The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-19
"a Letter from a Ford WORKER


-FOUR workers are dead, two Of them leaders OF
1 Of the Young Communist League, while so
others were wounded in Bloody Monday, March
It'll, 1882 by the murderous revolver and machine
gun fire Of the hired mercenaries Of that cold
blooded and inhum2n expoiter-Henry Ford.
A little after one o'clock in the afternoon Of
March 7th small group began to gather at Fort
and lakewood in Detroit about one and half
miles from Ford's River Rouge plant. It was
bitter cold A sharp wind was blowing from the
River. The workers shivered and wondered if
many would come out on such cold day. For
about 80 or 40 minutes the crowd grew slowly
but around p m. new and larger groups APP
peared bringing cheer to the hearts Of the
waiting workers
Now the spirit Of the waiting workers changed.
Every new arrival was greeted with cheers and
the singing of workers songs. Large groups Of
unemployed Ford workers began to arrive in
trucks from small nearby towns like Dearborn,
Lincoln Park, NIGHTINGALE Ecorse, all OF which
are mostly inhabited by Ford workers.
AS the crowd grew and swelled their spirit
and militancy rose to o higher level. Forgotten
was the cold. Unemployed Ford workers, broke
and unable to pay carfares, met resistance from
the conductors as they attempted to get off
without paying. A struggle ensued. Police
modified for the Hunger March attempted ar
rests but the waiting hunger marchers ran to
the rescue and succeeded in affecting their
rel 'aSe. At 2.30 the crowd had grown tremen-
dously. large number Of Ford workers had
been laid off and many of them joined the
crowd. The workers spirit was rising and when
about 100 workers with banners came marching,
singing and cheering from nearby hall the
enthusiasm was raised to the highest pitch.
Tn ioUlu che oil lined
up behind the marching comrades All traffic
was standstill. Under the leadership of the
Auto Workers Union and the Unemployed Coun-
Gil the hunger marchers marched across the
Baby Creek Bridge and gathered on the corner
of Fort st. and Miller Rd, in a dense throng
around waiting truck. Banners were quickly
distributed as Comrade Goetz, Secretary Of the
Unemployed Council, swung up the truck and
began to speak Briefly restating the purposes
and demands of the Ford Hunger March, the
speaker called upon the workers to form an
orderly and disciplined march and stated:
awe are not going to the Ford plant to
create disturbance. We are going to present
the pressing demands of the workers. But we
going to go to the Ford plant, and if we
are attacked, we will know how to defend
ourselves"
A powerful cheer greeted these remarks and
he march began. Eight abreast. Singing and
cheering, the Ford Hunger March proceeded with
rigorous steps toward the Dearborn city limits
where about so Dearborn and Ford police in
inform were guarding the road. AS the workers
approached the police called upon them to stop.
The workers marched forward. The police
yelled, who are your leaders, I'VE are all
leaders" shouted the workers Stop or we'll
shoot" threatened the cops menacingly and shot
a large amount OF tear gas into the ranks Of the
workers.
Ths Hunger Marchers hesitated, blinded and
ehoked by the gas, some retreated and ran up a