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> Women's Diary
> May DAY
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May DAY: THE INTERNATIONAL
LABORDAY
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May 1st, International Workers' Day, the
day of calling up the historic struggle of working people throughout
the world. It is also 1880s workers demanding humane treatment; it is
men and women around the world marching in solidarity against the
factory owners who would have them work all day, every day but Sunday;
it is anarchists, socialists, and leftists of every kind working
together within the labor movement. Sixteen-hour workdays in dangerous
conditions, child labor, exploitation, and accidents were common then.
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On
May 1 ,1886, 800,000 workers from all trades and factories throughout
the US went on strike in support of the eight-hour workday. In
Chicago, a stronghold of immigrant labor and anarchists, 300,000
workers struck and marched through the city streets in a huge display
of proletarian power. Before the Chicago May Day strike action began,
the management at McCormick Machine Co. (The International Harvester)
had locked out 1500 workers over a wage dispute. On 3 May, when
pickets attempted to prevent blackleg labor entering the plant, the
Chicago police opened fire on the workers, killing four and wounding
many more. Outraged at this act of naked aggression, radical
newspapers called for armed resistance against the bloodthirsty
Chicago police, and a protest rally was called for the next day (4
May) at Haymarket Square. Speeches condemning police violence and
capitalist oppression were given by three leading anarchists: Parsons,
Spies and Fielden.The meeting was peaceful and rain soon sent away
most of the large crowd. When only 200 people remained, a police
column of 180 men moved in and ordered the meeting to disperse
immediately, even though, according to the Mayor of Chicago-nothing
looked likely to require police interference. Suddenly, a bomb was
thrown and exploded in the midst of the police, which provoked
immediately for opened fire on the assembled workers. Several police
and many workers were killed. A reign of terror swept over Chicago.
Meeting halls, union offices, printing shops and private homes were
raided (obviously without warrants). Many suspects were beat up and
some bribed. "Make the raids first and look up the law
afterwards" was the public statement of J. Grinnell, the States
Attorney. The raids and repression, backed and encouraged by the press, weakened
the eight hour movement. A major source of worry and
fear for the ruling class was removed and both the American Labor and
Anarchist movements suffered set backs. The raids had solved part of
the problem, now scapegoats had to be found.
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Eight men, all anarchists and active
union organizers, stood trial for murder. No proof was offered by the
state that any of the eight had anything to do with the bomb. In fact,
three had not even been at the meeting and another was there with his
wife and children. A biased judge and jury and a hysterical press
ensured that all eight were found guilty. Their only crimes were their
anarchist ideas, union activity and the threat these held for the
ruling class. Grinnell made it clear-Anarchy is on trial--these men
have been selected-- because they are leaders.
In spite of
world wide protest, four of the Haymarket Martyrs were hanged. Half a
million people lined the funeral cortege and 20 000 crowded into the
cemetery. In 1893, the new Governor of Illinois made official what the
working class in Chicago and across the world knew all along and
pardoned the Martyrs because of their obvious innocence and because
"the trail was not fair".
On 11 November, Black
Friday, it murdered Parsons, Spies, Fischer and Engels. Ling had
committed suicide the previous day. They were later shown to have had
nothing to do with the bombings. On 14 July 1889, on the hundredth
anniversary of Bastille Day, an American AFL delegate attending the
International Labor Congress in Paris proposed that 1 May be
officially adopted as a workers' holiday. This motion was unanimously
approved and since then May Day has served as a date for international
working class solidarity.
Mayday is the day when the voices of
conscious workers are raised. It is a day for all of humanity, all the
deprived peoples, all the children who dream of a better life, all
women who strive for equality, every young person who seeks a world
without reactionary and anti- human ethics, all of us who dream of a
world full of prosperity, hope, happiness, freedom and equality.
So live Long May Day!
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