Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-04-28
AN ANARCHISTS MEETING.

AN ANARCHISTS MEETING.
! Workingncr. Capitalists are shooting your
brethren! Arm for protection! Como in numbers !!
|. TIE COMMITTEE.
This was the heading of Herr Most's call
for Il meeting Of workingmen at Germania
Hall, New York, one night last week.
About five hundred persons assembled,
among them a few women. The men were
mostly stout Young Germans. Many were
smoking. Beer circulated freely. Police
CAPTAIN McCullagh was present in full uni
| form. seated at table surrounded by half a
dczan policemen in uniform Other police
men, not il uniform, were scattered through
| the meeting. Men passed through the
| crowd trying TO sell copies Of Herr Most's
revolutionary paper Circulars were dis
iributed reciting the principles of the Dec.
Iarutiou OF Independence, and announcing
that The time has come TO resist oppression
and TO change the Government because OF
outraaes of various kinds committed upon
worEingnen.
| Just before the meeting opened man
stepped up to the platform and laid down
thereon ii rifle Of the pattern which it was
announced could be sold for SIS EACH The
air was thick with smoke and the place in
sulerably hot. The audience became i'm
patient Two glasses of beer were placed
on the table on the speakers platform.
Herr Most was warmly greeted when he
finally opened the meeting. He is a stout,
nd.llaired, blond, bearded man, with a
deep cultural voice and an energetic delive-
nv. His speech was prefaced with caution
! from high. browed German, who of1iciated
as chairman, and advised those present to
keep quiet to remember that they were
closely watched, and that the only way 10
he successful was 10 keep quiet.
Tho German anarchists speech was one
| long yell 10 the American people to Hrln IN
their own defence He shouted. again aud
again that the very worst people have got
possession of the wealth and the arms that
they have trodden the working people und r
| fool that the tyranny of Russia is repeat d
| here that the causes which led 10 the
American Revolution exist to day, and that
| there is now occasion for the people To rebel
again that the republic is tut a nnmc !;
that 50 people out Of every 100 mr. cotn-
PEELED TO work day and night 10 get
food and clothing, and that when
the people are ground down 10y oppression
and tyranny Of their masters they are shot
or dubbed by the police, ~ no are in the pay Of
the capitalist oppres*ors ant! in sympathy
with them. The oI,ly way he could see fol
the people t. defend their rights was for
them to arm themselves, to be able to de.
fend themselves from the outrageS OF the
roiice, 10 preserve their freedom as Ameri.
cans. aud to secure by arms some sort OF
equality with their assailants. He urged
the people to arm before il is too late.
Herr Most grew indignant under the rec.
ital of the shooting of men at East st. Louis.
\ ,Tz.k
had been armed they could have shot down
the cowagdly hirelngs Of the capitalists.
| But l. seemed To him that Americans were
getting used 10 this sort of thing. They
tolerated Vanderbilt when he said, 1.-THE
public he damned" they tolerated the capi-
talists in seizing all the property and hiring
bandittl to defend it,
Herr Nest spoke of the riot at the Viii.
liamsbUsh Sugar Refinery as another illus
tration of the doings Of capitalist robbers
He only wished the rioters had been armed
to defend themselves.
Selling The rifle that had been placed on
the platform he brought it to his shoulder
and cooked it with menacing mien. This, u
he said, 'is the protection Of the working
man. Let the people arm before it is too
late, and before their oppressors have made
it impossible for them to get arms"
AS he said this he held up the rifle with
impassioned utterance, and the crowd ap-
plauded him again and again.
He urged his hearers to remember that
petroleum is cheap, and that petroleum
bombs can be thrown easily. He told them
that there was no reason why the police
alone should carry clubs or arms; that the
time for revolution has come, and that the
workiugmen, now driven to the wall, can
| rpifh
said the only way for the workingmen to be
protected was for them to be able to seize
the armories and arsenals, and to use them
in their own defense, SO as to put down the
capitalists and politicians.
Herr Most spoke on hour, and he urged
all those who were willing to join the ''Rife
Corps" and arm in defence of the people to
give their names and addresses, and make
haste to become the owners of rifles or ol
such weapons as they deemed best. Then
Herr Most got down from the platform, put
on his hat, and went among the crowd.
Mr.. Pfongswang, a brawny German in
rough dress, without shirt collar, with very
earnest manner and vociferous speech
mounted piano and talked. An attend
ant notified the chairman, and the chairman
nulled him off the piano. Then he got Il
abusing the police, and asked, "Why are
thew here?" Somebody shouted "Put then
out.n There was a rush as OF some ons
whirled to the door, In an instant tht
meeting was in an uproar. The police pu
out the man who cried "Put them out" anc
the meeting settled down again. 1t was au
nounced that another meeting will soon b'
held in some one of the public squares. ant
that if police permission could not be obtain
ed it would be held in some vacant lot.
The meeting broke up about 10 p: m