Montana labor news., 1933-06-15
PLANES, BOMBS
AND GUNS GREET
FORD MARCHERS
(By SAMUEL ROMER.)

to use their clubs and guns, a war
like array of armed forces faced 5000
hunger marehers bent ON reaching the
gates of the Ford plant, June 5, and
for a time it seemed as if wholesale
murder was imminent. Only the
discipline of the marchers prevented
a killing.
There were militia airplanes in con-
slant radio communication with head
quarters behind the front lines. State
police were there, ready to uphold
the reputation they won by brutality
during the Briggs strike. The forces
of Wayne county were headed by
Sheriff Thomas c. Wilcox, who learn
ed to fight radicals as a government
agent in the Mitchell Palmer raiding
days. Deputized under him were 800
American Legionnaires. The entire
police force of the City Of Dearborn
was assembled there. And of course
there was the Ford Service Dept,
composed of company thugs who found
working for Ford less dangerous than
bootlegging and hijacking. The po-
lice navy patrolled the River Rouge.
Detroit had 600 cops present. The
mounties pranced about.
They were all Herewith clubs,
tear-gas bombs, riot guns and just
ordinary firearms.
For that day, they said, the hunger
marchers were to storm the Ford
plant and hang Henry and Edsel.
Henry and Edsel shivered in their
boots, and the cops hitched their belts,
took another drink from the bottle Of
hooch that was being passed around,
and waited for the revolution.
The marchers didn't look as if they
were ready to hang Henry and Edsel
they were very ordinary-looking
people with women and children in
their midst. 1t looked like a picnic
crowd if one ignored the banners. But
there was one banner that couldn't be
ignored. 1t read: "We made billions
for Ford who starves us-Ford must
give relief to his unemployed"
The official instructions to the
marchers weren't the sort to provoke
violence. They read; prevent all
provocation. No marcher is allowed
to carry any weapon, and anyone who
attempts to throw stones must be con-
sidered a police spy sent in to break
the march,"
The marchers asked for jobs or re-
lief. They sought a $5-a-day mini
mum wage, slowing down the terrific
speedup on the belt, abolition Of the
Ford company spy system.
More than 5000 strong, shouting the
slogan, "Jobs or Relief" they went
forward until they reached the Dear
born city line.
They had no permit to march in
Dearborn, but it was their constitu-
tional right. The leaders Of the
march-the Auto Workers Union,
which led four successful strikes in
Detroit, and the Unemployed Coun-
cil-had applied to the Dearborn SAT-
ETY. Commission, to the Dearborn City
Council, to Mayor Clyde Ford, to the
encouragement, to the governor, for
a permit, but refusal after refusal was
the only reply.
When the marchers stopped at the
city line, several in the vanguard
went as a committee to ask Chief of
Police Brooks to grant them the right
to march in orderly, peaceful fash
ion. Brooks refused their request
with vehemence. "Then we'll camp
right here till you give us a permit"
he was old
The long column squatted right on
the pavement. Some brought out
decks of cards, others marked off a
blackboard on the street. A telegram
was sent to the governor, but brought
no reply.
On the other side of the line police
men and thugs handled their clubs,
riot guns and tear gas bombs mourn
fully. They seemed sad, for they had
lost an opportunity to work at their
trade.
Pay Increase Given