Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-07-13
IN EIEcuTIvE SESSION.
pebs Addresses the American Fed
GRAFTON OF Labor.


GRAFTON OF Labor.
Chicago. July I2.-The session Of the
executive council of the American Fed
Grafton OF Labor was held at the Briggs
house with closed doors. Very soon
after o'clock President Debs OF the
American Railway union appeared in
response TO the invitation sent him
tbs afternoon by President Dompers.
Mr.. Debs was introduced to the con-
ference by Mr.. Gompers and spoke
substantially as follows.
He thanked the officers OF the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor and the other
gentlemen present for their presence
end cooperation in the great work ne
had IN hand. and then addressed him
self to the subject in hand. lie review
cd In detail. and quite eloquently, the
cause OF the strike at Pullman; how
severely and even cruelty the employees
were treated. 1Ie gave IN detail the
wages paid. spoke OF their utter IN
adequacy and OF the high rents and
high prices for provisions which they
were compelled 20 pay. lie outlined at
length the manner In which the Pull
man employees had tried TO get the
manager or that corporation TO submit
the matter 10 arbitration before they
struck. and he called attention 20 the
various offers that had been made to
Mr.. Pullman by his employees.
ms last resort they came 10 ne
aud tho American Railway union and
al 81 IN.
American Railway union aelibcrated
over the matter FOR a long time and
finally concluded to strike In eympntny
for these Pullman operatives. The
American Hallway union did not act
hastily: 1t did not jump at the matter.
but II was advised to it's course by some
Of the best citizens nf Chicago and
some OF the best men OF the nation.
We believed that the present strike
was right and Just in principle. AL
though the American Railway union
went TO the General Manage s' nssoeia-
fion and ccunselled with them and abl.-
ed thom not to run Pullman cars, aud
they promised not 20 do SO and prom
ised to assist the American Railway
union. Yet, in The face Of all that.
they went ahead n..I passed resolu-
tlona, nrst, tina, they would haul Pull
man carr; second, that they would
support Pullman in this stIlle, and
third. that they would extermlnate the
American Railway union. Upon hear
ING these resolutions the American
hallway union declared a strike"
Mr. Debs then went on ct length 10
tell what had been done IN the boycott.
OF tho number OF people who had gone
out Ms strikers. and Of the sympathiz-
ers who had come forward Tor their en-
rourasement. He explained the lire OF
action here in Chicago and eIsewher,
throughout the country.
lie said he was very much ola,aa
over tho work which had been accom-
Pushed. The American Railway union
had brought out one OF the grehtest
strikes this country had ever seen and
he hoped to see It carried through TO
grand success. He had no doubt
that this could be done enectuary with
the assistance OF the American FEEDER
alton Of Labor and the other orgnnlga-
uons. He asked the Federation Of Ia
Dor to give the American Railway I'M
Ion whatever assistance thoy could IN
the work they were doing on behalf Of
the worklngmen Of this country.
AZ the conclusion OF Mr. Debs speech
Mr. Gompers took the floor aud spoke
at some length. He oounselled mod
Grafton and while avowing the most
profound nympathy for the Pullman
employees as wen as for tho American
Railway union he hoped for wise and
peaceful solution of tho dinlculty--a
solution which would restore business
activity and organized labor.