The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-03
ORION the Minneapolis Tribune.)

VI the minneapolis IrlDune.)
ishatlus Donnelly and Eugene V. Debs
addressed one of the greatest political
meetings of.this campaign in Chicago Sat
urday night. Mr.. Donnelly always draws
crowd, except in Ninninger and st. Faul
-Nlnninger because the crowd isn't there,
and in st. Paul because every man, woman
and child in the SANITY City has heard
him over and over again.
Yes. l am just back from Chi
cago,' he said to THE TRIB-
CNE this morning. Il spoke with
Mr. Debs Saturday evening in Central
Music Hall to one Of the largest crowds
ever saw. The house was literally packed
from floor to dome No charge had been
made for admission, but everybody that
came had a ticket for seat The rush was
SO great that this system adopted to
Il met Mr.. Debs there Tor the first time.
lie is a tall, slim, quet-looxing gentleman
with pleasant smile and clear cut features.
There is something about him that reminds
me of clergyman. He seemed to be a
modest, unassumng man. nothing at all of
the raw head and bloody bones about him.
Ills reception, when he arose to speak, was
something wonderful. 1t lasted fully five
minutes, with cheers and waving Of hand
kerchiefs; the ladies in the audience were
as enthusiastic as the men,
IL was a singular commentary on the
condition of things in this country that
TINS magnificent reception was accorded to
man who was under
ARREST AND PROSECUTION
ana liable to be sent to prison for trying to
lead his fellow working men into better
conditions of life. His sDeach was clear
ana TO the point showing a vein of magin-
aton' combined with great deal Of good
sense. He spoke for three-t quarters of an
hour, and when he concluded the crowd
was shouting Go on 1t was a surprise to
me that while the strike into which Mr.
Debs had led his followers had failed so
dlsastrously and many had lost their places
by It, 1t had not decreased APPARENTLY their
love and admiration for the man. Mr. Debs
Is surrounded by a number of his lieuten-
ants from his organiza ton that are really
very able men. In fact the railroads of the
country nave got to recognize that their
employers are not fools nor are they led
by fools.
me president of the meeting was Patrick
Mlnitef who has been for u wears Dresi-
dent Of the Brickayers' Union Of Chica 90
ana is now candidate for congress in one
OF their districts. One might expect from
ms occupation, to find a rude and uncuI-
tufed man; on the contrary. his speech
proved him to be man of considerable
brain power with scholarship and forcibIe
eloquence. 1t seems to me tat the great
part OF our social troubles comes from the
TACT that the employing class underrate
the Intelligence and mental capacity of the
working people. The old feudal relations
or master and servant
TAINTS THEIR CONCEPTION.
OF things; they forget that this is not
Europe nor the Seventeenth century The
man VINO hires and the man who is hired
both belong to the same race deyeloned
under the same institutions and educated
IN the same schools. And it oftentimes
happens that the employee is an ADLER and
better informed man than the one who paws
MIN his wage. If there were less despot-
ism on the part of the upper classes to
make menials of their employees, and beat
them down into European subsection and
obedience, it would be better for all hands
and for the country
What about your own speech?"
well. l talked to them for about an
hour and half and they listened to me-
The gist of my argument was the silver
question and an explanation of the prnci-
pies of the Peoples party 1 told them
that the Peoples party was not party of
destruction, but of construction; that they
were not cranks, but statesmen. l pointed
out the fact that the Democratic party
had already stolen one of our great prnci-
Piles, the income tax and that the Repub-
lican party of the grand old state of Penn
sylvania Hid SO far followed in our foot
steps as to demand $40 per capita of cir
culation where we had demanded $50. 1
told them we were not anarchists, and
that if we obtained power did not pro-
pose to strip the well-to-do of their prop
erty but to try and lift up the toiling
masses of the country to the same level of
happiness. l alluded to the fact that it
was claimed that in Chicago there were
100000 working people out of employment;
that in the stockyards district the unem-
ployed were actually trying to break into
the workshop by force to get work, and
were driven out by the clubs of the police
men,
HOW THEY'D ALL BE HAPPY
Il asked them how much better and hap
pier all classes in Chicago would be-mer-
chants and bankers and everyone else-if
all these men had work and everyone had
500 in his pocket. and l gave them my
reasons for believing that the demone TIA
ton of silver and the consequent reduc-
ton of the worlds supply of the currency
had increased the purchasing power of gold
80 per cent and had correspondingly broken
down the value of every other form Of
property, real and personal, in the world. 1
reminded that that these terrible conditions
under which per cent of the people of the
United States own Il per cent of the entire
wealth of the country, according to the
census of 1890. had arisen in the last 30
years, and [ asked them what would be the
result if events moved forward in the same
direction for another 30 years. l claimed
tHdl IL WOulu De Impossible 1Or mdHklIu "
stand the pressure of such progression
and the remedy must speedily be found by
the ballot box or it would come by brutal
and destructive revolution. The People S
Party were trying to accomplish reform by
the ballot box, and that they were the real
friends Of peace and order and good gov
eminent.
Il was glad to see in the audience that
large part of them belonged to the middle
class, some, perhaps to the wealthy class.
Our movement has grown to such proper
lions that they were curious to know what
we had to say for ourselves. If l can be-
lieve what l am told by our leaders in Chi
cago, the Peoples Party is going to carry
that city. The crowd so great Satur-
day night that it not only filled every seat
in Central Music Hail. but the overflow
filled two of the largest halls in the city.
Mr.. Debs, after speaking in the Music Hall,
was then taken to the other audiences Our
men were most enthusiastic; it is, indeed, a
revolution.
STRONG EVERYWHERE.
"They told me of one ward with Z,5o
voters where 800 already enrolled IN
the Peoples Party clubs. l say. in all
seriousness. to THE TRIBUNES readers
that they must not regard us as anarchists
or incendiaries or unreasonable lunatcs. 1t
would be pitiful thing to this country II
we were such, for are becoming TOO
numerous to be trif1ed with we must De
taken into account great force, pro-
ceeding by reasonable methods to the re-
form of abuses which all men admit exist,
Instead of mocking and Jeering az US and
hating us it would be much wiser to meet
us upon common ground and ascertain how
far the employing class can travel side by
side with the employed, and how far we
can co-operate to bring about that pros
perity and progress which is essential to