New-York tribune., 1912-02-18
CHILDREN OF STRIKERS
PARADE FIFTH AVENUE
rots from Lawrence March Be-
hind BugIer and Drum
Corps.
o2 FIND TEMPORARY HOMES
commander of Militia in Law
renee Protests Against Send
ing the Children from
There.

VI. strike order given out in Lawrence.
-, IN clear the decks for action.
-.tcb precipitated $50 children into New
,,s.t. last week was repeated yesterday,
- Instead of crowding into trains on the
r.,.a avenue elevated. about one hundred
-. under the guardianship Of strike
,n,tb,zers and their friends and headed
=. burler and drum corps, marched boldly
-, Fifth avenue yesterday afternoon
s.n,t;ng black crepe and red banners. The
.tudren were led down the avenue TO 18TH
.-an, across Union Square to Fourth ave-
-. and from there TO Arlington Hall IN
St street, where they were distributed
.mong their temporary guardians.
,phe exodus Yesterday. which landed
utls squad OF children OF at least ten diff
,ersnt nationalities in the city. was coup
ss,yyecited in fear of possible action on the
,,.It NJ the Massachusetts Society for the
prerention Of Cruelty to Children. TO pre-
yent the children coming here. At O'Clock
yesterday morning the ninety-two children
~ wore 10 leave their homes were
,rotcbed from their cots, given hurried
hreakfast and taken to the railroad station
There they took the train for Boston, where
.hev remained until 10 O'Clock, when they
hoordod the train for New York which ar
.,,.d st 40 o'clock at the Grand Central
Station.
when the train bearing the little pilgrims
.rrivad they trooped into the station to the
.ccornaniment of tremendous cheering
from the crowds and were quickly led
through the station and out side entrance
into Lexington avenue. where they we're
formed in line and taken down half blocK'
.xhere the march across TO Fifth avenue
began.
Crose behind the bass drum and the ou-
rier the chiefs of the strike committee
and two young men bearing crimson ban
ners with crepe ribbons dangling from
their folds marched the first of the "strik-
ers"-ive tiny children. With the help of
tbe,r guardians they bore a big piece Of
white ljnoleum, on which was the motto
"so,ne Day We Shall Remember Exile.
From out the swaying line behind them
which stretched back for more than
block. arose other banners, bearing sucn
legends as "You May Jail Men but YOU
Can't Jail Ideas" Shall Lawrence Stik-
srs Thank God for Their Misery? and one
mot especially complimentary to New
York-which read, Children OF Lawrence
on Their Way to Siberia"
At Union Square the parade paused Tor
g moment to disband and leave Few
sneakers who harangued the home-goins
night crowds from the steps of small
payjiion. The children were hurried on
down to Arlington Hall There they were
treated to a dinner provided By the local
committee. and later received bags OF
nil of No
10 ST. Marks Place. Then the work of
distributing them to their volunteer guar
dams followed.
The allotment was followed by the medi-
cal inspection, carried on by physicians
from the Italian Medical Society, and all
Of the youngsters were pronounced In per-
feet health.
Lawrence, Mass, Feb. 17.-Colonel Sweet
ser, in command of the provisional regi-
nent Of militia here. made public tonight
a statement explanatory OF his action IN
cautioning the strike committee about send
ing children Of the strikers away from the
city. The statement says:
This morning the strike leaders collected
more than one hundred little children,
many Of them under five years OF age put
them into car to ship them 10 Rev
through the country like a lot OF animals,
and for the purpose of obtaining money
and no other reason. as this question was
discussed in their meeting.
/ say strike leaders-those leaders that
are not on strike themselves, that do not
tive here in Lawrence or even in the
state, and who never worked I'm these mills.
II was a most inhuman and unnatural act
and ] do not believe from my experience
here that the parents of these children
want this done or that they give their con-
sent freely TO being separated from their
children. I have reports that In some
cases they are intimidated into letting their
children go. and some OF those little ones
are not the children Of the strikers.
| am not going to stand idly by and allow
this TO continue unless ! am ordered TO do
so by a higher authority. / have notified
Mr.. Yates by letter and through him the
strike committee that l will not permit
the sending Of little children away for any
such purpose without the consent of their
parents. Those children are not s:arvinG.
and no child or any one else will starve in
Lawrence. The city of Lawrence is not
dead. II Will see that no one suffers from
vsnt Of food, and IL necessary. my soldiers,
who are Massachusetts men, although they
take no sides In this strike, will never allow
any one TO starve in their presence.
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