The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-07
THOUSANDS MOURN RUTHENBERG AT.
THE MEMORIAL MEETING IN CHICAGO.
The Ashland Auditorium Cannot Hold Crowds:
Workers Pledge Themselves to Eight On
By ISRAEL AMTER.

CHICAGO, Ill, March $40 the
strains of Chopin's Funeral March
the body of G. E. Ruthenberg, borne
by members of the Political Com
mittee of the Workers (Communist)
Party, was carried into Ashland Audi
forum this afternoon while over
$500 stood and wept.
There were more than $500 others
who were unable to gain admittance
to the hall because the police closed
the doors.
Max .Bedacht, the chairman, spoke
of the great loss to the American
party, the American workers, and the
international movement in the death
Of Comrade G. E. Ruthenberg.
He read kilograms from the Com
munist International, the Red Trade
Union International, the Russian Com
munist Party, the Eleventh Conven-
ton of the German Communist Party,
the Canadian Communist Party, the
Kuomintang, the Young Communist
League of Russia, and the Young
Communist International.
Ruthenberg's last words, Eight on.
We will win," sounded the key note
of the meeting. Benjamin Gitlow, a
member of the Central Committee of
the party, characterized Ruthenberg
as one of the leaders of the party who
had turned the Workers (Communist)
Party to the workshops where it is
steadily growing in numbers and in
power
"Ruthenberg was a great leader
not only of our party" said Gitlow,
"but of the whole working class. His
determination and the example of his
life will serve to consolidate the ranks
of the workers, and help them to
march forward to victory"
Party Man." Says Cannon.
James P. Cannon, secretary of the
International Labor Defense, de-
scribed Ruthenberg as a pioneer of
the revolutionary movement here, and
one of the few Americans who could
not be bought by the capitalist class.
"Ruthenberg was a party man"
said Cannon. Gle gave everything to
the party, and showed an example 70
all around him of what revolutions
airy soldier should be-"
This idea was also expressed by
William z. Foster, secretary of the
Trade Union Educational League, who
said, "Ruthenberg was flesh of the
flesh, blood of the blood, and bone of
the bone of the Communist Party, and
could not be corrupted by the capital
list class.
He Was True BOlshevik.
"He was true Bolshevik, and we
cannot do better than dedicate our
selves to carry out the work to which
Ruthenberg devoted his life"
"Ruthenberg was also the leader
of the young Communists. said Nat
Kaplan, editor of the Young Worker
During the war, Ruthenberg was the
Karl Liebknecht of the American la
Dor movement"
In behalf of tens of thousands of
New York's workers, who knew of
Ruthenberg's deeds, William w. Vein
stone, secretary of District 2, ex-
pressed the deepest sorrow at the
sudden death of the great leader.
"Ruthenberg was the foremost
leader in the left wing of the Social
list Party" said Weinstone; "and il
was he who helped to shape and form
the Communist Party"
The Pioneers Join With Music.
Other speakers at the memorial
meeting were Arne Swabeck, Chicago
organizer of the party, who spoke Of
the severity of the loss of Comrade
Ruthenberg, and Comrade Fod, who
represented the Kuomintang.
The Pioneer Freiheit Singing So
ciety and the Waukegan Communist
Band provided revolutionary music.
The true spirit of the whole mem
orial was expressed in the closing
words Of Max Bedacht when he said,
"The only monument to our Com
rade Ruthenberg will be the creation
Of mass Communist Party in the
United States that will lead on to
victory"
1.-THE Symbol of Our Party"
Jay LoVestone, who was on Satur-
day chosen acting general secretary
of the party following Ruthenberg's
death, said of the dead leader:
HE was to me the symbol Of our
party, fighting increasingly an up
hill battle against tremendous odds,
against the most brutal, the most
powerful imperialism the world has
know.
cat the left wing national confer
cnce, | wildly recall how it was Com.
rade Ruthenberg who stood out as
the towering revolutionist. He gave
out certain concreteness, positive.
ness and Bolshevist poise and con
fidence in our deliberations.
eyes, Comrade Ruthenberp dice