Montana labor news., 1937-06-17
SLAUGHTER IN
CHICAGO
By MEYER LEVIN

Place, Dine and Dance. "A long
windowless room, backed by a
kitchen now used to feed strikers;
a side room containing a long bar
on which soup, beans, and coffee
are now served. The building looks
toward the open prairie; four blocks
away is a little street of shabby
houses facing the Republic steel
plant. Two automobile roads cross
the prairie to that street. The police
have closed the roads.
It is a fine, a perfect day. The
yard outside Sans Place is filled
with shirt-sleeved men; a large num-
Der are spruced up for Memorial
Day and have brought their wives
and children. From the back of a
truck speeches are made; again and
again speakers point out that
throughout the country the right to
picket is no longer questioned. But
this is Chicago.
A motion is made to picket peace
fully outside the plant. 1t is carried
unanimously. The line forms with
two American flags at the head. 1t
is a mixed crowd; mostly it has a
kidding, holiday air. Scattered
through it or walking alongside are
scores of sympathizers and many
merely curious citizens who have
read about the picketing ban and
have come out to see if it will be
enforced. l recognize many univer-
sity people. A kid eating a popsicle
tags along with his father.
l look for weapons. Only a few
days ago strikers had their heads
smashed by clubs. Ahead of them
now the marchers can clearly see
hundreds of police spread out in a
warlike front. Several of the strik-
ers carry placards tackled to sticks
that might be used as Clubs. One
carries a baseball bat. AS we walk
across the prairie, a few pick up
stones, but they are admonished to
drop them.
Walking through the high prairie
grass three blocks to the police line,
the people tend to scatter and the
long column is broken. The leaders
halt, and call for everybody to fall
back into line. The march-it is
really a walks resumed. There
is a scattered singing of Solidarity
Presently the front rank halts, face
to face with the police. The leaders
explain that their followers wish to
exercise their constitutional rights,
only yesterday guaranteed by the
mayor, to picket peacefully.
I'm only a cop, talk to the cap
tain"
There are at least two police cap
tains present, Mooney and Kilroy,
but they do not come forward to
speak to the strikers. Several mo-
ments pass while the boys in the
front rank try to find the authori-
ties. Meanwhile, strung back across
the prairie, the procession quietly
waits.
l work my way to the left of the
line and come up closer to the police
l see several policemen with thei1
hands on their r~evolvers. Behind
the double line of police are patrol
wagons and newsreel trucks. l car
see a mass of men standing on a pile
of material in the yard of the plant
these are scabs and company guards
watching the show. The company
had promised them a ball game fol
Sunday afternoon. A police captain
walks to my end of the line, within
six feet of me, and says in a con
versational voice, Il warn you in thu
name of the law to dispense" Per
haps twenty people around me cai
hear him. Over a thousand are be
hind us.
What followed happened so fas
that it is impossible for me to state
absolutely, the time order. It APP
peared to me that the police lin
concertedly advanced swinging clubs
that at the same moment a roc
flew high through the air, over tn
police line, aimed at the yard of tn
plant. 'The usual incident" TIL
phrase flashed through my mind
and at the same moment l hear
firing. A cloud of tear gas role
like an immense pillow on tn
ground. I believed that the polio
were merely firing tear-gas cart
ridges. Instantly everyone turne
and ran.
There was no firing at any time b
the strikers. No policeman was sho
though the police accuse the striker
of firing. There was no battle.
The people fled. AS | ran I turne
and saw the police charging after u
Meanwhile the shooting continue
with the rapidity but not the rhythm
of m%achine-gun fire. l still coul
not believe that the police wer
shooting bullets, since there had bee
absolutely nc warning or provocs
ton, and since it was apparent ths
the tear gas was sufficient to dis
perse the procession. A man cam
stumbling toward me holding h
hands over his eyes. A woman ra
by, her face distorted in pain, cry
ING. '"They gaSsed me" attempte