The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-08-23

Leader OF the Recent Railway Strike
Gives His Version OF That Great
Event-says II Was Caused by
the Pullman strike.
Chicago, Aug. 21.-By far the largest
audience which has yet been I'm attend
ance upon the strike commissions ses-
sions was present to-day, attracted by
the appearance as witness of Presi-
dent IL. v. Debs, Of the A. X. u. The
court room where the commissioners
sit was crowded from the bench TO the
doorways. President Debs took the
witness chair.
Now, tell us In your own way, Mr..
Debs," said Commissioner Wright,
what you know Of the Pullman strike
and its results"
Leaning forward in his scat the tall
leader of the great strike began in
low, clear voice, recital, which grad.
ually became more earnest and forcible
as he proceeded, until 1t developed into
almost an oration. He told of having
received word that strike in Pullman
was imminent and of his coming tc
Chicago to investigate
Il found" he said, that the men
were working for the Pullman company
Mt wages upon which they could not
live. 1 found that salaries had been
cut time and again until skilled me-
chanics were working their lives away
for wages no sufficient for day labor
or. That the town of Pullman with It's
shops, lis houses and its stores was SO
schemcd that every penny the working.
man made found its way back into tho
cCnpanv's Golfers. In fact found tho
workingmen Of Pullman In a pitiabln
condition and determined would do
all in my power as president Of the A.
Il. U. to mpr0ve the condition Of these
men, The strike followed, ordered b.
the mon themselves. Then came thu
boycott, ordered by the duly elected
delegates to our convention and the,
followed the railroad strikes, ordere
by the various local unions, each oil
which had grievances Of its own"
Mr.. Debs then told of the strike, hia
account differing but little from thai
Of the other A. r. u. officials who had
preceded him ON the witness stand.
Would the railroad strikes occurred
if there had been no Pullman troubleT'
asked Commissioner Wright
mo, the Pullman strike was tho
prime cause. We decided to stop Pull
mans cars and shut off his income
thus forcing him to arbitrate. But tho
railroad men had grievances Of their
own. The general managers associa
ton had been organized with the
avowed intention Of giving assistance
to the railroads in labor troubles. The
evident aim was to drive organized la
DOR rrnn, existence. No sooner had this
association been formed than systemat-
j.: reductiC rs of railroad wages all over
the country began. The cuts were made
on one road at q time and in one de-
partment at a time, but the systematic
regularity with which they appeared
was sufficiently significant. The men
were ready to strike, and felt they had
cause. Bur the trouble would not have
come wher it did had it not been for
the Pullman matter. The time was un-
propitious, BUSH css was depressed ana
Honey was scarce. did not order the
strike. l bad not the. power; the men
did it themselves. But l do not wish
to shrink any responsibility, and am
Willing to say that heartily commend.
ed, conclrrred in and approved of the
action taken by the men. AS to vio-
lence, l always condemned it. l have
written and spoken against it, believ-
ing and knowing that a strike cannot
be won by violence. AS to telegrams
sent from cur office counselling viO-
lence, | know of no such epistles.
What about the 'buy-a-gun' tela-
gram," asked Commissioner Herman.
That is easily explained. The tele-
gram was sent by a private secretary
to friend in Butte, and was merely
playful expression. 1t was sent as such
and was So understood"
Mr.. Debs then said that within five
days after the strike was declared the
union had the railroads beaten.
''They were paralyzed," he said, "but
Just at that time injunctions were sown
broadcast ard shortly afterward the
officers Of the A. r. Il. were arrested
for contempt of court That beat us.
1t wasn't the railroads or the army,
but the rower of the United States
courts that beat us. About that time
thing occurred which 1 desire to
mention. Gen. Miles came to Chicago,
called on the general managers associa-
tion, and the next day was quoted in an
interview as sayin that he had broken
the hackbcre of the strike. Now, con-
slider that call of Gen. Miles as vulgarly
out Of place. He had no more right to
consult with the general managers as
sociatiop than he had to consult with
the men of our union. 1 might say,
too, that it seems strange that all OF
ou" letters and kilograms were made
public property while not line Of the
railroad corresro nderce was published.
If it had beer. think We could prove
that the general managers, at one of
their secret meetings, declared they
would stamp the A. r. U. out of ex-
istence."
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