Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-08-23
DEBS ON THE STAND.
BEFORE THE STRIKE COMMITS
SIONERS.
and Defends His Cause.-The Did not
Send the .Buy u Gum Telegram to
Butte.

Chicago, Aug 2O.-By far the largest
Audience which has yet been in at.
tendance upon the strike commissions
session was present to-day, attracted
by the appearance as n witness of
President Il. V. Debs of the A. II. U.
The court room where the commits
sioners sit was crowded from the
bench to the doorways when President
Dcbs took the witness chair.
"Now tell us, in your own way, Mr..
Debs," said Commissioner Wright,
"wliat you know of the Pullman strike
and results"
Leaning forward in his seat the tall
leader of the great strike began In Il
low, clear voice recital which grad
ually became more earnest and forcible
rs he proceeded until it developed into
almost an Grafton. He told of having
received word that strike in Pull
man was imminent and of his coming
to Chicago to investigate.
81 found" he said, that the men
were working for the Pullman com
pany at wages upon which they could
not live. l found that salaries had
been cut time and again until skilled
mechanics We're working their lives
away for wages not sufficient for Il
day laborcr. That the town of Pull
man, with its shops, its houses and its
stores, was so schemed that every pen
ny the workingriian made found its
way back to the company.
"ln fact l found the workingmen Of
Pullman in pitiablc condition, and
determined to do all in my power to
persuade the A. r. U. to improve the
condition Of those men. The strike fol-
lowed. ordered by the men them
selves. Then came the boycott ordered
by duly elected delegates to our con-
vcntIon, and then followed the railrond
strikes, ordered by the various local
unions, each of which had grievances
of It's 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
mans cars and shut off his income,
thus forcing him to arbitrnte. But the
railroad men had grievances of their
own. The General Managers asso-
! citation had been organized with the
| nvowcd purpose of giving assistance TO
railroads in labor troubles. The evl-
| dent aim was to drive organized labor
| from existence. No sooner had this
organization been formed than sys-
tematic reduction of railrond wages
all over the country began.
did not order the strikes. l had
not the power. The men did that
themselves. But do not wish to shrk
any responsibility and am willing to
say that ! heartily concurrcd in and
approved of the action taken by the
men. AS to violence. l always con-
demned it. l have written and spoken
against it. believing and knowing that
n strike cannot be won by violence. AS
to kilograms sent from our office colin-
selling violence, | know of no such
cpstlcs."
"What about the Buy n gun tele-
gram?' asked Commissioner Herman.
"That is easily explained. The telc-
gram was sent by a private secretary
to n friend in Butte and was merely a
playful expression. 1t was sent as
such, and so understood
Mr.. Debs then said that within five
days after the strike was declared the
union had the railroads beaten.
"Thcy were paralyzed." he said. "but
just at that time injunctiOns were sown
broadcast. and shortly afterwards the
officials of the A. II. U. We're arrested
for contempt of court. That beat us.
1t was not the railroads Or the army,
but the power or the Unlted states
courts. that beat us.
might say. too, that 1t seems strange
that all of our letters and kilograms
were made public property, while not
u line of tha railroads correspondence
vas published. If it had been, 1 think
I7e could prove that the general man
ayers at one of their secret meetings
declared they would stamp the A. II. u.
out of existence"
In reply to question Mr.. Debs said
that the union had taken every possi-
BILE means to prevent rioting and disor-
der.
eve objected to the presence of the
general troops. but not to state troops
aud police. If | remember rightly, no
serious outbreak occurred until the
federal troops arrived, as their pres
encc intlamed the men"