Hellraisers Journal – Saturday October 31, 1908
Philadelphia Police Club and Arrest Supporters of Comrade Debs
From the Appeal to Reason of October 24, 1908:
“Riot” to Hear Debs!
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The Philadelphia Inquirer October 12, 1908
The Philadelphia North American, under scare head lines, tells a story which has no parallel in the history of political gatherings in America. Debs was scheduled to speak in three halls in different parts of Philadelphia and long before the doors opened the streets were jammed with men, women and children who were not only anxious to hear the message of Socialism, but willing to pay for this privilege as well!
Says the North American: “Crowds packed every hall, 7,000 being the estimated number inside while as many more lined the streets outside.”
So great was the anxiety of the hungry multitude to listen to the gospel of Socialism that they crowded the doors and became frantic in their efforts to get on the inside.
There was no disorder, yet the police proceeded to club inoffensive women and children and arrest men who protested against the outrages. Here is the North American’s version of the activity of the police:
“Disinterested spectators said after the trouble that the police were to blame. According to several eye witnesses who are not Socialists the crowd was orderly, being merely anxious to get into the hall and that the police attack was unprovoked. They said that policemen knocked down defenseless women and children who could not get out of their way and then arrested them who remonstrated with them.”
This is the true version and it bears no relation to the lurid accounts sent broadcast over the land of the riot started by Debs in Philadelphia. There was a riot, but it was among the plutes who shivered with fear as they watched the surging multitudes waiting for Debs.
In their minds they contrasted this gathering of earnest, determined men with the “worked up” meetings for Taft and Bryan. Nothing could more forcibly illustrate the vitality and vigor of the Socialist movement than these mighty outpourings at every point touched by the “Red Special.”
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[Photographs added.]
From The Philadelphia Inquirer of October 12, 1908:
According to the Inquirer, Debs made the following remarks at the Labor Lyceum on October 11th.
Here in America, we are rapidly approaching the third revolution. The first was a revolution for liberty, the second for the freedom of slaves, and the third will be a revolution against capital based on private ownership. Let us hope it will come peacefully, but it must come. The rottenest of all parties is a reform party…
At Newport, they give monkey parties and parasites of women appear in what is, for some strange reason, called full dress. There everybody allows their natural and unnatural passions to be sated, they develop paunches and absorb what is wrung from the sweat of working men.
There is as much immorality there as there is in the slums, only they do not go to the red light district. Harry Thaw is a type of the rich man’s son; and I have seen hundreds of Harry Thaws who throw their money around and give balls at Delmonico’s.
That is what you vote for when you vote the Democratic or Republican tickets. Look at the Republican President. He looks very fierce in his pictures, but what has he ever done that is brave except to fire some shots into fleeing Spaniards? He has reduced the office of President to the level of ward politics.
And his controversy with Bryan. I will give you a sample of their controversy. Roosevelt writes: “Honorable William Jennings Bryan: Dear Sir, You are a crooked politician and your party is rotten. Assuring you of my esteem, I remain respectively yours, Theordore Roosevelt”
And then Bryan writes to Roosevelt: “Honorable Theordore Roosevelt: You’re another. With profound respect, yours very sincerely, William Jennings Bryan.” Note the hypocrisy.
It is these parties that have made the tramps that wander over the country. I can see the outline of a comrade in every tramp that I meet. I could put my arms about them. They are God in ruin. There are 800,000 thieves, burglars and robbers and 600,000 fallen women and 4,000,000 children that have been seized and thrown into slavery. These parties are responsible.
You may all die in the poorhouse or by the back door of suicide.
The women are responsible for this great movement. We are going to emancipate women so that they will not have to marry for shelter and exchange their chastity for a pallet of straw.
[Photograph added.]
From page 4 of the Appeal to Reason:
FROM THE RED SPECIAL
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Big Meetings Everywhere-
Great Crush at Philadelphia
Started Report of Riot
-Gene in Fine Form.
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Special Telegram to the Appeal.
Baltimore, Md., October 16.-Tonight closed the last engagement in the east, and tomorrow morning the “Red Special” again turns toward the west.
The work just closed has been one of the remarkable successes under the Red Special standard of successes. The two Philadelphia meetings were record breaking. The jam was so intense that a few over-zealous policemen came near precipitating trouble. As it was the capitalist papers sent out the report that a riot had occurred, and the Philadelphia papers had special issues on the streets half hour later with all the newsboys crying: “All about the riot at the Debs meeting,” looks as if it might have been cooked to order. Anyway the affair was grossly exaggerated, and the only riot there was the mad attempt of ten thousand to crowd into a hall with but half that capacity.
You have also seen the reports that Gene had broken down. This is absolutely untrue. The story originated from the fact that Gene could not fill his evening’s engagement at Newark. The only one he has missed on the entire trip, on account of having the grip. On Sunday afternoon he addressed the two tremendous Philadelphia meetings, and in the evening another of the same kind at Camden, across the river. It was after this last meeting, when he was dripping wet with sweat, and there was hardly a dry thread in his clothes, that he was hurried into an open automobile, and through a cold and cutting wind was rushed toward the train.
Being held up at the ferry the trip consumed forty minutes; and, during this time, his wet clothes were glued to his body and he was chilled clear through. A little later he was taken with a violent chill which was followed by a burning fever. It was this that caused him to miss the Newark engagements and a few station stops and cut down the time of his speeches for the two days following. He has entirely recovered, is meeting every appointment and will go in under the wire on the evening of the second with colors flying.
We find the faithful Appeal scouts at every point, and they are not slow about getting around among the crowds and making their influence felt. The eastern papers are all discussing Socialism with a vengeance. Every issue is filled with editorial and contributed matter showing that the people are awakening at last to the greatest issue of this age.-Theodore Debs.
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