The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-20
THE MARCH 6 BATTLE IN
MILWAUKEE,
BY LEO FISHER.

MARCH 9TH saw a bloody fight between the
M workers and the capitalist police of Mil
waukee in the big demonstration of the I'M
employed and the employed workers. Hun
dreds of policemen in uniforms and PLAN
clothes, on motorcycles, on horses with eight
machine guns, were modified by the capl-
talist class AMI their socialist flunkies IN the
City Hall to break up the demonstration.
This was the fourth demonstration of the
unemployed, led by the Communist Party and
the Trade Union Unity League, within a
month. Four demonstrations in rapid success
sion, each one about twice as large as the pre-
vious. struck terror into the hearts of the
bosses and their Socialist" servants, and they
thought that the time had come to put
stop to it," as they said.
The first demonstration took place on the
5th of February, where about 1000 workers
participated. week later another one was
organized, with some 5000 to 10000 workers.
On the Goth the demonstration reached mass
proportion of between $4,000 to $4,000 work
ers; while the demonstration of the 9th had
nothing less than $4,000 workers, both en-
ployed and unemployed, Negro workers, wom-
en-, children, Americans, foreign-born, and
even some American Indians.
This was undoubtedly the biggest demon
stration of workers that Milwaukee has seen
in years. The capitalist press reports that the
struggle with the police was the worst riot
since 1917" The enthusiasm and miitancy of
the masses reached a high level in the dem
onstration.
The crowd first marched from Haymarket
Square to the City Hall, which is restricted,
or forbidden territory for workers to gather
in; nevertheless, the workers invaded this ter
ritory and held the demonstration there. When
~, Of nod no
there was about ten minutes of cheering be-
fore the speakers could make themselves
heard.
The square in front of the city hall was
TANNED with people; traffic was blockaded;
the crowd filled in every available space.
Speeches were made and revolutionary songs
were sung; the Soviet Union and the Commu-
mist International cheered; Mayor Hoan, the
socialist party and the capitalist class de-
nounced, with all the employees and officials
of the city hall looking on from the windows.
Meanwhile, a committee of the Unemployed
Council went in to press the demands to the
mayor and the Common Council. From the
City Hall the demonstration proceeded to
march through the factory district and back
to the square from which it started There
speeches were made, and just about the time
the demonstration ready to dispense, the
police both in uniforms and in plain clothes,
as well as on horses, attacked the assemblage
in full force.
The mounted police-cossacks-rode into
the crowd clubbing men, women, and children
unfortunately. The uniformed police and
the Observation-Disclosures of them-drew their
clubs and began to club the workers. Whoever
they grabbed they beat into insensiblity, lay
ing him out on the ground, and then pro-
III J,or- 10 troll
ing and beating him on the way. So badly
were some of the comrades beaten, up after
they were taken into the hands of the police,
that they had to be sent to the emergency
hospital.
However, the crowd did not take the beat
ing from the police without putting up re-
sistance. The workers fought back ener-
getically when they were attacked. SO val
iantly did the workers fight back that clubs
were wrested from the police and the police
were allowed to feel the effects of their own
clubs on their heads -Four policemen were
laid out and sent to the hospital. Even The
Pioneers-working class children-were most
brutally attacked and dubbed; they too fought
back theoretically.
So workers were arrested.
For hours after the demonstration was
broken up, the police and plain clothesmen
circled around the streets, driving the workers
on, clubbing and arresting them.
The Party headquarters were raided and
completely demolished by these hooigans.
chairs, benches, pictures, desks, and bookcases
were broken up A radio set was smashed.
The literature that was found was hauled
away, and whatever cash was left was stolen
by these guardians of law and property"
The arrested comrades were charged with in
and physiological adjustment to an automatic