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| 91 9 “The Whole City Seethed” (1892) Di arbeter tsaytung The Marxist weekly Di arbeter tsaytung debuted in 1890 and enjoyed a respectable circulation of six to eight thousand. The following report on a campaign rally in support of the Socialist Labor Party, with which Di arbeter tsaytung was aligned, may have been authored by Abraham Cahan, the newspaper’s editor. The socialist demonstration in New York, which took place on Saturday evening, was a glowing success. The whole city seethed with marching workers who walked to the huge gathering in Union Square under the red flag. According to the newspapers, between 8,000 and 10,000 people assembled. The demonstration of Jewish workers was especially successful. At 6:00 p.m., Rutgers Square was black with people who arranged themselves into columns for the parade. At 7:30 p.m. the procession left Rutgers Square. Marching in the first division were the organizations of Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Socialist Labor Party, the Socialist Labor Campaign Club, the Brotherliness Society, the Jewelers’ Union, and the Purse Makers’ Union. Marching in the second division were the Knee-Pants Workers’ Union, which was represented by 500 members with red badges, the Socialist Tailors ’ Campaign Club, the Yiddish-Speaking Section of the Socialist Labor Party, the Proletariat Society, the Bookbinders’ Union, and the Shirt Makers’ Union. Members of all the organizations carried transparencies with various slogans, such as, “Down with the Sweating System,” “The Best Strike Is through the Ballot Box,” “We Demand the Abolition of Wage Slavery,” “Don’t Be Blinded by the Swindle of Free Trade and Protective Tariffs,” and “Vote for the Candidates of the Socialist Labor Party.” Devoted members of the Cap Makers’ Union carried the flag. There were 1,500 men in this procession, illuminated by 400 lamps. The marchers were received with great merriment and enthusiasm on almost every street the parade went. Many houses were decorated. The marchers were greeted with lights and fireworks. The Labor Lyceum at 91 Delancey St. was richly decorated, and when the procession 92 | In Struggle crossed Delancey, past the Lyceum, the merriment and enthusiasm was indescribable . The entire block was lit up by fireworks and deafened by shouts of hurrah. At 8:00, the procession arrived at the German Labor Lyceum on 4th St., where it joined the procession of the German- and English-speaking trade unions and the assembly districts of the SLP. The many musical orchestras filled the streets with the Marseillaise and other labor songs. At 8:00 the entire procession arrived at Union Square. The Square was already strongly occupied by people who warmly greeted the marchers. At 9:00 the procession from the West Side arrived. The chairman on the main platform was Comrade Matchet, candidate for vice president. He was greeted with great applause. The other speakers were comrades Salsbury, Seniel, Abe Cahan, Balkom, and Gintner. Those speakers spoke in English. Speaking on the other two platforms were comrades Bennet and Wilson Sheffer (each in English ), Faygnboym and Pollack (in Yiddish), and Kuno (in German). Comrade Shteynberg was arrested for distributing socialist literature on the way to the demonstration. The judge fined him three dollars. Aside from that, everything succeeded in the finest fashion and left an impression that will not long be forgotten. Source: Di arbeter tsaytung, Oct. 28, 1892, p. 3. Translated by Tony Michels. ...

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