Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-21
DEBS AS A WITNESS
The A. r. u. Leader Before the
Labor Commission.
TELLS THE STORY OF THE STRIKE.

Why 1t Was Responded TO-A Conspir-
acy Between the Railway Managers to
Reduce Wages Generally a Contribu-
tory Cause of the Trouble-An Violence
and Intimidation DiscIaimed.
CHICAGO, Aug. 2l.- George NJ. Pullman
has been asked to appear before the labor
commission to give testimony as to the
difficulty between himself and his en-
ployes. 1t was said that Chairman Wright.
OF the labor commission, had personal
interview on Saturday with Pullman, and
informed him that he would be reouested
to testify. Wright positively refused to
give at this time any information as to
what witnesses the commission might call
before it, Whether Pullman had acceded
TO or declined to comply with the request,
and what course the commission wonld
pursue in the event of Pullman proving
contumacious, would ell appear in proper
o'hle In the proceedings of the commission
1t was said also that requests similar to
that sent to Pdllman were sent to several
o. the general managers
Star Witness the Labor Side
= '. Debs, president of the A r. u,
was the star witness of the day. He said
he was informed early in May, while at
Terre Haute, of the coming troubles Mt
Pullman and as the A. r L. had lust won
the strike on the Great Northern he was
afraid the men were inclined to be rash:
50 he came to Chicago, examined the stu
alton Mt Pullman, and "after my investi-
CATION was satisfied that the employees
We're justified in striking. and / resolved
as president of the American Railway
union to do ali in my power, under the
law and IN justl e, 30 right the wrongs of
those people" He then told over again
the history OF the strike rs others had
told 1t. He called the commissions spe-
cial attention to the fact that all sessions
OF the American Railway Union conven-
tion Were held with open doors, the repre-
sentatives OF the press being present
Comes tc the Pith of His Testimony.
Witness then reached the pith of what
he had TO say. The strikes on the railways
were not due solely to the Pullman
trouble, but the railroad men had
grievances of their own. Before the
Worlds fair there had been rumors of
strikes, but the American Railway Union
and other railroad organization issued or
ders to their members that there must be
no strike or trouble during the Worlds
implication at least, Debs said, to increase
the employees wages after the fair as a
reward for their faithful service during the
heavy business of the exposition. Instead
of this wages We're steadily and SYSTEM
Ezokieallr rsa<ses5e Debs read from q CHI
caCo paper OF May p, 1Sa3, announcing
the original formation of the Managers
association, and commented upon the
language used, claiming that rhe rail-
ways had combined to stop sympathetic
strikes long before the American Hailwav
Union was organized
Fight Against Organized Labor.
1t was also set out in the article read ty
Debs that the General Managers had Or
ganI2ed TO continue in resistance 20 or
Sanized labor, and they promised that
whenever there was strike on one road
the other roads would come to its assist
ance with men. equipment and money.
This was plan, Debs contended, to drive
organized labor out of existence and
showed that this organization was effect
ed TWO months before the American Rail-
way Union was instituted. The railroads
at once began to reduce wages, continued
Debs. The cuts Were not made by whole
sale. Only one road at a time and in only
one department on a line was the reduc-
tion made. II began with reduction of
pay of the section hands of the Louisville
and Nashville system TO a point where
the men could earn only G715 cents day.
Other reductions on other roads followed.
Men Were Ripe for Strike.
The reduction OF pay on the Great North
ern was submitted to n board of arbitra-
tioD consisting of fourteen disinterested
business men OF St. Paul, who decided in
favor OF the men on every point and
restored to them sl42,7 $50 a month wages
which had been taken away from them by
the reduction of President Hill On the
Union Pacific road Judge Caldwell ordered
the pay OF the men restored. and charac-
terized the reduction as an outrage. These
two instances made the men on other
roads think that the reductions of pay to
which they were forced to submit were
unjust. Hence the men were ripe and
anxious to do something when they came
to the convention" said Debs.