The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-02
DEBS AND HIS UNION.
His Success Is Great. but He VIII Not
he Able to Maintain Himself.

Hollands New York Letter in Philadel-
phia Press.
When Eugene V Debs was in this city
a year ago he spoke with enthusiasm and
confidence of the new organization which
he had created and built up, and which
is nov attracting to it the attention OF
the entire country--the American Railway
Union. Mr.. Debss visit to this city was
reported i'm this correspondence, as well as
the most significant and important of his
purposes as he then announced them. He
declared that he had perfected an organi-
zation of railway employees, one of whose
cardinal principles was the employment OF
moral suasion, the devotion TO the principle
of arbitration and hostility to the tseTsot
strikes or boycotts a weapon of attack
or defense.
1t this principle which gave Mr..
Debs and his organization a notoriety and
sympathy otherwise impossible 10 have
been created for it. That man who haG
been prominent officer in one OF the inn
portant labor organizations. the Brother
hood of Locomotive Firemen, for many
years. should have decided that strikes
were more harmful to the cause of labor
than advantageous and that powerful
organization could be built up one OF whose
principles was hostility TO strikes, OF course
gave to Mr.. Debs's project an interest
otherwise il could not have obtained.
1t is scarcely year since this labor
organizer and agitator made this pleasing
announcement. and yet in this short time
he has abandoned this cardinal principle,
having ordered two strikes, one of them
DebS is well known In New York. not only
to the leaders of labor organizations but
also to railway managers. That ne should
have been able at the lifting of finger
to have paralyzed the railway traffic OF
tied up over fifty thousand miles of rail
roads, is regarded here as the, most por-
c has ayen been on furnished to this
try. And yet the railway managers are
not of the opinion that De6s is a great
in such a manner as to maintain himself
and his Organization. Perhaps for that
reason it is that the feeling prevails here
that the reaction against him will come
just as soon as the managers OF the West
make use of their great resources, sup
ported by public opinion as they are, TO
destroy this dangerous agency which has
arisen under Debs's direction.
one of the railway managers here, who
has been most sympathetic In his view OF
fair in ali his relations with railway EN-
ployes, said to-day that he was convinced
that when the people of this country re-
allied that a single irresponsible individuai
could at his own sweet will and upon q
trivial pretext draw the fires of every loco.
motive and chain the wheels of every car
i'm the United States, there will be such
a manifestation of opposing public opinion
as would speedily strip that person of his
power. The merchants, the consumers,
those who travel and who are responsible
not in the slightest for the friction WHICH
may arise between an employer like Pull
man and the workngmen in his shops,
will not submit to loss. TO annoyance, to
punishment because these troubles have
arisen. II il is possible, this manager said
for a private citizen working under the
protection of the law to create an organ
ization which at his word and command
xill throttle every railroad system in the
United States. then very much
nearer domination by irresponsible power
than the people of the country have be-
lieVed TO be the case