Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-21
Testifes Before the National
 Labor Commission.
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
Of Railroads, He Says. Is Bet
 ter Than Railroad Ownership of the Government.

CHICAGO, Aug. 20.-Presdent E. w.. Debs, of the American Railway union, occupied the stand for nearly four hours today before the national strike commits sion. He advocated a cooperative com- monwealth, the abolstion of wage system and the government ownership of rail- roads. He told his side of the strike us connected narrative, which was frequently interrupted by applause from the laboring element present.
 T. H. Morrissy, first vice grand master of the Order of Railway Trainmen and grand chief clerk of the Order of Railway Conductors, also testified.
 Debs was the first to take the stand at the opening of the days session. He said. !. in answer to question, that he was 3S years old and in addition to being at the head of the American Railway union, was editor of the Locomotive Firenen's Nigga zine. He testified that from the beginning be was opposed to strike and so told Vice. President Howard. He then continued:
 "Itwice went to George M Pullman and to the town of Pullman to thoroughly in- vestigate the conditions existing at the car shops. l found the employees were not only not getting wagesenougn to live, but were daily getting deeper into the debt of the Pullman com pany. No matter how offensive the condi- submit to them. When found out all these things, immediately determined that the American Railway union should go to the assistance of these unfortunate people. We believe that any fair board of arbitration would have decided in favor of the employees, and all we asked was arbi- tration. This the Pullman company arbi- trarily refused. Not only this, but when we asked them to examine into the qnes- tion to see whether or not there was any fhipO In arhifrate thaV also retIlgad this.
 ''Very much has been said about an al legged conspiracy against the railroads and against hauling the mails. want to call the attention of this commission to the fact that every meeting of the American Rail way union was held with open doors, ana that representatives of the press were al- lowed to be present. If there had been any conspiracy contemplated, we certainly would have been more secret about it.'
 Debs then told of several failures of the American Railway union to secure aroltra- ticn from the Pullman company and the sut sequent inauguration of the strike.
 'Not only did the employees of the vari- ous roads strike because of the injustice be- ing done to the Pullman employees, but because the various roads had grievances of their own, which l shall proceed in time to show. We used our infu- ence to prevent strikes during the Worlds fair, as we did not believe 1t just to the public to inaugurate strike at such II blIDGs It WAS dil ludb COuid OC dOhO Oy the leaders of the labor unions to prevent a Throughout t Re fair, the railway managers on many or be roads promised an increase of wages sfter the fair was over. immediately inslsa s after the the ! fair closed ed systematic reduction of wages throughout the country. No two com panies reduced wages at the same time. This to me was a very significant action . It shows me that thore was q concert of &C., tion among the various roads, and that they did not wish to arouse the antagonism of too many railroad employees at the same time.'
 MT. Debs said, moreover, that no rail- road reduced the wages of all it's men at the same time, but reduced them in sec- tions. He declared the American Railway union viewed these reductions with the greatest apprehension.
 ''1he organization felt that they had come to a decisive time,' he continued. "When the American Railway union met in convention at Chicago on June 21, was confronted by these conditions as we'll as the state of affairs at Pulman.'
 'Was this convention called to consider the reduction of wages or the Pullman matter?" asked Commissioner Wright.
 ''The convention was called for no spe- cific purpose. It was the regular quadren- nial convention, provided for by the com stitution.''
 The witness then enumerated the failures of the old labor organizations to gain re- dress for the grievances of the employes and asserted they felt their only hope lay in the American Railway union, to which they finally turned for help.
 When asked what the outcome of the convention which declared the boycott against Pullman cars would have been had it not been for the grievances of Pullman employees, Debs said there would have been no strike but for the Pullman trouble, as the American Railway union, owing 10 the