The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-07
TALK 10 THE PUBLIC.
A Great Crowd on the Statehouse
Steps
LISFEN 10 THE 4. R. U. LEADERS.

III. ,. SlOat. y. W. Lyons. Fred Close,
6. q. Clemens and Frank Forrest
Make Speeches
The fact that over two thousand peo-
pie Of all classes assembled on the hard
stone steps at the north side OF the state
house last night, in response to four
line call in last evenings JOURNAL and
sat there for nearly three solid hours
listening to the A r. Q. orators, would
seem to remove any existing doubt that
the strikers have no sympathizers in
Topeka
President r. ]. Sloat and J. w. Lyons
approached the gathering together and
were greeted with fattering round OF
applause as they assembled the platform
The north steps, expansive as they are,
were filed completely, and many hun
dreds stood up on the ground around the
speakers, taking their places amid yells
from the crowd of keep of the grass
There was large number Of women
present, and IN the edge OF the throng
were several carriages.
President Sloat opened the meeting
with a few remarks, IN which he OK
planned the causes which led up to
the meeting. 1t had been called,
idea of the causes and objects of
the strike. He reviewed the Pullman
strike and showed how the A r U. rail-
road men had taken up the fight IN aid
of their suffering brothers OF the Pull
man shops '.Once again 1 desire it
understood that we do not intend any
violence. We are in this fight to win it,
and we intend 20 win il in a manly way
a. becomes manly aud honorable Amer
lean citizens We expect to merit the
respect Of all law biding man and
women of your city and state, and when
1eor va afh hea in " or
defeat. our conduct will have been such
that you Will regret to see US GO"
The strikers have what they call
mandolin club. though 1t has no mando-
lin in il and they were called forward
and gave very well rendered selection.
1t consists OF the following shop boys:
Bert Nichols, John Esbond, Irving Es
bond and Frank Wilcox.
J. w. Lyons Of EmPoria, who refused
20 accept run as conductor on train
with Pullman coaches. was then an
nounced and made a good speech Mr.
Lyons Characteristic strong feeling
against the road cropped out a { times.
He referred to Pullman as "Duke
George, the monumental monster" and
spoke Of the railroad managers associa-
ton as pumpkin headed and
blear eyed;" he declared that
Debs did not order the boy
colt, the A. R. TT. convention ordered
it and AIr. Debs was simply doing his
duty as its president in seeing that it is
rightly run. Said he, 4tSupposing / am
one Of the Pullman employees. l am in
slough and am drowning. cry for help.
NJ en- representing the engineers, the fire.
men, the brakeman and the conductors
stand near and hearing my cry start to
my rescue, when all at once they b ap-
pen to think Of their organizations and
turning around go home to look at
their constitutions TO see whether
OF not they have right to
save me. This is the situation today
(appIausel The blame for this strike
lies as much with those class Organiza-
tions rs with Pullman or anybody else.
have always been opposed to class
organization, and am more SO today.
1--WE have been very lenient with the
Santa Fe company. We have even been
loaning them money to do business on,
and they owe il to yet. If they had
borrowed it anywhere else they would
be compelled to pay interest on it.
Why shouldn't they pay US interest?
(applause.) The company owes me
wages to the extent of $40, and if there
is just law in the land / am going to
have the legal interest on it for eighty
days at least" loud oh eers.)
A voice from the crowd here demand
ed to know II the company owes all the
men lately discharged at the Santa Fe
shops" And the question was imme-
diately answered by loud cries of Yes,
yes" from different parts OF the crowd
The voice further wanted to know il the
officials OF the road were having any
trouble in getting their pay, aud the
crowd seemed to think they were not
At the close of Mr.. Lyons remarks p
Thomas, the singer, was introduced as
the man who had sung the song, After
the Strike" and been discharged for it
Thomas announced that he would get
even with the railroad by singing the
song with Lewelling in his campaign
tour OF the state and the announcements
pleased the crowd.
Fred Close was in the audience and was
called for. He came to the platform and
spoke for a few moments. "You are
either right or wrong in this matter and
believe you are right The men who
made Pullman the millionaire he
is today are right and he is
wrong. Pullman owned the city of Pull
man and he made up his mind he would
own those men. When he reduced their
wages he somehow forgot to reduce the
rents The result is that his employees