Politics of Barre
During the early 20th Century, Barre, Vermont was a political anomaly. Labor Unions were a very big part of Barre society, with almost every profession and type of job having its own union. In fact, roughly 90% of Barre residents were unionized during this time. Large industries like the granite workers belonged to national or international unions, such as the Quarry Workers International Union of North America. However, even small industries, like store clerks, were unionized in Barre.
Due to this level of unionization, strikes did often occur in Barre. One such notable strike was the granite labor strike of 1915. During the strike, granite workers demanded better working conditions to help prevent carvers from developing silicosis and other such occupational diseases. Eventually the quarry owners agreed to the workers demands and improved the ventilation in the granite sheds.
A contributing factor to Barre’s high unionization lies with the fact that Barre was also a town with strong socialist leanings. Many notable socialist and anarchist figures such as Luigi Galleani and Emma Goldman, made trips to visit Barre. Goldman even wrote a bit about her time in Barre in her autobiography. In 1916, Barre elected Robert Gordon to be its first socialist mayor. Additionally, the socialist party of Barre built the Socialist Labor Hall, a building initially used for socialist events that eventually became a space for community events like dances and fundraisers.
However, Barre was also home to a population of anarchists who, despite having similar political ideologies, clashed with the socialists. Anarchists believed in direct and immediate action, while socialists preferred to focus on civil change through law and government process. The socialists began trying to distance themselves from the anarchists following the assassination of President William Mckinley in 1901. As political tensions between the two groups began to rise, it became clear that it was only a matter of time before violence erupted in Barre. That incident occurred in 1903 when a fight broke out between socialists and anarchists at the Labor Hall. The fight ended when Allesandro Garetto fired two shots, missing one person and fatally wounding stone carver Elia Corti with the other. Garetto was arrested and later convicted of manslaughter.