The Washington times., 1937-07-22
BLAME IN RIOT
DEATHS PUT
0NP0L|CE
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vite the repetition Of similar In.
cidents in the future"

vite the repetition Of similar in.
cidents in the future"
SELF.DEFENSE EXPLODED
The committee held that "all
evidence" at the hearing denies
the contention Of Chicago Police
Commissioner James P. Altman
and other police officers, that the
patrolmen were forced" to fire
their pistols in self-defense and to
keep the marchers from entering
the plant. The report said:
1--WE think it is clear from all
the evidence that nothing was
said by the speakers at the meet
ing which could be even remotely
construed as an Indictment to as
sault the police or to capture
the plant.
"The meeting was called to pro-
test police interference with
picketing and It Is clear that, so
far as the speakers touched upon
this question, their remarks were
limited to q condemnation Of pO-
lice tactics, which they conceived
to be contrary to the announced
policy Of Mayor Kelly that peace
full picketing would be per.
mitted."
ADMIT CLUB-CARRYING
The report admitted that the
strikers and marchers carried clubs
and sticks, but denied that the
assemblage was Of a military"
character.
From all Of the evidence, We
conclude that although q mum.
Der Of the marchers carried
sticks, clubs, or other similar
weapons, the arming Of the
crowd was not so general that
it can be attributed to any pre-.
conceived design to assault the
police.
"Under these circumstances 1t
would have been suicidal to at
tempt to storm the gate with an
unOrganized procession, incIud.
ing many women and children,
possessed Of q few clubs, stones,
and pieces Of pipe.
"We find no evidence Of any
plan on the part Of the union
to effect an entrance into the
plant. On the contrary, we
find that the sole objective Of
the meeting and the parade was
to march past the plant gate or
establish q mass picket line in
front Of 1t, for the purpose OF
demonstrating the strength Of
the union to those workers who
remained within the plant"
FIRING UNPROVOKED
Taking the testimony Of James
P. Mooney, and Ralph Beck, q
Chicago reporter, concerning the
events which led up to the firing
of the first shots, the committee
said:
IF we accept these two state
ments, as they supplement each
other, the one from the com
manding police officer, the other
from an impartial observer, We
reach the conclusion that the
first shots came from the police;
that these were unprOvOked, ex-
cept perhaps by q tree branch
thrown by the strikers, and that
the second vOlley Of police shots
was simultaneous with the mis-
siIes thrown by the strikers"
Discussing the nature Of the In
juries to the strikers, the commit.
tee held they do not ARGUE that
the marchers put up marked re.
siStance to the police; the medical
testimony Of the nature Of the
marchers' wounds indicate they
were shot in flight"
The report added:
"'The police contended that
the only shooting by the ponce
was either in the air to intimi-
date the strikers and to stop
the barrage Of miSsives, or by
individual policemen, struck to
the ground and defending them
selves from attack.
MANY WOUNDS IN BACK
''That shots were fired into
the air is clear. although 1t
should be noted that the photo
graphic evidence makes it ap-