Dozens of activists cycle from Chicago through Indiana to the Socialist Party conference in Indianapolis, making speeches and music while hawking literature on the way as they sleep along the roadside during their weeks-long, summer of 1901 journey.

‘Socialism on Wheels: The Bicycle Brigade’ by J.H. Bard from Workers Call (Chicago). Vol. 3 No. 122. July 6, 1901.

‘A Socialist Bicycle Brigade’ from Workers Call (Chicago). Vol. 3 No. 122. July 6, 1901.

A BICYCLE BRIGADE.

Proposed to Party Members Visiting the Indianapolis Convention as Individuals.

A great many of the comrades have expressed a desire to have a bicycle brigade of individual delegates to the Indianapolis convention, which in addition to showing the importance of our organization on the convention floor, can be made a delightful outing and an excellent means of Socialist propaganda in the towns between here and Indianapolis.

Already about fifteen comrades have expressed a desire to join such a brigade, and doubtless we can muster from 40 to 75 wheelmen and women who would like to make the trip.

With colors flying, and small banners displayed, a procession of this kind and dimensions would create a sensation, and we could form in the center of each of the towns we entered and hold successful meeting of a half hour or longer, during which time the less sturdy of the party could rest up for the ride to the next town.

Action must be taken at once, and all who think they would like to join the brigade should at once send their name and address to Comrade J.H. Bard, at 713 W. Irving Park boulevard.

Socialism on Wheels. July 20, 1901.

Comrades Will Invade Michigan and Indiana en Route to the Unity Convention.

A group of fifty Socialists will start from Chicago on bicycles on the morning of July 23d, for Indianapolis, where they will attend the Unity convention, and others from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana will join them at the start and op the way. They will take plenty of time and will hold meetings all along the way there and back.

Among them are a number of the most effective campaign speakers In the Socialist movement. Walter Thomas Mills, M. Becker, August Klenke, J.H. Bard, C.F. Lowrie, of Chicago, and E. Backus of Texas, are among the speakers who will start with the boys from Chicago, and tin horns, red flags, Socialist tracts and campaign speeches: 300 miles long, will be the features of the trip, and local Socialists will arrange for meetings in the towns passed through. Luncheon by the road side, and nights in a hay mow are among the possibilities. Enthusiasm, red fire and a line of towns painted red will spread the Socialists’ favorite colors over twenty counties and seventy-five towns of Indiana and Michigan.

The route has been planned to follow good roads and by such easy stages that the most inexperienced riders will have no trouble in keeping up.

Those who cannot take the time for the entire trip will be invited to Join for a day or so, and it is certain that the entire journey will be a regular holiday picnic.

Comrades along the way will arrange meetings, entertain members of the brigade and will also join the procession by scores.

THE ROUTE.

Chicago to Michigan City by boat, leaving Chicago at 9 a.m. and arriving In Michigan at 12:30 p.m.; public meeting upon arrival. Meetings will be held in all the towns passed through; leave Michigan City at 2:30 p.m., Waterford 3:30, LaPorte 5 p.m. and spend night, a few speakers going on to Stillwell for evening meeting there. (1st day 12 miles.)

JULY 24–(30 miles). Start 8 a.m. Stillwell 9:30, Watertown dinner; leave 2 p.m., Tyner City 3:30, Plymouth 5 p.m., and spend night, few speakers going on to Argos for evening meeting.

JULY 25TH–(42 miles) Start 8 a.m., Argos 2:30, Walnut 10:20, Tiosa 11 a.m., Deedsville 4 p.m., Denver 4:30, (a few will stop here for the evening meeting), Peru 6 p.m., and spend the night.

JULY 26^TH–(21 miles). Start 8 a.m., Bunker Hill 9:30, Miami 10:30, and dine, making Kokomo for night meeting.

JULY 27TH—(32 miles). Leave 8 a.m., Sharpsville 9:30, Jack on 10:30, Tipton for dinner: leave 1:20) p.m., Atlanta 2:30, Arcadia 3:30, Cicero 4:30: a few speakers will stay here for evening meeting: Noblesville 5:20, and spend the night.

JULY 28TH–(21 miles). Start 9 a.m., Castleton for dinner, where we will meet a number of the Indianapolis Socialists, who will conduct us into the capital city in time for evening meeting Total distance by wheel 158 miles.

