The morning call., 1894-08-26
RATHER LATE IN THE DAY.
Candid Testimony Before the
Commission.
DEBS is AGAIN CALLED UPON.
Labor Leaders Explain Why a Gen.
eraI Strike Was Regarded
as Impracticable.

CHICAGO, Aug. 25.-President Debs was
called again to-day by the Strike Commits
sion. ln reply 10 questions he stated he
did not favor compulsory arbitration in
the settlement of labor ttoubIes. He did
not believe such a method would prove
universally satisfactory. Debs said before
the strike there mad been trouble among
the telegrapherS. The statement that
there were not more than 200 A. r. U.
men on the Rock Island witness said was
absurd.
Samuel Gompers, president of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, was the next
witness. He prefaced his testimony with
an outline Of the aims and principles of
the federation ana figures showing its
membership. He reviewed the proceed
lngs of the conference. President Cleve-
land, he said, paid not the slightest at
tention TO a message asking his aid in the
settlement of the strike.
Gompers told of the conference of the
heads of labor organizations in Chicago.
He said that after long elaboration the
delegates decided TO request President
Cleveland TO attempt TO settle the strike.
1--WE thought" GOmpers said. that If
Mr.. Gladstone could do so much good
service IN the English coal strike such an
attempt would not be beneath the dignity
of the President of the United States. Ac-
cordingly a telegram was sent to Mr..
Cleveland asking his aid. To that mes
sage he did not deign to reply. In fact he
took not the slightest notice of IT,.
Mr.. Debs was then called upon and gave
history Of the boycott, the Pullman
trouble and the railroad strike. He said I:
I'VE considered the matter carefully and
finally decided that we could not order a
general Striks; that it would be a usurpa-
ton of power and would for many reasons
be unwise. The delegates expressed their
sympathy with the movement and we soon
afterward adjourned.
Gompers then read from the secre tary's
report detailed statement of the proceed
ings OF the con ference. Gompers implied
that TO effect general strike all unions
participating must all agree on the action
and said that il would have been impos-
sible for the conference to have declared a
general sympathetic strike. He was asked
for his opinion as to the methods for pre-
venting strikes.
Il do not condemn strikes as heartily as
do so some men," he said. III believe that
so long as present conditions exist they are
necessary and believe that all strikes do
good in calling attention to the fact thai
laboring men Will not be driven further
down into poverty. think the action of
strikers in paralyzing the railroads of the
country was justiiable."
The witness was rather frankly uncom.
plimentary regarding the Strike Commits
sion. 81 think this thing is rather late in
the day." he said. This examination by
the commissioners is rather in the nature
of an inquest on a dead body. 1 don't an
ticipate great good from the present inves-
tigation."
The witness had something he wanted
TO say about injun ctiOns issued by the
court. He held these injunctions were not
rightly based on the interstate commerce
law; that that law was not intended to
apply 10 labor organizations. He said the
iDjunctiOns were based upon court-made
laws. upon decisions given in the absence
Of law. When Mr. Gompers finished the
commission adjourned until tomorrow.
An error crept into last nights report of
the proceedings before the commission
investigating the Pullman strike. The
statement was made that Mr.. St. John.
general manager of the Rock Island. testi-
fed that list of names had been prepared
for the General Managers Association
containing the names OF the most active
strikers. Mr.. st. John made no such
statement, but testified that neither the
Rock Island nor the General Managers
Association had ever kept a blacklist or
that they had such at the present time.