The sun., 1917-07-02
REDS ARE MADE
TO KISS FLAG
Soldiers and Sailors Break Up
Pacifist Parade in
Boston.

BOSTON, july 1.-SoIdlers, sailors ana
marines broke UP Socialist parade and
anti-conscription demonstration in riots
centring on Boston Common this after
noon. Hundreds of Socialists were
beaten and forced to kiss the flag on
their knees. The headquarters of the
Socialists was raided and wrecked, Fur
niture and. pamphlets were thrown into
the street and burned. Red flags were
taken from paraders and torn to bits.
Socialist bands were forced to play The
Star Spangled Banner"
For three hours the rlotlng ragged on
the common and in about Park Square.
where the Offices of the Socialist party
Of Massachusetts are. The crowd en-
gagged numbered about 10000. Police
were powerless or passive. seeming to
sympathize with the enlisted men and
the hundreds of volunteers who assisted
them. Not until a provost guard Of
thirty men with fixed bayonets was
called out from the naval training sta
ton on the Commonwealth pier did the
disorder subside. The common was
practically under martial law and the
provost guard took entire charge away
from the police. They made half a
dozen arrests, all of Socialists. on
charges of rioting and failure to regis
ter for conscription.
Hammers Iucited the Outbreak.
The paraders numbered 5000. accord
ing to the Socialists They included 400
of the Socialist branch of the Central
Labor Union, 1000 members Of Lettish
! Socialist organizations. 1900 Lithuan-
! ians, Jewish members of cloak trades and
other branches of the party.
Aliens predominated. In fact, the rea
American type was conspicuous by itl
absence. Hundreds Of girls were in th'
parade, and there were eight bands
One American flag was borne in thu
parade. lost in the mass of red banners
Each parader carried small red flag
but what melted the riots was banners
against war and conscription. of which
typical specimens were:
II this Is a popular war, why con-
scription?
The United States has ordered 2Oo,-
600 coffins.
who stole Panama and crushed
Hayti?
Liberty Bonds, are first mortgage
on labor.
Democratize Germany--what about
Frisco and the Danbury hatters?
The parade formed around Socialis
headquarters in Park Square, and a
| u
posite the various recruiting stations o,
the fremont street mall of the Common
trouble started. Some 800 or 400 en-
listed men were massed there, apparentl,
by prearrangement. the crowd was 8
large.
"Take the Flag Away From Them
1.-Two hundred thousand collins wha
a gam" yelled one bluejacket TAX
the flag away from them boys"
Sailors. marines and soldiers charge,
at the head of the line. The lone Sta
Spangled Banner in the procession wa
borne in triumph to the Parkman ban,
stand several hundred yards away
where a band concert was being give
under municipal auspices. Meanwhile
hundreds OF small riots and individua
fights began and continued for hour
until the provost guard with fixed bayo
nets had broken up the last surgin
macs.
From the Parkman band stand tn
main body of enlisted meE started
parade of their own, with frequent in
terruptions to the continuity OF line 4
order that stray Socialists could feel tn
might Of Uncle Sans boys. Meanwi.ll
attempts. by Socialist leaders to spea
on the Common as planned were pre-
vented by the police
One Of the Socialist bands was i'm
pressed by the enlisted mems parad
, which marched from the Common
Castle Square and thence back to tn
, Socialist headquarters In Park Squar
which are on the second floor. Her
the parade ended to raid the soclali
offices. Furniture and literature wer
4 smashed and thrown out the window
: Nothing was left intact inside but III
safe and picture OF Lincoln. No hari
came to any OF the girl paraders.
Park Square was Uttered with the d,
bris from the offices and a blueJack,
touched a match 10 the mess. II burne
for fifteen minutes or so at the foot {
I Lincoln's statue till policemen put II
, fire out.