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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday October 25, 1908
Lower East Side, New York City – Debs Speaks at Hamilton Fish Park
From the Montana News of of October 22, 1908:
LAND-SLIDE FOR SOCIALISM
—–NEW ENGLAND WORKERS GO WILD OVER DEBS.
—–EAST SIDE CROWDS
—–
One Hundred Policemen Required to Take Care
of the Vast Masses of People
-Debs Holding Out Well.
—–
The lower east side of New York saw the greatest demonstration in its history Tuesday afternoon [October 13th] when Eugene V. Debs, socialist candidate for president, visited it and gave his thousands of supporters an opportunity to express their devotion to him and his cause.
From Hamilton Fish park, where Mr. Debs first appeared and spoke, to Rutgers square, where he ended his visit, the automobile in which he rode was surrounded and followed by a crowd that packed the streets through which he traversed and lapped over into those adjoining until nothing but a surging, tumultuous mass of humanity could be seen.
At Rutgers square it required all of the skill and discipline of a large force of policemen to make way for the Debs automobile to the center of the square, where he was to speak. When the socialist leader at last reached the spot he turned and looked down upon the vast sea of faces that extended as far as the eye could reach.
And the enthusiasm was as unrestrained and heartfelt as the crowd itself was huge. It was impossible to have every one in that crowd hear what was said, either by Debs or any of the other speakers, but that didn’t seem to matter to the crowd, for they applauded and cheered anyway. They were there to show their regard for the greatest working class champion in America-and they showed it.
The First Meeting.
There were between six and seven thousand people assembled at Hamilton Fish park when Mr. Debs arrived at 5 o’clock. During the forty-five minutes previous to his arrival speeches had been made by Jacob Panken, candidate in the Eleventh senatorial district; Robert Hunter, candidate in the Sixth assembly district; Morris Hillquit, candidate in the Ninth congressional district; J. G. Phelps Stokes candidate in the Eighth assembly district, and Frank Bohn. William Karlin acted as chairman.
Bohn was speaking when Debs accompanied by his brother Theodore, S. M. Reynolds and Charles Lapworth, arrived. The “Red Special” band struck up the “Marseillaise” and when the cheers of welcome had subsided, and only then when Mr. Debs had motioned for silence, he said:
Debs’ Speech.
This magnificent reception of my comrades and friends of the east side fills my heart with joy. It gives me strength for the struggle and tells me that the hour of our victory is near at hand.
The “Red Special” has been from coast to coast, and everywhere vast crowds have greeted us as we came to them to bear the message of socialism.
The whole country is ablaze. It lies with us to create out of this superb passion for social justice the new and glorious era of the brotherhood of man.
I could not resist the appeal of my comrades to come to the east side, because I know that here we see the ugliest forms of capitalist exploitation. The abject misery, the joyless lives, the wretched tenements and their toll in pauperism, in broken lives, in disease and death, lead us to consecrate our lives anew to the struggle for the emancipation of man.
The Children’s Lot.
My heart goes out especially to the teeming thousands of dear little children whose lot it is to be born here, to suffer here, and, alas, for too many of them, to die here. Their play-life knows only the cold companionship of asphalt streets and foul gutters. Some of them have never seen a flower. And even the broad white sands and the great wholesome ocean, that laps these shores so near, will never see the play of their little feet.
I cannot tell you what is in my heart. I must spare myself for the many, many engagements that are to follow too quickly one another during the next few days, but I have come here to beg you to do your duty, to fight as you have never fought before.
Commends Candidates.
I want to commend to you with all my heart my comrade, Morris Hillquit. You can and must send him to congress to fight your battles there. From his childhood he has been ardent in your service and his entry into the congress of this United States will be a victory of which the workers of the entire world will be proud.
I need say little of my brother comrades here. You know them and love them. But the working class of no country has more loyal friends and more devoted servants than your candidates for the assembly-Hunter, Stokes, [Max] Pine and [William] Mailly-and your candidate for the senate, Jacob Panken.
It is not for me to speak of the great work they have already accomplished in the cause of humanity. All the world knows that. It lies within your power now, you who have suffered more through the monstrous industrial and social system, to strike an effective blow for your own emancipation.
A Growing Throng.
As soon as he had concluded his speech, Mr. Debs, guarded by police in order to prevent the crowd from reaching him, rushed at once to an automobile. The “Red Special” band climbed in another, the candidates and newspaper men crowded into two more and the procession started.
Every foot of the way was through a cheering, ever-growing concourse of people. The cars were completely surrounded as they went slowly along Pitt street to East Broadway and hence to Rutgers square. Down out of the tenements and workshops swarming through the side streets, came the people, like a stream of turbulent water bursting from a breaking dam.
Good natured and orderly as the people were, that there were no casualties of any kind was due to a great extent to the firm and yet moderate handling of the throng by the one hundred police, under the direction of inspector Burfeind, who showed himself both capable and considerate.
———-
[Photograph and emphasis added.]
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SOURCES
Montana News
“Owned and Published by the
Socialist Party of Montana”
(Helena, Montana)
-Oct 22, 1908
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024811/1908-10-22/ed-1/seq-1/
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
(New York, New York)
-Oct 14, 1908
re date of event = afternoon of Oct 13
https://www.newspapers.com/image/53941370/
-Oct 13, 1908
re SP Candidates:
William Mailly-2nd Assembly District; & Max Pine-4th
https://www.newspapers.com/image/53941338/
IMAGES
EVD, NYC Hamilton Fish Park 10/13, Brk Dly Egl p21, Oct 14, 1908
https://www.newspapers.com/image/53941370/
See also:
Chronicling America search:
New York, “Eugene V Debs”, Oct 1908
Sadly behind pay wall, but has better selection of papers-
Newspapers.com search:
New York, “Eugene V Debs”, Oct 1908
Note: At end of the Eagle’s Oct 13th article:
The following letter was received at the headquarters of the Socialistic party, 42 Canal street, from Debs, relative to the East Side meetings:
We will shake up Gotham in a way to give the Plutes a hint of what’s coming. We had a tremendous meeting in Philadelphia. Five thousand paid admissions, and there would have been double that number had there been room. Shall be with you early on the 13th, as requested. It would be glorious to see our New York comrades elected. I about half expect it. Things are looking remarkably bright and promising. This is our year. The future is holding to us her outstretched hands.
Your truly,
E. V. DEBS.
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