Iron County register., 1892-03-03
A BATTLE IN BERLIN.
An Ugly Demonstration by Unem-
ployed and Hungry Workmen.
'On to the Cast1e'' was the Cry of the
Mob. and Though Dispersed by the
Police, with Many Wounded,
the Trouble Still Lives.

/ Il,
Wednesday, in his speech to the mem
bers of the Brandenburg diet, who ban
| quoted him, caused sensation by re-
marking that "the people need not care
for party squabbling and chattering. 1
| go my way, and that is the right way.
| We are in state of transition and
destined for great things. TIL conduct
you into splendid times, and those who
will not help me may as we'll shake the
| German dust from their feet. 1 ask you
| to confde in and help me-"
But this was as nothing to the sensa-
| tion to which the unemployed laborers
of this city created to-day. That the
| spirit of discomfort is spreading with
| alarming force throughout the German
| empire is fact nobody in their senses
will deny. Indeed. few people really
| imagine the extent of the bitter feeling
| growing against the emperor and those
| who would drive out of Germany or
| 'grind to powder" all those who op-
pose him. An instance of the heated,
| though slumbering passions of the
masses was eXemplified at 1 o'clock
| this afternoon, and should serve as
| warning to the advisers of Emperor
| William.
At the hour mentioned a body of
| three or four thousand unemployed
| met, by preconcerted arrangement, in
a public squire and passed series of
| infammatory resolutions, denouncing
| their employers and the system of gov
ernment which enables the latter to
crush the workingmen beneath the iron
heel of capital, and calling upon the
| government to take steps to protect the
| interests of the working class
The news of this bold gathering in
defiance of the recent order of the au-
| thorities prohibiting such meetings,
| spread with electrical rapidity through
| out the city. The result was that the
| socialist agitators determined to take
advantage of the excited unemployed
men to make a demonstration before
the castle of the emperor. The police
upon the spot tried to argue with the
workmen, but without shaking their
determination to carry out the project
| outlined. They were warned that such
a demonstration would probably result
| in bloodshed, but, led by the socialist
| agitators, the workmen formed in col
umns and marched from the square
mentioned, in the direction of Inter
den Linden, the most celebrated avenue
in Berlin. The onward sweep of the
workmen was irresistible. The police
were utterly unable to cope with that
roaring, swelling enthusiastic crowd,
shouting and cheering, encouraged by
thousands of other people who watched
their progress.through the streets. SIS
it revolution?" was the question
heard on all sides.
On marched the cheering workmen,
crying, ITO the Castler'"To the Castle."
in a manner recalling somewhat the
scene which occurred in Paris, July IA
and Is, 1889, when mob marched upon
the great castle prison of France,
shouting. "a bas la Bastile," GA bas la
Bastile!'' and eventually pulled down
that historical pile and conducted its
governor and other of the officers 70 the !
Place de la Greve, where their heads
were cut off and carried on pixies
through the streets.
In somewhat similar fashion these
thousands of dissatisfied German work
men, among whom number of women
and children mingled, reached the
Unter den Linden, brushing aside like
flies the police who attempted to bar
their progress. Arriving upon the
of Frederick the Great, a halt was
made, and socialist leader made
passionate address to the throng,
urging them to carry their demonstra-
ton up to the gates of the
castle. Loud cheers greeted the |
suggestion. and then, at a signal from |
a prominent socialist, who seemed to be
the chosen leader of the mob, the work
men began singing the ''Marsellaise," |
and marched, cheered by thousands |
who had gathered on the broad avenue |
to witness the demonstration, toward |
the castle.
The workmen passed through line |
of police which barred their passage, |
rolling several policemen head over |
heels in so doing, and had nearly reached |
the castle gates, where the guards had |
been ordered under arms, and
had loaded their rifles with ball |
cartridges, when a strong detach- |
ment of police suddenly threw them
selves across the short portion of the |
thoroughfare intervening between the |
rioters and the castle, and then. at a |
sharp word of command, the officers of |
the law made determined charge |
upon the head of the worlSingmen's |
column. The latter, for moment or |
so, nerved by the roaring cheers of |
thousands, bravely and stubbornly |
withstood the attack of the police, and,
pressed onward by those in the rear,
actually managed to gain headway and
to beat back the powerful police de-
tachment. The latter, however, ral-
lied. and, hitting furiously right and
left, wounded scores upon scores of
workmen, who fell bleeding beneath
the feet of the officers of the law.
Somebody among the workmen
called upon them to retreat and come
again some other day, a hundred thon-
sand strong, and prepared to meet the
"Emperor's butchers" A retreat then
commenced and soon developed into
fight and into panic. The police
after taking from eighty to a hundred
prisoners seemed content to allow the
remainder to escape, for there was no
regular pursuit of the riotors, though
small bands of them were chased down
the side streets and dispersed
Fhe sixty to seventy wounded rioters
who remained upon the field of battle
were attended to at neighboring hos
pital, and the regular prisoners were
placed under lock and key.
1t was noticed throughout the demon
stration that the sympathy of the inn
mense crowd of people, rich and poor,
who witnessed the workingmen's dem
1x-ac ha~o,I =, lo,,l>% |