September 2: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY IN 1882, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “The Central Labor Union of New York will have a parade and demonstration on Tuesday next.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1939, the Eagle reported, “From his desk at the Summer City Hall overlooking the World’s Fair, Mayor [Fiorello] LaGuardia told the people of New York City today, in a voice deep with emotion, to enjoy ‘Labor’s annual holiday’ and leave worrying about the foreign situation to him. ‘If there’s any worrying to do, I’ll do it. That’s why you pay me,’ he said. All of the city’s recreational facilities will be open this weekend, he said, and special low admission rates will prevail at the World’s Fair. Fruit and vegetables, he said, are ‘most plentiful,’ according to the commissioner of markets, and there will be ‘no rationing of food’ here. ‘Normal life goes on as usual in this great metropolitan and cosmopolitan city,’ he declared. The mayor assured his listeners on a radio broadcast that ‘life and property’ will be safe and made a plea for help in protecting life and property of ‘nationals of foreign governments’ in accordance with law. Commenting that there were numerous places throughout the city adequate for meetings, he said definitely that ‘gatherings, demonstrations and congregations in front of or adjacent to offices of foreign consults at this time cannot be permitted’ and he added his hope that there would be no ‘provocation’ at meetings discussing foreign affairs. The mayor urged New Yorkers to respect the varying opinions of their neighbors. ‘The battles will be fought on the fields of Europe,’ he pointed out. ‘They cannot be fought or settled on the streets of New York.’”