The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-09-07
by IRWIN II. CADY.

II was only few weeks until Labor
Day in lrvington. The Socialist had
made all arrangements to celebrate
the day and through their excellent
vertised far and wide. A Socialist
speaker of National reputation had
been retained to speak on that day and
the local band hired TO furnish the
music. A parade was planned for the
afternoon and red torchlight process
sion was to parade the streets in the
evening. 1t was only few weeks pre-
vious that the Socialists had nominal
ed their mayorality ticket for the fall
election, so they had figured Labor day
as the opening day of their city cam
paign.
The day had arrived, and long be-
fore the hour set for the parade, the
crowd was much larger than antici-
pated. The party owned headquarters,
large, magnificent hall, stood just
across the street from the Democratic
headquarters. The Socialists wished
to display the red banner and the stars
and stripes out over the street from
their hall. In order to do so it was
necessary to tie one end of the rope
to pole which stood in the alley adj
joining the Democratic headquarters.
The flags were put up and they floated
proudly in the invigorating breeze of
that Labor day morning.
Everything tended to large So
cialist vote in Irvington. The old
party politicians were becoming
frightened. They had devised many
plans and schemes to thwart the rising
tide of Socialism in Irvington, but with
no avail. They had now to resort to
some of their low, cunning tactics, as
usually is done where the Socialists
are about to realize political victory.
The politicians had planned to dis
credit the Socialist Labor day celebra-
ton by starting a riot at the Socialist
hall while their meeting was in ses-
sion. The police would be called to
put down the disturbances, and they
figured such an event would furnish
them with some very good propaganda
against the Socialists.
That afternoon the streets were
thronged with people as the parade
passed through. The band escorted
the surging crowd to the Socialist hall,
which was filled long before the speak
er was to appear upon the rostum. The
hour had arrived and the chairman
was just opening the meeting when in
rushed several indignant politicians
from the Democratic headquarters,
and asked to be heard. This was
granted and one of the politicians
walked down the aisle and in loud
tones exclaimed.
eve have been disgraced and insult
ed by the Socialists of this city by tie
ing their strings of flags to tele-
phone pole adjoining our headquarters.
We don't propose to have our head
quarters in any way connected with
the emblem of anarchy"
Here the speaker was interrupted
by Kisses and the cry, "Put him out!"
The politicians showed some demon
stration, and the chairman immediate
ly grasping the situation, demanded
order, which was obeyed after some
difficulty. The chairman was noted
for controlling his audience, and he
prevented what might of been a very
precarious situation at that moment.
He then proceeded to come to some
amicable understanding with the pol
iticians.
Look here, gentlemen" he said;
"the Socialists of this city have always
treated you fairly. We have refrained
from holding our open air meetings
out here on the street when you were
holding some important meeting in
your hall. We"
Treating us fairly, eh?" interrupt
ed the politician. "Why, we can pro-
hibit another open air meeting upon
our streets. And this we will do, if
there is not move made at once to