The record-union., 1894-08-21
Special to the REcoRp-UN1oN
to tho Company.

way Union President, E. V. DebS. was
witness before the Strike Commis-
sion to-day. The courtroom was crowded
from the bench to the doorways.
Now tell us. in your own way. Mr..
Debs,n SAID Commissioner Wright, what
you know of the Pullman strike and the
results"
Leaning forward in his seat, the tall
leader of the great strike began in low,
clear voice the recital, which gradually
became more earnest and forcible as he
proceeded, until it developed almost into
an oration. He told of having received
word that strike in Pullman was immi-
nent, and of his coming to Chicago to in
/ vestigate it.
81 iound," he said, that the men were
working for the Pullman Company at
wages upon which they could not live. L
/ found the salaries had been cut time and
again, until skilled mechanics were work.
/ ing their lives away for wages not sutfl-
/ cient for a day laDorer. That town of
| Pullman was so schemed that every
| penny the workingmen made found its
way back to the company. In fact, L
| found the workingmen OF Pullman in a
! pitlable condition, and l determined L
! would do all in my power as President of
the American Railway Union to improve
| the condition of those men. A strike fol-
| lowed. ordered by the men themselves.
! Then came the boycott ordered by the
! duly elected delegates TO our convention,
and then followed the railroad strikes,
ordered by the various local unions, each
OF which had grievances of its own"
Would the railroad strikes have oc-
Cured ii there had been no Pullman
| trOuble?" asked Commissioner Wright.
mo. The Pullman strike was the
prime cause. We desired to stop Pull
i man cars and shut of his income, thus
! forcing him to arbitrate. But the railroad
/ men had grievances of their own. The
! General Managers Association had been
| giving assistance to the railroads in their
troubles. The evident aim was to drive
/ organized labor from existence.
''No sooner had this association been
| formed than a systematic reduction in
railroad wages all over the country began.
/ The men were ready TO strike and felt
/ they had cause but the trouble would
not have come when it did had it not
! been for the Pullman matter. The time
las unpropiticus. l did not order the
! strikes. | had not the power. The men
| did that themselves. But | do not wish
| to shirk any responsibility and am will
ing to say l heartily concurred in and
| approved of tho action taken by the men,
''As to violence, L always condemned
it. l have written and spoken against it.,
believing and knowing that strike can
| not be WON by violence. As to the tele-
! grams sent from our Office counseling
! violence, know OF no such epistIes."
'Wha about the Buy gum tele-
gram ?" asked Commissioner Herman
THAT is easily explained. The tele-
gram was sent by the private secretary to
/ fria in ,Nlau
ful expression. 1t was sent as such and
so understood"
Debs then said that within five days
after the strike was declared the union
| had the railroads beaten. "They were
paralyZed," he said, "but injunctions
! were sown broadcast, and shortly after
ward the officials of the A. K. u. were ar
rested tor contempt of court That beat
us About this time General Miles came
to Chicago, called on the General Man
ayers Association, and next day was
| quoted in an interview as saying he had
! broken the backbon of the strike.
Now, l consider that cali of General
Miles as vulgarly out Of place. He had
no more right to consult with the General
Managers Association than he had to
consult with our unions. | might say,
! too, it seems strange that all our letters
and telegrams were held as public prop
erty while not line of the railroads
correspondence was published. If it had
! been [ think we could prove the General
Managers at a secret meeting declared
| they would stamp the a. r. U. out Of ex-
! iStence."
In reply to a question. Debs said that
| the union had taken every possible means
I to prevent riot and disorder. I'VE OBJ
| iected to the presence of Federal troops
and not state troops and police. If l re-
mem Der rightly, no serious outbreak oc-
Cured until the Federal troops arrived,
/ as their presence inflamed the men,"
| The witness then told of the trouble
with the railroad brothernoods. ''The
! brotherhoods have outiived their useful
ness,' he said, ''and for that reason left
] the iiremen'S organization. They were
| Jealous of the American Railway Union,
/ and helped to defeat us. There is now a
movement ON foot to form a united and
/ grand organization. Within few days a
j proposition viii be submitted to the
| other railroad organizations, whereby the
! officials of the American Railway Mon
and other unions shall resign, with no
| possibility of election TO office. The priii-
| cipal cause OF the strike then being re-
| lieved, an organization will be effected, if
! the brotherhoods will consent, which
shall include all employees"
"What iS your opinion as to methods
of preventing strikes?" asked Conmis-
/ Sl0Der w OfLnlQg ton Ol D6D5.
My own idea, and it is the idea of the
! American Railway Union, is to unity all
railroad men OF the country. A power
! like that, prudently managed, would
avoid strikes. The railway managers
would recognize the wisdom of treating
| it fairly and meeting it in a conciliatory
spirit"
"Do you believe strike is justifiable
that interferes with public convenlence?"
81 believe striking is justitiable, no
matter what the result, when it resists
enslaving and degrading
"Do you believe in Government own
ership of railways ?" asked Mr.. Herman.
les, sir; l believe the Government
ownership is decidedly better than rail-
road ownership of the Government"
Debs was followed by z. p. Morrissey,
| First Grand Master of the Brotherhood
of Railway Trainmen. The brotherhood,
he said, did not believe in sympathetic
strikes, but individually the witness be-
! lieyed in Government ownership of rail-
roads.
E. E. Clark of Cedar Rapids, Grand
Chief of the Order of Railway Conduct
ors, told of the hostility between the
brotherhood and the union.
Adjourned.
ALTGELD VISITS PULLMAN.
CHICAGO. Aug. Ex-Governor Altgeld
went to Pullman to-day 10 investigate
the condition of the strikers. His visit
was the result of communication stat
/ ing that l 600 families are near starva-
! ton.
| Vice. President Wickes of the Pullman