Hellraisers Journal: 20,000 Striking Garment Workers March Through Chicago’s West Side, Banners Waving

Rose Schneiderman Quote, Stand Together to Resist Mar 20, NY Independent p938, Apr 1905 ———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday December 13, 1910
Chicago, Illinois – 20,000 Striking Garment Workers March on West Side

From the Chicago Inter Ocean of December 8, 1910:

Led by bands playing the Marseillaise and carrying red and white banners that proclaimed their grievances, 20,000 men and women strikers, members of the garment worker union, marched through the West Side streets yesterday and gathered for a big mass meeting in the National league baseball park.

Although the winter wind penetrated their thin garments and the snow flakes fell upon them it did not cool the ardor of the marchers. Shouting and shaking their flaming mottoes whenever they passed a strike-bound tailor shop they trudged on with an air of grim determination that boded ill for an early settlement of their differences with their employers. Though nothing was said against the proposed agreement between Hart, Schaffner & Marx and their employes at the ball park, there was a meeting later in Hod Carriers’ hall, where 2,000 strikers declared they would never vote for the measure.

Police Inspector Hunt took what he called “an ounce of prevention” by detailing over 600 policemen along the line of march and at the park, but apparently one-fourth of that number could have handled the crowd. Only when passing nonunion tailor shops did the marchers exhibit any inclination to leave their line, but even then most of them contented themselves with shouting derisively at those inside. Not a single arrest was made either during the parade or at the ball park.

Urged to Accept Compromise.

It was too cold at the park for much speech-making, and, though there were no extended addresses, there were a number of short talks by different labor leaders. The general tone of the speakers was that the strikers should soberly and carefully consider the proposed compromise agreement. There was none who spoke against the measure, and when told that it conceded them in a large measure what they had been striking for, the strikers listened attentively.

It was only at the later meetings, the largest of which was held, at Hod Carriers’ hall, that the men and women showed a disposition to reject the plan which Hart, Schaffner & Marx have offered as a compromise.

Those who spoke were Raymond Robins, John Fitzpatrick, Emmet Flood, Job Harriman, Joseph Marata, Samuel Landers and Albert Adamski.

Charles W. Murphy, president of the Chicago National league baseball club, surprised the strikers by providing hot coffee and sandwiches for them. More than 70,000 sandwiches were provided and there were more than enough to go around. What was left over was sent to the different halls where the strikers met during the afternoon.

Jimmy Slagle, former center fielder for the Cubs; Secretary Charles Thomas and Treasurer Charles Williams handed out the lunch. Slagle reached town yesterday morning, and he peddled so much coffee that be ruined a new overcoat by spilling the beverage over it.

Ask Food for Children.

One man, grasping five sandwiches in his bony hand, stepped up to Williams and asked for s sixth.

“I have six children at home and I want one for each of them,” he said when told that he had been supplied already. He got the sixth sandwich. “

The first division of the parade was scheduled to start from Walsh’s hall, Milwaukee avenue and Noble street, at 9 o’clock, but an hour before that time the strikers began to congregate there in order to get a place near the head of the line. There was no fire in the hall, and the men and women swung their arms and stamped their feet to keen warm. At 8:30 the standard bearer appeared carrying a big American flag, and he was heartily cheered. Half an hour later, led by Edward N. Nockels, secretary of the Chicago Federation of Labor, the strikers started on their long march to the ball park.

The same scene was enacted at other West side halls, the largest aggregation starting from Hod Carriers hall. South Ashland avenue and West Jackson boulevard was the general meeting place for the various divisions, and for a time there was much confusion owing to the stream of humanity that poured in from the east and from the north. But the police enforced the “keep moving” order and the line soon strung out again toward the south.

Red Banner Barred.

Chief of Police Steward granted the permit for the parade only with the understanding that there be no red banners carried in it. The strikers agreed to this, but they got around the order by having their banners lettered in red on white cloth. Among the sentiments expressed on the banners were the following:

A union shop means more bread and milk for our children.

Give the fathers work and the children will go to school.

Capital is organized and labor must be organized.

Child labor is child murder.

We are organized and will stick to our union.

Other signs were printed in the Hebrew, Polish and Bohemian languages. Some of them complained against the police and read as follows:

The police cannot stop this strike.

We are allowed to slave in the loop, but not parade.

Why are we prohibited from marching through the loop district, Mr. Steward?

Who pays the men who beat us?

Strikers Are Elated.

So elated were the strikers with the outcome of the parade and meeting that they are clamoring for another parade next week. They are bent on marching through the loop district and Chief Steward will be petitioned to allow them to do so some time within the next ten days.

Nothing was done yesterday toward furthering a settlement of the strike and it is not expected that the strikers will be asked to vote on the Hart, Schaffner & Marx proposition until the latter part of the present week. The joint committee is scheduled to meet again this morning in the city hall, but the flat refusal of the representatives of the Wholesale Clothiers’ association and the National Tailors’ association to arbitrate last Tuesday has dampened hopes for a quick adjustment of the difficulties between employers and employes.

[Emphasis added.]