THE RETURN

The trip home will be made in the same manner, but a route through the tier of counties further east has been selected. It is not known as ‘to what day the convention will adjourn, but the time made will be about as follows: the exact dates to be supplied to the comrades along the route upon the adjournment of the convention:

FIRST DAY—(36 miles), Start 8 a.m., Edna for dinner, at Pendleton leave few speakers for evening meeting, the main body going to Anderson to spend the night.

SECOND DAY–(22 miles.) Start 9 a.m., Alexandra for dinner, and speakers will be at Fairmount, Gas City and Marion for evening meetings and the night.

THIRD DAY–(21 miles). Start from Marion 9 a.m., La Fountain for dinner, and spend the night at Wabash.

FOURTH DAY–(31 miles). Start 8 a.m., Manchester for dinner, Warsaw for night.

FIFTH DAY–(35 miles). Start 9 a.m., drop speaker at Milford for noon meeting, dinner at New Paris, speakers left at Goshen for night meeting, main body to Elkhart, and spend night.

SIXTH DAY–(26 miles). Start 8 a.m., dinner at South Bend and spend night at Niles, a few speakers going on to Berrien Springs.

SEVENTH DAY—(24 miles). Ride into Benton Harbor and St. Joseph and hold noon and night meetings, and leaving on, boat that evening for Chicago. Total miles on return 206.

Bicycle Brigade Tour. August 24, 1901.

In as few words as possible we wish to give the comrades a brief description of the work accomplished by the Bicycle Brigade on its trip to Indianapolis and return.

The route and time, as set forth in a previous issue of the Call, was followed, except that on the return trip an additional day was added. This change was made that the Brigade might hold Sunday meetings in Summitville, Fairmont, Jonesboro, Gas City and Marion, the most thickly settled portion of the entire route.

The Brigade held public meetings in about 37 towns, all of which were well attended, and in the great majority of these towns Democrats and Republicans came to the speakers and explained that they had never known before–just what the Socialists stood for, and that henceforth they were for the Socialist Party and proposed to at once sever their connections with the old parties.

Probably the largest meeting we held on the route was at Noblesville, where we addressed 700 to 1.000 people. The success of this meeting was largely due to the fact that we had opposition–a few prominent local politicians attempted to break up our meeting, and for a time it looked as though it would end up in a hand-to-hand encounter between the members of the Brigade and the politicians and their supporters. During the time occupied by the first speaker it was one continual interruption by the politicians, who called us anarchists, traitors, rebels, etc., and informed the crowd that we should be driven out of town. When the second speaker took the box it became even worse, and after talking a little while, the speaker remarked that it appeared to him that, while the disturbers might be prominent, they were a long way from being gentlemen, and that the audience probably concurred in the speaker’s opinion, as they doubtless knew them a great deal better than did the speaker. The audience cheered this remark to the echo and hisses the politicians out of the crowd, and they were heard from no more. The balance of the meeting was uninterrupted and a grand success.

On the return the meetings at all the towns were A1, among the best being those at Alexandra, Marlon, Wabash, Goshen, Elkhart, Mishawaka, and South Bend. At Mishawaka we held a noonday meeting at the pulley works and talked to from 500 to 1,000 workmen for three-quarters of an hour just outside the entrance.

Twelve dollars worth of literature was sold along the route, and probably half as much more was given away.

The members of the Brigade all enjoyed their trip hugely and will be anxious to join any similar expedition which may be formulated in the future.

In the towns where there were Socialist organizations the comrades invariably entertained us royally, and the members of the Brigade herewith extend their hearty thanks and assure the comrades along the line that each of our members greatly appreciated the many kindnesses shown us. In towns where we found no organization we pushed out into the country four or five miles and put up at Hotels de Strawstack and de Corn Fodder, on the European plan, and dined at the well-known restaurant, De Back-Door Hand-Out.

Fraternally,

J.H. BARD.

The Chicago Socialist, sometimes daily sometimes weekly, was published from 1902 until 1912 as the paper of the Chicago Socialist Party. The roots of the paper lie with Workers Call, published from 1899 as a Socialist Labor Party publication, becoming a voice of the Springfield Social Democratic Party after splitting with De Leon in July, 1901. It became the Chicago Socialist Party paper with the SDP’s adherence and changed its name to the Chicago Socialist in March, 1902. In 1906 it became a daily and published until 1912 by Local Cook County of the Socialist Party and was edited by A.M. Simons if the International Socialist Review. A cornucopia of historical information on the Chicago workers movements lies within its pages.