30,000 workers parade with banners through the streets of New York on the first anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ and Russia’s 1905 Revolution.

‘New York’s Massive Bloody Sunday Commemoration’ from The Worker (New York). Vol. 15 No. 44. January 27, 1906.

Thirty Thousand Men and Women Respond to the International’s Call–Wonderful Manifestation of World-Wide Solidarity of Labor–Against All Oppressors and Exploiters All Expectations Surpassed Many Tongues Spoken, but One Idea Expressed in All of Them.

It is impossible to give exact figures, but it is safe to say that between 25,000 and 35,000 persons participated in the demonstration of sympathy with the Russian revolution held in New York City last Monday evening, under the auspices of a conference called by Local New York of the Socialist Party. The turn-out exceeded the expectations of any of its promoters.

It was a magnificent affair. The capitalist papers did all they dared do to conceal its magnitude and its significance from such of their readers as had not seen and understood. But it had its effect.

The Sight of a Lifetime.

To one standing on the “Cottage” platform in Union Square as the parade entered, marching and counter- marching so as to bring the crowd without confusion into the closest proximity to the speakers, until at last the great expanse, to Seventeenth street in front, to Fourth avenue at the right, and to University place at the left, was one sea of close-packed heads, every face upturned in eager interest, the sight was one to stir the heart and to be carried in memory to one’s dying day.

Torches and red lanterns lighted up the scene. Red banners of party branches, clubs, and progressive trade unions waved on every side, intermingled with the stars-and-stripes to indicate that it is a peaceful revolution that we seek and with black flags to signalize our mourning for the martyrs of the struggle in Russia. Besides the flags there were scores of transparencies, bearing revolutionary mottos or indicating the presence of labor organizations.

From the cottage and from two temporary platforms on either side speakers addressed the crowd. Not a half of those present could hear, even so. But they stayed to the end. They felt the spirit of the occasion and they instinctively knew what was being said and joined in tumultuous cheers as the speakers pledged our support to our Russian brothers and hurled defiance, not at Nicholas alone, but quite as much at Morgan and Rockefeller.

On the Line of March.

The procession formed in two divisions, that of the East Side organizations at Rutger Square, the other on Fourth street. It was late in starting, of course, parades always are. But when it moved, it commanded respect. Along the whole line of march, with the exception of a brief space in the aristocratic district above Union Square, the sidewalks were crowded with sympathetic onlookers. At many points red flags were waved from the windows- the reporter observed a red blanket serving for a banner at one point-and rockets and red Bengal lights were set off. In the aristocratic district mentioned, it was interesting to observe the observers-the masters and mistresses at the upper windows, cold and sneering, the servants at the basement doors, in open-mouthed wonder. Both snobs and flunkeys will remember and understand, in time.

John C. Chase acted as grand marshal, with E.S. Egerton, M. Steltzer, and G. Christian as marshals for the first division, and S. Shapiro and H. Golden for the second, R. Jovanovitsch, H. Baussman, and Edward Meyer were banner bearers in the first division.

No less than eighteen bands played the “Marseillaise” and other war songs of the revolution as the parade advanced. Among them we may mention the Carl Sahm Club and the Socialist Band, which headed the two divisions.

It is impossible to give due credit to all organizations participating, but some deserve special mention.

The Bund was out in force-that goes without saying.

The Arbeiter Ring made a good showing. Two bands kept its members in step.

The “Vorwärts” Association was there with a band.

The Cap Makers’ Union turned out 1,500 strong, with a band. The Jewish Actors’ Union also had a band, and so did the Cigarette Makers’ Union.

The United Hebrew Trades delegates were on duty, with a band of 60 pieces.

The Finnish Branch of Local New York must not be overlooked. Fully 500 men and women were in line, with torches and red badges and transparencies. The singing of Finnish Socialist songs on the line of march and at the square was a striking feature. The Finns had a separate platform at the west side of the square where several speakers, of both sexes, expounded the ideas of Socialism.

