Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-21

it a D inausp.cious time to strike.
 1T would like to state,p said Debs,
 ''that the railway companies have never
 r1ised wages on their own accord; Every
 iacrease in wages has been wrung from
 them by organized labor.p
 1T had no voice in ordering this strike
 myself, p said the witness. .But if had
 had voice in it would have ordered it.
 1 have no desire to shrk any responsibil-
 ity. My record will show also that have
 always counseled against violence. The
 telegram attributed to me which read,
 Save your money and buy gun, though
 sent over my signature, never saw. It
 was sent by our stenographer to his supe-
 rior in Montana, and was not intended to
 be literally understood. It was merely
 playful expression current in Montana"
 The witness claimed that the men would
 have won the strike had not the courts in-
 terfered.
 ''lt was not the soldiers, 2" he said, tor
 the old labor organizations, but the federal
 courts that kept us from winning. By tue
 arrest of leaders the ranks of the strikers
 were demoraliZed. '
 He charged General Miles with being in
 league with the railroad managers to sup
 press the strike, and related instances
 where, as he alleged, men were made to
 work at the point of the bayonet. The re- fusat of the general managers to accept the American Railway union's proposition to end the strike was then reeited. MT. Debs denied that the American Railway union had any antipathy for the old organiza- tions.
 "Within the next three days,' said the witness, tive were willing to take steps to unite all labor organizations. We are will ing to give up our positions-and sacrifice the American Railway union to accomplish this result, and agreed not to accept an official position at the head of the new or- ganization.'
 When the committee took its noon re-
 cess Debs was still on the stand. At 80 o'clock Debs resumed the stand. He testified that from the beginning of the strike the American Railway union and the strike leaders had been badly treated by the Chicago press. In interviews they had been misrepresented. Debs said that if
 there had been revolution it would have
 been directly chargeable to the press of
 Chicago rather than to the American Rail- way union.
 ssDo you charge the general managers
 with being responsible for the strikef' asked Commissioner Wright. "Well, could hardly go 80 far as that. 1 believe, However, that they had much to do with keeping it up."
 ''How would you gain the demands of laborers on quasi-pubiic corporations7' asked Judge Worthington. SThere are two ways. One Is the way edopted by the old brotherhoods, that is, getting a schedule of wages gradually from the companies. There has been little good in this mode of procedure. It takes strike to win sometimes, but don't believe the railroad employees of this country could win strike today if they were all organized in one brotherhood because the courts are against labor. l can show in twenty years of writing that have always been opposed 10 strikes, butt think there are times when they are justifiable, no matter how much the public is discom- mcded. -
 Debs said he did not think the general managers were always to be blamed in re- l. from higher source. He believed the American Railway union could never be | crushed, and the spirit of organization l among laboring men would always be strong. He predicted that more serious | troubles would occur than ever before. "Now,'' continued Debs, 'you have
 asked me how I would avert railroad l strikes. I believe the govern meut owner l ship of railroads would be far better than | the railroad ownership of the government. l do not believe any lasting good can come | from arbitration, and do not think the | government supervision of railroads would l answer the purpose. In such a case es that
 of the Pullman company l believe
 bens arOtaat9n stats oourt wGoid mgbe l be of some good for ordinary labor trou- | bles. I would in such a case have trial of l the differences by jury. l am in favor of | some system, however, that will result in
 mutual good feeling. and neither strikes
 
 l anything but ill feeling. am in favor of | licensing railroad employees. | Debs was cross-examined by Commis- | sioner Kernan, who sought to bring out l the point that state board of arbitration | would be of benefit in adjusting labor l troubles.
 Debs admitted that it would be of.tem- l porary benefit, but advocated, above all l things, the government ownership of rail- l roads, notwithstanding that Kernan l pointed out such state of affairs would ba 1 impracticable.
 .il believe in abolishing the wage sys- l tenn. believe in cooperation of wealth.' | "ln other words you believe in state so-
 .ciaism?" said Mir. Wright.
 | "Well, yes in the essential points of 1 state socialism. The wage system is noth l ing more than slavery'.
 | Mir. Morrissey, secretary of the order of l tranmen, told of the conference of labor 1 leaders at the Briggs house and he was fol- l lowed by Grand Chief Clark of the order | of conductors. He favored licensing rail- Eroad employees, while Morrissey opposed l the idea.
 | George M. Pullman has been asked to 1 appear before the labor committee to give l testimony as to the difficulty between him. | self and his employees. It was said today
 that MT. Wright had personal interview | on Saturday with MT. Pullman, and in- 1 formed him that he would be requested to | testify. Whether Pullman has acceded to or declined to comply with the request, l and what course the committee would pur- I sue in the event of Pullman proving con- I tumacious, would all appear in proper time l in the proceedings of the committee, Mir. | Wright said. It was said that some of the general managers had also been summoned.