Montana labor news., 1937-07-15
The Massacre of the Innocents
By OSCAR AMERINGER
in THE AMERICAN GUARDIAN

reel showing the Chicago Memorial Day
massacre Hence, there is no reason for go
ING into further details. What shooting there
was lasted but few seconds. AS far as could
be observed in those seconds, every shot was
fired by the police Nor was there police
man among the heaps of dead and dying men
in the foreground A few bricks were flying
thrown by the strikers no doubt. One man
tried to defend himself with staff carrying
some motto or slogan. The rest were beaten
to death or wounded while flying from the
police or lying PROSTATE on the ground. And
finally whoever was shot was shot in the
back. And whoever had his face smashed
or skull cracked, the implement was riot
club in the fist of policeman
Well, the slaughterfest is over. What are
its lessons?
Lesson No. is that each and every police
officer and policeman who testified before
the LaFollette committee that the police act
ed in self-defense is a brazen liar.
Lesson No. 2 is that in the few minutes of
the Memorial Day massacre Chicago police
men killed more people than the whole po-
lice force of England, Scotland and Wales
killed in the preservation of law and order
in-ffty years!
Lesson No. is that in the half century
preceding the revolutionary upheaval follow
ing the World War and the rise of Fascism
not as many striking lUorting people l0ere
killed by ICl0 and order forces, Of the lOhote
of Germany, France, ItaIy, Belgium, Holland,
Denmark, SqUeden and NorlDdy, as l0ere
killed in the felU minutes of the Memorial
Day massacre perpetrated by small part OF
Chicago's police force.
Lesson No. is that the people killed and
manned were not criminals caught IN the act
of rifling safe, breaking into bank, hold
ing up a wayfarer or taking one Of their
friends for a ride, but working people in the
pursuit Of life liberty and happiness by the
only lawful way left to then-striking and
peaceful picketing as prescribed by the laws
of the country-but recently enacted and up
held by the Supreme Court Of the United
States.
Please get that point clear. After
century of indeScribable indecency on the
part of Iaav and order forces, during
aUhich governments Of states and nation
auere scarcely more than legaIized strike
breaking agencies, there are nolU lalUs on
the statute books of the union guarantee
ing to the hand that feeds the nation the
right to organize, strike, peacefully picket
and bargain collectively, including the
entering of signed agreements as mat
ter OF course.
The Republic Steel Corporation, in whose
behalf the Chicago police murdered twelve
and manned some hundreds of its citizens, is
creature Of law operating under the law,
and consequently could not openly flaunt
the Wagner Labor act 1t could not say to
the President Of the United States, both
houses of Congress and the nine old gentle
men of the Supreme Court: ITO hell with
all you This is our business and we're going
to run our business to suit ourseH"
No, no, that would never do. So the keen
and yet so blind greedy master minds of the
Republic Steel Corporation accepted the laws
passed for the protection of their sovereign
slaves, with fingers crossed and tongue in
cheek no doubt, but accepted them almost
There was one little point Republic Steel
begged on. Sure, our men can hold cleo
tions and designate the organization, union
or bargaining agency through which they
wish to bargain with us. Sure they can
designate the officials through which to carry
on negotiations with us. And if we can't
come to an agreement bargaining thus, we
even cOncede JneIn the TlSHt 10 SIIlhe dlu
peacefully picket our plants, for that is the
word of the majesty of the law. But one
point we'll not concede, though heaven falls
and hell freezes over: We aUiIl not sigra the
agreement agreed upon, for the laao does not
say 1Ue must That's all Nothing more than
that, nothing less than that, just that, and on
that fine point we've impaled the twelve
corpses of Chicago's Memorial Day massacre" :"
Too bad the law did not say in SO many
words, agreements entered under the pro-
vision of the Labor Relations act must be put
in writing" AS matter of common practice
agreements and contracts are not considered