The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-05-10
CAPITALIST TERROR IN
PHILADELPHIA

The L l. D. exposed the scheme OF the bosses to
division so as to prevent joint struggle by Negro
and white workers for unemployment insurance
and relief, better conditions and higher wages in
shops, against war and boss terror.
The boss reaction TO this exposure was an
increased wave Of terror In the form OF raids,
beatngs, arrests, jailngs, intimidation.
Then the Philadelphia working-claSs began
preparing for May Day linking up the Willie
Brown Case, the Scottsboro Case, Tom Mooney
Case and Philadelphia boss terror With tina
necessity of white and Negro workers organinna
to fight for better conditions. Workers again
were arrested wholesale for distributing leaflets.
Five workers were charged with ~sedition' for
possessing rattle books with the words "Trip to
the SOVIET UNION thereon, seven workers
were charged with "inciting to riot" for having
posters announcing the coming May Day DEM
onstrations.
The bosses, not satisfied with merely falling
hundreds of workers for distributing literature
and failing dozens OF others on VARIOUS framed
up charges attempted to dampen by terror the
enthusiasm OF the workers for the May Day
Demonstration They banned the demonstra-
tons from taking place at City Hall or Reyburn
Plaza Gust across from the City HaD They
also denied the right Of the workers to parade.
To-day in Philadelphia the police will not grant
the workers the right to parade; the workers are
brutally attacked in their fight for the streets.
The police state openly that they would brutally
smash the attempt Of the workers to parade and
limited that they would smash the permitted"
open air demonstrations The workers answered
this challenge Of the police by increasing the
May Day preparations
On April 80, the workers Of Philadelphia
gathered in two places: Fourth g. Federal and
Thirteenth 81 Thompson. They had announced
beforehand they would march to City Hall from
these two places. At Fourth and Federal there
were $500 workerS-at Thirteenth and Thomp-
son about 4000-at City Hall waiting for the
arrival of the two demonstrations were about
10000 workers. At the close OF the open air
demonstrations the workers begun their march
to City Hall Immediately before the workers
had taken dozen steps hundreds of police
together with thugs in workers clothes attacked
the parade and fierce battle ensued in which
dozens of workers were hurt and also 20 police
men and thugs. Twenty-Six workers were ar
rested and charged with assault and battery,
melting to riot disorderly conduct, breach OF
peace, parading without a permit" Six workers
had their skulls split and two of them almost
died that night Even the capitalist papers had
to admit that never in the history of Philadel-
phia has such bloodshed been spilled"
The same day april soth) many workers were
arrested in other parts of the city;-Fiye for
distributing leaflets-two for speaking at open
air meetings. The cops also arrested the six
year old son of an L L. D. organizer, for dis
tributing leaflets. This dangerous criminal"
was taken to the house OF detention and Jailed
The next morning the twenty-five workers
Zone OF the twenty-siz was a thug arrested by
nistake) were held for further hearing Gday 49,
under total bail Of s1sS,o00 by the labor
hating, ex-Department OF Justice Agent OHara~
This is the most excessive bail ever placed on
any one in the history OF the city. At the In
door protest meeting held on May LIST, at which
10000 workers attended, it was pointed out that
this was a direct challenge to the workers of
Philadelphia and our answer must be: increased
organization. ,--s---@ .~~
The terror against workers has not abated- To
the contrary only two days have passed since
May Day and yet over . dozen workers have been
arrested for trying to exercise the right" OF free
speech and aSsemblage
The International Labor Defense calls upon
the workers OF Philadelphia to smash the bosses
terror by building tremendous mass defense
movement.