting.
"The trouble in the public square started when Lieut. H. S. Bergen, who served with the 80th Division overseas, demanded that several soldiers among the Socialists on the platform remove their uniforms or the red flags they wore on their b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
"The soldiers refused, and C. E. Ruthenberg, scheduled as the princ.i.p.al Socialist speaker, interceded for the Socialists.
"Lieut. Bergen, followed by Lieut. John Hardy of Detroit, thereupon mounted the platform and tore the red insignia from the khaki uniforms. The act was the signal for a grand rush by thousands of Socialist sympathizers."
On Sunday, May 4, 1919, serious trouble with the Socialist-Bolshevist element of Gary, Indiana, was narrowly averted. The account, as published in the "Chicago Tribune" on the next day, reads in part as follows:
"There was no "Red" parade in Gary yesterday....
"Fifty policemen, wearing revolvers on their belts and reinforced by a special shotgun squad of sixteen, a company of state militia, thirty deputy sheriffs, a group of secret service men from Chicago and hundreds of citizen volunteers, prevented the parade after the Russian Socialists flouted an order of Mayor W.H. Hodges prohibiting the march and declared they would proceed despite the authorities....