The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-05

is c. H. Mayer. Comrade Mayer had
asked the authorities of Normal for
permission to have the parade also
routed through Normal, where
speeches upon the outrages of capt
talism would be made, and advice
given as to what the people must do
TO extricate themselves from the pre-
sent dilemma and form new and
decent system of human society.
A week before the beginnings of
an Unemployed Council at Normal
had been stopped by the police and
hangover" Klu-Klux-Klan residents
OF Normal; the latter town having at
one time been the strongest xxx.
center, per capita, In Illinois 1t is
college town Of some 5000 of popula-
ton, and the City Fathers are parti-
cularly scared" Of oncoming Com
munism. Bloomington, on the other
hand, has shown far more tolerant
attitude toward the inevitable chan
ges obviously before all of humanity
in the western world, and takes no
drastic action against the meetings
and demonstration arades of the
membership of the local Unemployed
Council
The afternoon Of Tuesday, Feb. a.
was somewhat cold, but bright with
sunlight. At 2 pm. the parade of some
200 Of the jobless started from the
Council Hall northward a few blocks
to the City Hall Square in Blooming
ton, where speeches were made by
Connrade Mayer, Chas. A Severance
of Monticello, Ill, and Organizer
Bricker from Decatur, 10 miles to the
south. Comrade Bricker had come
with dozen others of the Council at
Decatur, with the express purpose Of
going with the parade into Normal
despite the lack of permission
therefor.
The speeches at the City Hall
Square caused others to Join the
march toward Normal; and about $50
comrades sang songs Of revolution as
they walked the two miles and half
further northward into Normal. The
American flag was at the head OF the
parade, and two women comrades
marched beside the flag-carrier with
banners bearing slogans as the de-
r?onsSrat.on parade approached the
division line between the two cities.
At that point police officer, Bill
Craig, put out his hands to stop the
head of the parade; but the women
cried out to those following: 1--WE are
going right on through"
Police squad-cars there made no
moves as the march passed them into
Normal, and the marchers continued
to sing their way to the center of
the town. To the east they went
through the business district to the
end of the principal street, Their
turned and retraced their steps past
the Normal City Hall, calling out to
the workers on the sidewalks to Join
them in the march to where the
speeches were to be made nearby.
A block to the west was an open
space at the railroad freight station,
into which the marchers gathered,
off the street and put out Of the way
of traffic. The speakers mounted the
freight-loading platform, and one Of
the comrades began to announce the
purposes Of the demonstration. Com
rade Bricker was told by police and
fire chief Cooper that the crowd
must leave. that this was private
property; and upon hearing this
comrade Mayer quietly called all fol-
lowers from there, proceeding block
further west to the First National
Bank corner.
The leader then asked for a box
to stand on, around the corner to the
north out of the way of traffic.
Meantime an American Legion mem
Der, also chairman in charge of Civic
Relief at Normal, had been heard
to instruct the Fire Chief to blow the
siren and bring out the apparatus.
Call Fire Department.
AS comrade meyer mad announced
that no violence was wanted. but that
insistence upon the right Of freedom
of speech and assemblage would be
held out for, the fire-truck arrived.
1t was pulled around the corner (per-
haps this is "the Hoover corner?')
and the hose taken from the rear end.
AT once comrade Bricker and others
called out Get that hose" and In q
moment more the marchers had it
pulled across the street away from
the water plug.
Here the hose was wound around
the axel Of an automobile OF spec
tator who was asked to back away
with it. This made the fire depart
ment give the idea Of stopping the
speeches for a time; but next they
went around the block to . church