The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-22
Which the Trouble at Pull
man Brought On.
ALWAYS AGAINST VIOLENCE
Criticises Gen. Miles and One OF
His Orders.
Pullman Notified to Appear as
a Witness.
Governor AItgeId'S Curt Reply 20
Vice-PreSident Wickes-Tbe Latter

Reported To lie Highly Indignant
CHICAGO. Aug. 2o-By far the larg-
est audience which as Yet been i'm at
tendance upon the strike commission ses-
sion was present today, attracted by The
appearance. as a witness. of President +.
Y. Debs Of the American railway union
The court room was crowded from the
bench to the doorways when President
Debs took the witness chair.
Now. tell us in your own way. Mr..
Debs." said Commissioner Wright. what
YOU know Of the Pullman strike and its
results
Leaning forward i'm his seat. the tall
leader of the great strike began in low.
clear voice a recital. which gradually be-
came more earnest and forcible rs he
proceeded. until it developed into almost
IN oration. lie told of having received
word that a strike i'm Pullman was inn
minent. and of his coming To Chicago 70
investigate. Il found" he said, that
he men We're working at wages upon
which they could not live / found that
'alaries had been cut time and again.
lntil skilled mechanics were working
heir lives away for wages not sufficient
or a common laborer; that the town
If Pullman. with its shops. its houses
md fts stores, was 50 schemed that every
penny made by the workmen eound its
vay into the eompany's Golfers: in fact,
found the svorkmen Of Pullman in Il
Pitiable condition, and determined 20 do
all i'm may power. as president Of tlse
American railway union. t. improve their
condition. The strike followed ordered
BY the men themselves. Then came the
boycott. ordered by duiy-elected dele
gates 10 the convention. and then fol-
owed the railroad strike ordered by the
various local unions each of which had
grievances of lis own.
Pullman strike the CauSc.
Arr Dens tfien told of the strike. his
account differing but little from that of
other \ r T.. officials who had pre-
ceded him on the witness stand.
Would the railroad strikes have oc-
CURED II there had been no Pullman
trouble?' asked Commissioner Wright
No, the Pullman strike was the
prime cause We desired TO stop Pull
mans cars and shut off his income. thus
forcing him to arbitration But the rail-
road men had grievances of their own.
The general managers had organized
with the avowed intention % giving as
sistance 10 railroads in labor troubles.
The evident aim was 10 drive organized
labor from existence. No sooner had
this association formed than a system
attic reduction of railroad wages all
over the country began.
THE cuts were made on one road at a
time. and in one department at a time.
but the systematic regularity with which
they appeared was sufficiently signif-
can't. The men We're ready to strike and
felt they had cause. But the trouble
would not have come when it did had it
not been for the Pullman matter. The
time was unpropiuous business de-
pressed and money was scarce. did not
order the strike. ! had not the power.
The men did that themselves. But 1 do
not wish to shirk any responsibility and
am willing TO say that l heartily con-
CURED In and approved of the action
taken by the men. As To violence. l al
ways condemned il. I have written and
spoken against it, believing and knowing
that a strike can not be won by violence.
AS to kilograms sent from our office
counseling violence. L know nothing of
any such epistles."
What about the buy a gun tele-
gram?' asked Commissioner herman
THAT IS easily explained" said Mr..
Debs. The telegram was sent by pri-
vate secretary TO a friend in Butte, and
was merely Il playful expression. Ii was
sent as such and was so understood -
Mr.. Bebs then said that within five
days after the strike was declared the
union had the railroads beaten. They
We're paralyZed.' he said. but Just at
that time inJuctions were sown broad
cast, and shortly afterward the officials
of ha n T. were 8 rrpefa1 foy. con,
tempt of court. That beat US 1t was
not the railroads or the army. but the
power of the United States courts that
beat US. About that time thing occur
red which / desire to mention. Gen
Miles came to Chicago. called on the
General Managers association and the
next day was quoted in an interview as
saying that he had broken the backbone
Of the strike. Now 1 consider that call
OF Cen Miles as vulgularly out of place.
He had. not more right to consult with
the General Managers association than
he had TO consult with the men of our
union. | might say that II seems strange
that all Of our letters and kilograms
were made public property while not a
line Of the railroads correspondence was
published. If it had been I think we
could prove that the general managers.
at one Of their secret meetings. declared
they would stamp the A K. U. out of
existence"
Tried 10 Prevent Disorder.
In reply to a question Mr.. Debs said
that the union had taken every possi-
bic means to prevent rioting and dis
order. We objected TO the presence Of
the federal troops. but not TO state
troops and police. If remember rightly,
no serious outbreak occurred until the
federal troops arrived, as their presence
lnfiamed the men,"
The witness then told Of the trouble
with the railroad brotherhoods The
brothernoods have outlived their useful
ness" ne said, and for that reason 1
left the firemen's organization They
were, I fear. jealous Of the A r. u and
helped TO defeat us. There is now a
movement on foot to form a grand and
united railroad labor organization. With
in three days a proposition will be sub
mitted to the other railroad orders
whereby all present officers of the A r.
l. and other unions shall resign, with
no possibility Of election to office. The
principal cause of strife thus being re-