Polish, Lithuanian, Lettish, Bohemian, and Hungarian Socialist organizations were there, too, besides the Russian Social Democratic Society,

Meetings in the Square. Comrade Chase presided at the central platform in Union Square, and Morris Hillquit, Abe Cahan, Algernon Lee, and Meyer London spoke, all in English. Hillquit’s speech is printed elsewhere in this paper. As before stated, a Finnish meeting was held on the left, and from another platform on the right, with Thomas J. Lewis presiding, addresses were made by Dr. Gurewitz and Dr. Zhitlovsky in Rusian, Alex. Debski in Polish, B. Feigenbaum in Yiddish, and I. Phillips and Simon O. Pollock in English.

The taking of the collection was a great difficulty and the result was far from satisfactory. Many did not understand that a collection was to be taken; some may have feared to take out their money in such a crush-even in a Socialist crowd; and, worst of all, a large part of the people were so jammed together that the collectors could not get thru and that men could not even get their lands into their pockets and out again in time.

But there is still time to give money, either to Organizer Solomon. at 61 E. Fourth street, to be divided among the Russian organizations, or to Dr. Romm, at 306 E. Fifteenth street, for the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party alone.

A Timely Resolution.

The following resolution was read from the platform and endorsed with rousing cheers:

“On the twenty-second day of January 1905, one hundred thousand Russian workingmen assembled on the streets of St. Petersburg to petition their sovereign for the most elementary political rights and for some paltry economic relief.

“The government of the Tsar answered their humble prayers with brutal bloodshed; thousands of unarmed defenseless petitioners were wantonly slaughtered by the armed henchmen of Russian autocracy.

“The Body Sunday thus ruthlessly inaugurated by the government, forced the proletariat of Russia into an armed struggle for bread and freedom, and the struggle has since been carried on by them with a courage and persistency which excited the admiration of the entire civilized world.

The cause of the Russian workingmen is the cause of the International proletariat. Their heroic battles and splendid achievements have inspired the workingmen of all countries with renewed enthusiasm for their own battles, and renewed hopes for their own victories. The Russian working class is but the vanguard of the world’s proletariat in their universal struggle for emancipation.

“Therefore, we, the workingmen and Socialists of New York, assembled to commemorate the first anniversary of the memorable Bloody Sunday, in response to the call of the International Socialist Bureau and in common with all Socialists of the world, express our sympathy and solidarity with the heroic struggles of our comrades and brethren of all nationalities in Russia, and our deep abhorrence of the dastardly means by which Russian autocracy seeks to preserve its blood- stained regime-the massacre of Jews and intellectuals, and the slaughter of defenseless men, women, and children.

“We demand from our own government the immediate abrogation of the shameful extradition treaty with Russia:

“And we call upon the workingmen and all liberty-loving citizens of the United States to give their moral and material support to the brave fighting workingmen of Russia.”

After the parade the S.L.P. and I.W.W. held a meeting separate from that at Union Square, in Grand Central Palace. The hall was fairly well filled. Danial De Leon and Jas. T Hunter spoke. The Anarchists also held a separate meeting, in Progressive Hall, where John Most spoke.

The Parade Conference will meet again at 64 E. Fourth street on Jan. 31, when a full report will be made.

The Worker, and its predecessor The People, emerged from the 1899 split in the Socialist Labor Party of America led by Henry Slobodin and Morris Hillquit, who published their own edition of the SLP’s paper in Springfield, Massachusetts. Their ‘The People’ had the same banner, format, and numbering as their rival De Leon’s. The new group emerged as the Social Democratic Party and with a Chicago group of the same name these two Social Democratic Parties would become the Socialist Party of America at a 1901 conference. That same year the paper’s name was changed from The People to The Worker with publishing moved to New York City. The Worker continued as a weekly until December 1908 when it was folded into the socialist daily, The New York Call.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/the-people-slp/060127-weeklypeople-v15n44-unityconf2.pdf