Some union officials advanced May 1 as an alternative date for the holiday. May Day, then as now, was celebrated throughout much of Europe as International Workers’ Day. But Cleveland feared that observing Labor Day on May 1 would encourage Haymarket-style protests and would strengthen socialist and anarchist movements that, though distinct from one another, had rallied to commemorate the Haymarket Affair on International Workers’ Day.
Politico, “Americans celebrate Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2017”
