New-York tribune., 1908-05-02
BERKMAN TAKES LEAD
anarchist Calls AU Socialists Liars
at Their Ozcn Meeting:

All men may be brothers. but the socialists and
the anarchists persist in excluding each other
With the exception of the capitalists. both are
willing to shake hands with almost any one else
The Industrial Workers of the World held May
Day demonstration in Union Square Park yester-
dav which about twenty-five hundred men and
women attended, and showed just how little
comfy exists between these two branches or the
discoptented. Alexander Berkman made speech
under protest from the socialists and workers,
beginning with the mild statement that all So
cialists are liars, and working up to fine frenzy
in which he declared them to be greater enemies
of the people than the police.
The Industrial Workers got their>permit for the
May Day celebration full month before Selig
SIverstein wound up the meeting of the unem-
ployed there a month ago by trying to Kill
squad of police. They gathered at noon, more
than two hours ahead of time, in Rutgers Square
and struggled to Union Square, where the speak
ers made ready to talk from the superintendent
house at the north end Of the park.
Red banners had been forbidden by the police,
but all the girls. and the percentage of pretty
ones among them great, wore red ribbons In
their hats and about their necks, or big red ro-
settes The men generally wore red neckties
when they wore any. A few wore badges bear
ing the motto, I'm undesirable citizen which
no one rose to dispute.
If by starting ahead of the time the Industrial
Workers thought to beat the police to the park
they mistaken, for Inspectors Moses Cort-
right Steinbruch, Russell and Schmittberger
were there, with enough police reserves to stop
any trouble that might occur There were mill
tant banners and transparencies in the parade
as il struggled through the streets, but several
banners We're furIed after the police got a good
look at them. The Irish Socialist Club. which
forgot TO parade ST. Patricks Day, was in
line bearing a banner with these words: "All
good Irishmen who gibbetted. jailed or exc
cuted were revolutionists. They tried to free
ireland. and had they been living now they would
have been socialists trying to free the world
from the slavery of the capitalists helA
Keep yourself orderly" and Make no disturb
ance' were the injunctions most frequently met
on buttons and badges This advice was we'll fol-
lowed until Alexander Berkman tried 20 speak
Sam Muskovitz, who helps James Connolly run
THE Harp" which did not get its name through
any suggestion of Mr.. Muskovitz. did not want
platform then and told what she thought Of the
socialists. Just then some one scattered "sneez-
ing powder about, and Berkman took advantage
of the storm of sneezing to seek out Inspector
Schmittberger. Moskovitz had told him that If
The inspector told him to go ahead. and Alex
ander did so. His speech vehement but not
bloodthirsty, except when he referred to the So
cialists. The cheers and Kisses were about even.
Berkman's flow of oratOry stole the meeting
from the socialists, and every Of them wanted
out-talk Berkman. TWO of them, Max Kos
minsky and Abe Weiser, were running even
heat from the platform when Inspector Cortright
told them he guessed that they might we'll go
home. They went along with six other socialists
who had been invited to speak and got no chance.
They angry
Robert Hunter not present.