The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-07-12
DEBS' STATEMENT.
The Trouble Reviewed From Its Encepts
b.

The Trouble Reviewed From Hts Inception
TO tho Present
CHICAGO, July 6.-Eugene v. Debs,
president of the A. Il. IT,, has issued q
long statement in justification Of the
great strike Of which he is the central
figure. The article is addressed 70 the
public, and reads in part as follows:
THE Pullman employees who struck
on Mny 6 last did SO entirely OF their
own accord. The officers of the A. n.
u. used all their influence TO paci3y
the employees, and advised them re-
peatedly not to strike, but to bear pa:
tiently their grievance until psaces
eble settlement could be effected. To
the truth of this statement the emr
ployes themselves will bear willing
testimony.
"Rut the grievances Of the employees,
men and women, had become so aggra.
waited. so CALLING, that patience desert
ed them, and they abandoned their
employment rather than submit longer
to conditions against which their very
souls rcbelled. The Pullman Co, he It
understood, owns the town Of
Pullman, owns the houses, the homes
Of the employees, controls the light and
wntcr. and other necessaries OF life,
and wages arc so adjusted to living en-
penses that in q large majority of cases
the employees are barely able to support
their families. At the time they struck
the employees were In arrears to the
Pullman Co. $1,000 for rent alone.
Wages had been repeatedly reduced,
but rent and other expenses remained
the same.
THE employees from the beginning
have been willing to arbitrate their
differences with the company, but the
company arrogantly declares that there
is nothing to nrbitrate. If this be true,
why not allow board OF fair and i'm:
partial arbitrators to determine tho
fa'ct? Committee after committee watt
ed upon the officers Of the Pullman Co.,
hit all their ADVANCES were repealed;
:Fipally, on June IS. tho delegatea
pS tho A, h. u, representing a65 local
unions of railway employees. located on
the principal lines OF American rail-
way, discussed tho Pullman trouble Mt
Chicago, and as o last resort the dele
gates determined that unless the Pull.
man Co, would agree to do justice to
their employees within five days the
members Of the order would decline to
haul Pullman cars. This action, he it
remembered, was not taken until the
strike had been ON six weeks.
up to this point the trouble was
confined to the Pullman Co. and its
employees. How, then, did the strike
extend to the railways? Let the an
swer be given in accordance with the
facts. The day before the order of the
delegates declining to haul Pullman
ears went into effect, the Gem
eral Managers association, repre-
senting the principal western rail-
ways, met and passed o series OF
resolutions, declaring, in substance,
that they would uphold the Pullman
Co. In its fight upon the employees;
that they would haul Pullman cars,
and that they would stand their ground
in crushing out the A. Il. U. 1t will
thus be seen that the railway COM
panies virtually joined forces with the
Pullman Co., went into partnership
with them, SO to speak, to reduce and
defeat the hnlf-starved employees.
The American Railway union,
BY whose authority and in whose be.
half this statement is made, stands
ready, and FROM the beginning stood
psady, to do anything in It's power,
provided it is honorable, to end this
trouble. 1t simply insists that the
Pullman Co. shall meets Its employees
and do them justice.
I'VE guarantee that the latter will
accept any reasonable proposition. Let
them agree SO far as they can, and
where they fail To agree let the points
IN dispute be submitted to arbitration.
The question Of the recognition Of the
A. r. u, or any other organization, is
waived. We do not ask, nor have we
ever asked, for recognition as an or
ganization. We care nothing about
that. and. so far as we are concerned,
1t has no part In the controversy. Let
tho officers deal with the employees
without reference TO Organization.
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