Lunar Obverse

pdxtales:

“Socialists To Be Peaceful May Day”, May 1st, 1910. In which local left-wing groups moved the annual May Day to 7th (now Broadway) & Market St. after being denied the use of their first choice, Chapman Square. Chapman Square is currently home to the #OccupyPortland encampment, and right now they’re trying to work out how to coexist with Sunday’s scheduled Portland Marathon.

The 1910 turf battle was somewhat different; in 1910 the two Plaza Blocks were segregated by gender: Chapman Square was designated for women and children only, no exceptions, while Lownsdale Square (the one with all the war memorials) was reserved for the menfolk. One vestige of this system survives to the present day in the locations of the mens and womens restrooms in the two parks.

The article begins:

The crowds which will probably assemble at the Plaza blocks this afternoon to witness a battle royal between the police and the Socialists are in for a great disappointment. Instead of being “innocent bystanders” in the casualty list of a general riot, they will, if the plans of the revolutionists work out, be benevolently assimilated and towed in the rear of the procession to Seventh and Market streets, where Socialist oratory will be flung to the four winds throughout the afternoon. Thus all probability of serious disturbance in Portland on this international annual festival day of unrest is removed.

Some days ago representatives of the Socialist body waited upon Park Superintendent Mische and first requested and then demanded the use of Chapman Square, the park block reserved for women and children, for the May day meeting. Upon being informed that such use of the block could not be allowed, they announced that they would be there anyway, and a very strained situation seemed to be at hand. More mature reflection, however, brought a modification of the demands of the agitators and conferences with Mayor Simon and Chief of Police Cox have resulted in an amicable settlement of the difficulty.

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