Montana labor news., 1949-09-08
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Pittsburgh or Labor Day, 1913 hung heavy in smog. A
very old trade unionist watched several hours with thousands
of others lining the streets waiting for the Labor Day parade
10 pass. he was a happy old man because four of his sons
would be in the line of march as members of four different
local unions. A bHstenng sun would occasionally force its way
through the smog and the old man $ eyes began to smart. His
throat was parched and his long wait was decidedly uncom-
tortably. Finally the head of the first column of marchers
appeared in the distance with flags flying and bands playing
as it approached. The President and Secretary of the Labor
Council marched abreast leading the parade. AS the column
moved up an oppressive, simmering heat wave caused the old
mar to wipe his eyes with his handkerchief. 1t va difficult
Tor him to see but when the parade was over he told his exper-
fence to his four stalwart sons and they agreed that he pro
badly saw more in that parade than any other man who ever
witnessed the thousands of marching toilers on the great day
of labor. Among the many things he told his sons was the fol
lowing dramatic. fantastic smog dream that he went through
before the parade was over.
Suddenly saw" he said, two upright wsps of fog moving
along with the marchers. After a while these upright wisps
seemed to soldify and take form. rubbed my eyes. This |
said to myself is merely my imagination and the heavy smog
and hot sun n playing tricks with me. Suddenly there were
four figures instead Of two. They became tangible and real
They passed where was standing. Honestly. sons. saw them.
From far off could hear the strains of The Battle Hymn
of the Republic and the words from myriads of throats, Min
eyes have seer the Glory of the coming of the Lord. recog-
nized two new, almost gl1terng figures. On the right marched
Samuel Gompers, the deceased American Federation of Labor
President knew so well and at his side on the left was Eugene
V. Debs, the great Socialist leader. Behind them eight more
figures formed. four with hangmen $ nooses around their necks;
one was bloody and torn, three with prison panor. knew these
men. They were the martyrs OF the Chicago Haymarket Riot
and wondered where ar their monuments from labor. The
hansmen's noo.es dangled before my eyes. They were around
the necks of Albert r. Parsons hanged; August Spies, hanged;
Adolph Fischer, hanged; George Engel, hanged. and then |
saw Louis Lingg. murdered in prison, Samuel Fielden and
Micheal Schwab, life Imprisonment. 1t seemed as though
heard a million voices singing, He has trampled out the vintage
where the grapes of wrath are stored. On they came, each com
plement of living accompanied by their martyred dead-the
Knights of Labor haggard but unbowed-the Garment Work
es and with them the broken, manned. burned bodies, victims
Of the Sweatshops Fire. Then came those who died in the
Homestead Strike, the Pullman Strike. the Railroad Strike, the
Butcher Workmen Strike. beaten to death in many instances
by hired thugs. Countless others lying dead, but all heroes,
passed me by. swear it. saw thousands of coal miners who
died in mines in a hundred places. all victims Of neglect, care
1.oo., ar ~th pop Greer q "a srr led hV he IISnlOuS
John Mitchell and they looked down without bitterness. The
Memorial Day massacred steel workers with their bullet pierced
bodies looked down without bitterness. More came, the living
and the dead forever interlocked in the embrace OF a united pur-
pose. None Of those honored dead died with a thought OF being
heroic. However, they did die. Whether noby or miserably
each should have at least a mental monument erected IN our
minds. My eyes kept smartng and turned toward the re-
viewing stand. Among the usual functonaries both civic and
labor stood the giants of working man-Ihomas Jefferson who
opposed that all men arc created equal-Theodore Roosevelt,
the first great President who saw evil to our nation in giant
trusts and International cartels-Ihomas Paine to whom free
dom was both meat and drnk-Abraham Lincoln who I'M
shackled the physical chains Of ~savery-Covernor Altgeld of
Illinois who freed the living martyrs Of the Haymarket Riot
Woodrow Wilson who believed in the rights OF nations to
live at peace. and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who attempted to
unshackle the economic chains Of the working man.
The form Of Jesus suddenly appeared above them all,
glttering like diamonds. There was a smile on his face-the
only time ever saw a smile on the face OF the Savior-smling
on the marchers in line. still heard voices singng-snging,
He has loosed the fateful tightening OF His terrible swift sword.
His truth goes marching on.
oh. it was a wonderful parade and repeat, my sons
saw these great men. No. none Of them died with IDEAS of
hcrO1Sm Dut edch d n lOedl. none OF mem ave 10 { mel
ideal realized but each one, each death moved the ideal one
step forward. We. the living, cannot drop these ideas-these
dead have died in vain. their wrath would be upon U $ until the
torches OF freedom. Should we falter, should these honored
end Of time.
We in the labor movement today have only to fight the
Tats, Hartleys and the legal verbiage OF reactonary lawyers
They. the dead, fought a real physical enemy-the Pinkertons,
the Thiels, the Burns and other strke-breaking scum. They
fought and died in pitched battles. We, today. are fought only
in courts with injunctions. Its the same enemy with new tactics
but really our load is small compared to the heroes saw in the
labor Day parade.
AS the last division OF the parade passed me it seemed that
the singing voices grew louder and louder, AS He died
to make men holy, let us die to make men free. His Soul goes
marching on Maybe did have a smog dream but think
Shakespeare once said, There arr more things in heaven and
earth. Horatio than are dreamt Of in your philosophy.