IS IT SUBVERSIVE to march on May Day ? Well , by now you know that anything which does you some good and takes a nickel out of the boss ’ s pocket is subversive . A dollar raise is “ subversive ,” and it ’ s “ subversive ” to want your kids to grow up instead of becoming corpses in Korea .
But how “ subversive ” is May Day ? It just happens to be the most American holiday we have . It was brought into being in 1886 by the Chicago workers , in their struggle for the eight-hour day . Remember their slogan :
“ Eight hours of work , eight hours of sleep , eight hours of recreation !”
The coruppt press , the bosses and the sellout artists screamed that it was “ subversive ,” but the American working class fought it through , and the eight hour day became an accepted thing .
Not without the workers paying a price , there was never a time when good things came easy . Even then , the bosses worked with the timehonored pattern of frameup and lies , and four of the best and bravest leaders of American labor were framed for a crime they never committed ; and then they were sentenced , and executed .
And one of them , a brave and honest man , August Spies , said , as he stood on the gallows :
There will come a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today !”
� forces in USA , Europe , France , Germany , Italy , India and other Asian countries . Day by day they are becoming a menace to the existence of working class and other toiling people . Hindutva groups are the manifestation of fascist and reactionary groups in India who are playing havoc with the lives and property of people of India . Particularly against minority Muslims and other vulnerable groups of the people .
So it has become immanent to the working-class of all countries to resist , fight and defeat these fascist and reactionary forces , resurged through the world .
Added to these circumstances imposed by imperialism and neo-liberal 4
May Day - 1951 - Howard Fast
And his words have come true . This May Day , millions of workers will march in every corner of the earth . They will march on that day which our working class ancestors won with their courage and militancy .
James Turnbull ’ s drawing and Fred Ellis ’ s deal with the historical and international aspects of May Day . Turnbull and Ellis are not only among the best of America ’ s labor cartoonists , but fine graphic artists as well . Fred Ellis is the foremost cartoonist of America ’ s labor press .
WHY DO THEY FEAR the worker ’ s holiday ? Why , when a hundred days in the year are celebrated , is the one day that the American working class has chosen as its own day hated and maligned ?
Why do they scream that May Day is subversive , a foreign importation , an “ un-American ” plot ?
What are they afraid of ? They have many sweet words about organized labor , but on that one day when organized labor marches through the streets of New York City , the corrupt press , the bosses and the sellout artists scream with rage and fear . Why ?
We have some answers , good answers . Answers which mean life and peace to you , as workers , and to all the millions of good and decent people in our land — people whose
capitalism , now the US imperialism by continuation of its hegemonic designs and capitalist Russia for the control of the markets , raw materials and transport networks of Ukraine , and in their France competition have imposed the Ukraine war , causing unprecedented human disaster and crises . This war has nothing to do with ‘ democracy ’ or ‘ defascisiation ’ as being proclaimed by both the parties . This is a hegemonic imperialist war .
The working-class of all the countries have to oppose this war without any reservations , demanding to end the war at once .
The present day world conditions imposed by the imperialism can be only hope of happiness lies with the working class .
Here are some of them — good reasons why you must march for life , for peace , for freedom on May 1 st .
WE MARCH FOR PEACE on this May Day . Back in Civil War days , the Confederate soldier summed up his position in these words :
“ A poor man ’ s fight and a rich man ’ s war .”
A lot of truth in that . You never saw war profiteers in the infantry . The workers do the fighting and dying ; the bosses grow rich . Only this time , they ’ re playing with atom bombs . Your boss can buy himself an atom-proof shelter in the Sherry Netherlands Hotel . You and your wife and kids are supposed to fry and like it .
More than any other group , the working class suffers from war ; and only the working class , in all its strength , can lead and win the fight for peace .
That ’ s what we march for this May Day , for peace , for a decent world where our kids can look to a future other than death . The whole of the human race looks to the American working class to win its fight for peace .
For a peaceful co-existence with the Soviet Union ! For an end to the Korean war ! For peace , friendship and trade with China !
resisted only by the working-class . The working-class under its leadership , through relentless struggles against imperialism and fascism can defeat and overthrow imperialism and capitalism , fascism to the end .
On this May Day of ever-lasting inspiration to the working-class , the workers and working-class of our country as its task of internationalism , shall pledge to oppose and fight against imperialism and fascism relentlessly !
Workers of All Countries – Unite ! Unite !
You Have Nothing to Loose but the Chains of Bondage !!
Ultimate Victory to the Working Class !! �
Class Struggle