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By Mike Zetteler
Freeman
Staff
HUNDREDS
of students and other Vietnam moratorium participants
gathered to watch anti-militaristic sketches, applaud
short speeches calling for an end to the war, and sing
songs of protest in the University of
Wisconsin-Waukesha cafeteria at noon Wednesday.
The
enthusiasm of this "Theater of Peace" was
followed by a long, purposely silent march in the
chilly, gray weather as the participants took their
convictions to the streets of business-as-usual
Waukesha.
They
began marching at 2:20 p.m.
After
linking up with a contingent from Mount St. Paul and
Carroll colleges, the marchers staged a rally -- about
1,000 strong -- at Cutler Park.
At
the head of the procession as it left UWW were a boy
and a girl carrying American flags and three young men
men holding aloft a large red-on-white banner with a
quote: "But the time has come to end this
war." --President Nixon, Sept. 16, 1969.
About
250 marchers, four abreast, were joined by others along
the way and were swelled to 400, by police estimates,
at Mount St. Paul.
In
observance of the command of marshals to
"remember, silence and non-violence," the
scrape of shoes on the pavement and the squeak of baby
strollers were practically the only sounds as police
halted traffic to let the marchers cross the
intersection.
Police
Inspector Howard Tarnish reported no incidents along
the route, which ended at Cutler Park after hundreds
more joined in following the events at Carroll College.
Still trying to keep the four-abreast pattern, their
ranks stretched for several blocks as they headed down
East Ave. towards the park. »
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A
small green car carried two crippled veterans who couldn't
march.
The
respectful ceremonies in the darkening, wintry
afternoon at the small park saw over a thousand persons
dedicate a minute of silence to the Vietnam war dead.
Then came angry speeches.
The
names of Waukesha county's victims of the war were read
by Mrs. Mary Stowasser, 1925 Buffalo St., beginning
with William R. Glueckstein, of Brookfield, and ending
with Larry R. Schmidt, of Oconomowoc.
"The
last three names on the list have just been penciled
in," Mrs. Stowasser said. The first was killed
Jan. 28, 1966.
"This
kind of inhumanity ought to be opposed with every
non-violent means available," said UWW physics
Prof. Victor Wrigley. "And I consider myself a
true American," he added.
The
events at the park began with singing and hand-clapping
led by guitarist Ed Johnson of Mount St. Paul as the
marchers gathered in a semi-circle facing the library
where the banner was draped.
Speakers,
including an unscheduled appearance of Milwaukee Black
Panther Party member Loretta X, were introduced by one
of the organizers, Bob Daby, of Mount St. Paul.
In
line with the intent of the day's activities "to
enlist entire communities in support of the cause of
peace," the speakers represented different
segments of the community, Daby said.
"What
do we have to do?" asked Gary Buerstatt, of the
Carroll College student senate. "We've given
speeches, we've marched, we've sent telegrams." »
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No
one had the answer on how to force the nation's leaders to
recognize that "57 per cent of the people, by the
latest Gallup poll, favored withdrawal from Vietnam by
1970," according to speaker Thomas Miglautsch.
An
advertising executive and former Waukesha county
Democratic Party chairman, Miglautsch proposed economic
and land reform in Vietnam as an alternative to war.
"Where
there is no poverty, no oppression, there is no
communism," he said.
"They
say we would lose face if we pulled out," said the
Rev. James Dick, of the First Baptist church. "Why
are we not ashamed of losing face for prosecuting a war
of which the whole world disapproves?"
Several
of the speakers stressed that the war was fought for
the economic exploitation of Asia by America, which
"already controls 20-30 per cent of the world's
wealth."
"How
much more do we want?" asked Miglautsch.
Several
times loud applause erupted as speakers touched on the
theme formulated by Mr. Dick: "How long, Mr.
President, how long?"
In
the late afternoon a large number of pupils out of
school for the day joined the crowd, which listened
patiently to the speakers despite the impulse to move
across the street for free coffee and doughnuts at the
First Baptist church.
Although
the bulk of the participants throughout the day were
college students and faculty, more than a sprinkling of
older persons joined in. Parents carried bundled-up
babies. »
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Anti-war
armbands and buttons, from "Milwaukee 14" to
"Work for Peace," were everywhere.
"A
lot of people been rappin' some pretty good things here
today," said Black Panther Loretta X. "People
are being jailed and killed in the streets by the same
system that's killin' them over there.
"And
that's what we're trying to stop. A lot of people think
we're a gun-totin' group, but if we were we wouldn't be
here freezin'."
She
concluded with an appeal for donations for the Black
Panthers, and led the crowd in a shout of "All
power to the people!"
"We
have silently allowed militarism to develop to the
point where it is questionable whether Congress or the
President is morally strong enough to challenge its
will," said Mount St. Paul English Department
Chairman William Slavick, the last of the speakers.
"The
young see now just how extensive and deep is the
corruption of this country."
Despite
the cold, the group stayed together through the
speeches to end, as they had begun, with a song:
"Where
have all the young men gone? Gone to graveyards every
one . . .
When
will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?"
Then
they headed eagerly for the coffee and doughnuts
donated by the First Baptist church Men's Club as
business-as-usual Waukesha headed for home on the
streets all around them.
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