The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-13

ducsd TO the conference by Mr.. Gompers
he thanked the officers OF the Amerleah
Federation Of Labor and the other gentle
men present for their presence ana Co
operation In the great work ne hao IN nan. ~
and then addressed himself TO the suD1ect
in hand. He reviewed in detail and quite
elocuently the cause OF the strike az III
man; how severely and even cFuehy ,afi .ag
the wages paid, spoke or their utter IL
adequacy and of the hign rents ana the
high prices for provisions which they Mefs
compelled 10 pay. he outlined at length
the manner in VIII the pullman en-
ployes had tried 10 get the manager OF
arbitration before they struck anu ne
called attention TO the various offers thdl
employees. Continuing, he said;
'As last resort they came 10 me anu
the American Railway Union, anu theS
asked to assist them. The AInerlcalI
Railway Union deliberated over the matter
for long time, and finally concluded 10
strike in sympathy for those pullman SP
eratives The American Railway Union uld
not act hastily; II old not jump dt tlie
matter but il was advised to its course
by some of the best citizens OF Cnlcaso
and some of the best men OF the Nation.
We believe that the present strike was
right and just in principle. Although the
American Railway Union went 10 the Ge--
eral Managers Associa ton and couhseIed
with them, and asked them not 10 run
Pullman cars, and they promised not TO
do so. and promised to assist the American
Railway Union, yet in the face OF all that
they went ahead and passed resolutions:
First that they woAld haul Pullman cars;
second, that they would support Pullman
in his strike; and, third, that they would
exterminate the American Railway Union
Upon hearing these resolutions the Ameri-
can Railway Union declared a strike.
Mr. Debs then went on at length to tell
what had been done in the boycott, or
the number of people who had gone out as
strikers. and of the symrathizers who
ment He explained the line of action here
in Chicago and elsewhere throughout the
country. He said he very much elated
over the work which had been accom-
plished. The American Railway Union had
brought about one of the greatest strikes
this country had ever seen, and he hoped
to see II carried through a grand sue
cess. He had no doubt that this could
be done most effectuslly with the alliance
with the American Federation of Labor
and the other labor organizations. He
asked the Federation of Labor to give
sistance they could in the work they were
doing on behalf of the workingmen of
this country.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Debss speech
Mr.. Gompers took the floor and spoke
at some length. He counseled moderation.
and while avowing the most profound SYM
pathy for the Pullman employees as well
as for the American Railway Union. he
hoped for a wise and peaceful solution of
the difficulty. solution which would r.
store business actively and yet protect the
rights of organized labor.
terview on the arbitration commission, Mr..
Debs retired to his hotel. leaving the meet
ing still in session. The conference lasted
until 1880 and marked by several
heated arguments, the hot-heads being i'm
favor of strike at once while the more
decision was reached. however. and the
meeting adjourned till tomorrow morning.
At the close of the session President
Gompers was shown the statement by John
W. Hayes of the reception Of the commit
tee which called on President Cleveland.
He said: Il am pleased 10 hear that the
President has determined to take action in
the matter and appoint a committee of ar
bitration under the law. regret it was not
done before the trouble became 50 fear
fully accentuated and the bitterness of
feeling aroused. 1t seems to me that the
effort looking towards mediation at this
time would be productive of better and
more immediate results. / think il is time
that the moral force of the government
should be brought 10 bear now with the
same freedom that the military force was
used under disguise to oVerawe the peo-
ple.''
Asked if the American Federation of La
Dor would be willing that the present strike
should be called OF relying on the moral
force of the government to effect arbitra-
ton, Mr. Gompers said: ITO call of the
strike would be for one of the parties that
of course, the workingmen-to surrender;
and after peace was restored there would
Speaking of the New York labor meeting
in Cooper Institute, Mr.. Gompers was much
pleased with the demonstration As to the
decision likely to be reached by the Chicago ;o
conference Mr.. Gompers had nothing to
say nothing definite having been decided
upon up to adjournment tonight.
Messrs. Sovereign, Lindholm, Adams and
Fitzgerald called upon Mayor Hopkins this
morning and conferred with him for about
an hour. Their object was to call to the
attention of the Mayor the provisions of the
ONeill law of 1888, under which ii is
thought the President may compel George
NJ. Pullman to arbitrate his differences with
his employees. Mayor Hopkins promised
the committee he would call the matter to
the attention of Corporation Counsel Ru-
bens, and also speak of it to Governor Alt
geld, who, he said he understood, is in the
citv to-day.
The employees of the Pullman company
have been asked by some of the strike
leaders to make an appeal to Debs to call
off the boycott on the ground that the dam
age to the country is too great. The Pull
man operatives have consented TO do so.
1t is not improbable that this request
may be made publicly and that based upon
1t the boycott NAV be officially declared OF