The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-03
DEBS' RAILWAY UNION.
Scarcely Six Months Old and Spoil
ing for a Fight.

fess1ons. and 1t Jumped Into a Bat
tie on the Nearest Pretext at It's
First General Meeting.
From the New York Sun.
The strength which the American Rail
way Union has developed in its fight
against the western railroads may have
been dimly suspected by the western rail
way managers. but it is surprise tC
those Of the east. Not only were the
eastern railroad men ignorant of the
power of this organization of railway en-
ployes, but there are few, if any. of them
that have paid any attention to its growth
or who know its history.
The new union is the creation of Eu-
gene V. Debs, its president. Debs is a
young man. who some years ago was a
locomotive fireman. He lives at Terre
Haute, and is the president of publish
ing house in Chicago, which prints labor
literature. He is also editor of the Fire
mans Magazine, the efficient organ of the
Railway Firemen's Brotherhood, and edi-
tor of the Railway Times, the organ of
the new union. He has been promi-
nent in railway labor matters only
about five or six years He has advocated
plOyed in the different branches of rail
road service. He contended that the
brotherhood organizations in which en-
gineers, tremen, tralnmen, conductors
and Others were separately banded to-
gether did not work together for the
common interests of laboring men, but
that each worked only for its own selfish
interests, or that one was played OF
against another. Debs found last year
| INN nv o1l
eral union. 1t will be remember ed that
for months before the opening of the Co.
lum bian Exposition there was talk of a
general railroad strike which should par
alyze the traffic of the whole country
during the existence of the fair.
This was not the result of any specific
complaints on the part Of the employees.
but Of general diSs abstraction in the west
with the conditions of their employment.
Powderly, it will be remembered, let the
whole scheme leak out in the course of
the last strike on the New York Central
in 1890 and that publicity was the death
OF the scheme, although labor men have
been inclined TO attribute its collapse to
the refusal of Chief Arthur of the loco
motive engineers to give such project
his support. His action, however, ag-
gravated a soreness which was manifest
as long as three years ago, when the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
held a convention at Denver Many of
the delegates left that convention almost
in rebellion, because they had not been
able TO get the brotherhood to adopt more
aggressive methods.
Debs lieutenant is G.. w. Howard,
chief of the brotherhood of Railway Con
ductOrS. Howard is vice president of the
new union Debs and Howard began the
organization of the American Railway
Union a year ago They found the west
ern railroad men all stirred up and ready
for an aggressive policy. The American
Federation of Labor held a convention in
the fall, and a set of resolutions favoring
national ownership of railroads and tele-
graphs and other socialistic doctrines,
had been submitted to it. These had
| been referred TO the action of its local
unions to be reported upon at the next
convention. Debs embodied some of these
things in his declaration of principles
Just before the beginning of this year he
| formed the American Railway Union, and
on Jan. l he issued the first number of
the Railway Times from 42l Ashland
| Block, Chicago.
Graveerrors. he said, had been made in
| the previous organization of railroad en-
| plOyes. There are more than O0,000 en-
| ployes, and but $50, 900 were represented
| by the brotherhoodS. The Railway
| Times he said, will seek, under the
guidance of the American Railway Union,
to adjust differences between employers
and employed by means other than the
strike boycott and kindred devices"
A little latter he made an attack upon
Chief Arthur, of the engineers, charging
him with living in palace and being in
collision with the railway managers.
| Through the winter DebS and Howard
Travelled through the west, south and
northwest, and even TO San Francisco,
spreading the new organization They
proposed TO come east also, but We're ad-
vised that the men were not yet ready for
it.
The new union consists of a general
union with local branches. Every man
who is in the employ of railroad, or who
has ever been in such employ, IS eligible
TO mem bership, except such as hold or
have held places as high as yard master,
train master, general agent, and the like
or higher. The initiation feeuis 81, 81 OF
which goes to the support of the general
union.
The local unions may be made up of
memb ers of mixed classes of employees or
all of some one branch of labor. The gen
eral purpose eff the union, as declared in
its constitution, are the protection of
members in all matters relating to wages
and rights; the securing of a right to en-
ployes to be heard in court in proceed
lnGS Tor the settlement OF la Dor troubles
insurance, and the securing by political
action of legislation for safety appliances
for trains Tor regulating hours OF labor,
for regulating payment of wages, and for
other purposes.
Debs says that the union has $50, 900
members. The constitution provides a
quick way of bringing about action on
labor troubles. If the local union cannot
settle the trouble it refers the matter to
the general union, and if the latter's com
mttee do not succeed they refer il to the
board of directors, who are empowered TO
do whatever seems best to them without
more ado.
The general uniun is to hold four meet
ings a year. The first one was held at
Chicago, beginning on the second Tuesday
in June 1t was at this meeting that the
boycott on the Pullman cars was declared.
Labor men say the Pullman matter was
merely preteXt for trial of strength
with the railroads That the union felt
strong there is no doubt. 1t had another
reason than the strength OF its own mem
bership for this belief, and this may ex-
plain why so many men who do not belong
TO the American Railway Union have quit
work TO help it.
On June II there was conference at
ST Louis, at which there were repre-
sented the American Railway Union, the
American Federation of Labor, the
Locomotive Engineers, the Brotherhood
of Railway Trainmen, the Brotherhood
of Railway Conductors, the Brotherhood
of Railway Firemen, the Knights of La