St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-22
IN One GREAT ORDER,
The Details Of the Organiza-
tion Of the American Rail-
way Union.
Eugene V. Debs Outlines the
Plan of the Proposed New
Order.
Among the Chief Features
will Be a Great Daily
Newspaper.
The End Sought Is to Bring
All Railpoadeps Into a
Common Fold.

New YORK, May 21. = Eugene v
Debs, of Terre Haute, Ind, has been in
New York several days, consulting
friends and old-time associates concern
ing the details of the organization oi
the American Railway union, new
labor order. Mr.. Debs was secretary
and treasurer of the Brotherhood o1
Locomotive Firemen for dozen years,
but, though unanimously reelected last
fall, resigned.
In an interview, Mr.. Debs said that,
although there are in the United States
from 5000 to 100000 railroad en-
ployes, not more than 10000 employees
are members of organizations. Mr..
Debs gave as the reasons for the small
memberships in the various orders now
in existence that their machinery was
too cumbersome and altogether too eX-
pensive. There was also, he said, too
much one-man power in the present
organizations. Mr.. Debs added that it
was proposed to gather all branches Of
railroad employees into
The New Order.
and that the expenses would be reduced
to the minimum. There would be 70
initiation fee and as few officers as pos
sible. The organization will not be a
''secret oath-bound society,"" but each
member will be bound by his simple
word. Continuing, Mr.. Debs said:
1--WE shall reduce expenses by con
solidation in the matter of halls or
meeting places. There is no reason
why in any city where there is mum
Der of railroad organizations each should
have hall of its own.
1--WE shall aim to have q meeting
place in each city where all organiza-
tions may meet. In big city like New
York or Chicago we can better afford to
own building in which there may be
two or three or more halls, if necessary,
so that as many organizations as need
be may meet at the same time. Those,
of course, need not take up the entire
building, and, if they do not, we can
rent the unoccupied part at such terms
as will give US something Of an income.
We shall establish
A Daily Newspaper
IN the interests of railroad employees .,
and also a monthly magazine. Our
daily newspaper Wilr be published in
Chicago. The capital is ready in plenty,
and the plans are about completed. 1t
will not be large newspaper, but it
will be large enough TO contain not only
railroad world in particular, but all the
essential telegraphic news Of tine day as
we'll. We shall furnish this paper at
the cost of publication. our object in
publishing it not being profit in any
sense, except to the men who support it,
and we believe they will profit by the
possession of such newspaper.
We shall not run especially to
editorials, but shall make news our
chief feature, though. of course. we
shall discuss questions of general inter-
est. The magazine will be run on the
same lines, as far as price is concerned,
as the daily, but it will necessarily not
be so much medium for the distribu-
tion of news. The newspaper will
Sell for a Cent,
and the magazine will be put out at the
lowest possible figure. Another feature
of the educational department will be
the monthly meetings, which will. to
large extent il not altOg ether, take tue
place of the ordinary weekly lodge
meetings. To these meetings all mem
berS of the order in the town where
they are held will be invited, and they
will be addressed by the heads of the
districts on such subjects as are of vital
interest to workingmen. We believe
that these means will stimulate the
thought of the railroad men greatly.
ga meeting tor the perfection of the
American Railway unions organization
will be held in Chicago on June 20, and
the plans. so far as they have been de-
cided upon. may De roughly outlined as
follows: The entire country will be
divided into districts, of which there
will be twelve. From Chicago twelve
organizers, one from each district, will
be sent out, and they will go from cen
ter to center, organizing first distric3
headquarters or capitals. and. after this
is done. headquarters for subdivisions.
The boundaries of the divisions have
not yet been fixed. The subdivisions
Will be subordinate, of course, to the
district capitals, and each subordinate
organization will be
Entitled to Delegates
n proportion to its membership, say one
to every two hundred. There will be
10 yearly state conventions. nor grand
conventions-these cost from $50, 900 to
100000 thousand eaeh,-but there will
be quadrennial convention of the en-
tire order, and sixty days before the