The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-08-25
DEBS ON THE STAND
Interesting Day Before the Com
mission Of Investigation.
STILL BELIEVES IN STRIKES
A Deplorablo State OF Affairs ut Pullman
Tho House Will Likely Have q
Commission on the Strike.

CHICAGO, Aug. 2O.-A. r. L. Presi
dent T. V. Debs was witness before
the strike committee today. Th'
courtroom was crowded from bench t.
doorwa,e. 'Now tell US in your owl
way, Mr.. Debs," says Commissions
Wright, ''what you know of the Pull.
man strike and its results" Leaning
f,rward In hts seat the tall leader o
the great strike began in q low. clea
voice recital which gradually became
more earnest and forcible as lie pro
ceeded, until it developed almost int
al Grafton. He told Of having re-
ceived word that strike in Pullman
was imminent aud of his coming t.
Chicago to investigate. II found" hi
said, "men were working for the Pull
man company at wages upon which
they could not live. I found that sal
aries had been cut time and again
until skilled mechanics were working
their lives away for wages not sufti'
cient for day laborers; that the town OF
Pullman was 80 sctlemed that every
penny the workingmen made found
its way back to the company. In fact.
I found the workingmen of Pullman
in q pi,iable condition, and I deter
mined would do all in my power as
president of the A. r. U. to improve
the condition of these men. The
strike followed, ordered by the men
themselves. Then cAnle 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 q grievance of its own"
Says Pullman Was to Blame.
"Woold the railroad strikes have oc'
Cured If there had been no Pullman
troubled" 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 arbitrate. But the
railroad men had grievances Of their
own. The General Managers Associa-
ton had been organized with the
avowed intention of giving assistance
to the railroads in labor troubles. The
evident aim was to drive organized
labor from existence. No sooner had
this association been formed than a
systematic reduction of railroad wages
all over the country began. The men
were ready to strike and Ielt they had
cause, but the trouble would not have
come when it did had it not been fer
this Pullman matter. The time was
not propitious. l did not order the
strikes-I had not the power. The
men did that themselves. But I do
not wish to shirk any responsibility
and ain willing to say heartily con-
Cured In aud approved OF the action
taken by the men. As to violence, !
always condemned it. / have written
aud spoken against it, believing
and knowing strike can not
lie won by violence. AS to kilograms
sent from our office counseling violence,
l know of no such epistles.'
"What about the buy q gum tele-
gram?" asked the commissioner. THAT
Is easily explained. The telegram was
sent by the private secretary tn u friend
in Butte and was merely play full ex-
preston. 1t was sent as such and was
30 understood"
now tno Stf1k0 w Is LOST.
Debs then said that within five days
after the strike was declared the union
had the railroads beaten. "They were
laralyzed, he said, "but injunctions
Eere sworn out afterward and officers
of the A. r. U. were arrested for con-
tempt Of court. That beat ue. About
that time General Miles cine to Chi
cago, called on the General Managers
Ass. citation. and the next day was
quoted In an interview saying he had
broken the backbon OF the strike.
Now l consider that call of General
Miles as vulgarly out Of place. He
had no more right to consult with the
General Managers Association than lie
had to consult with our unions. l
might say, too, that 1t seems strange
that all our letters aud kilograms We're
made public property. while not line
cf the railroads correspondence was
published. If 1t had been, think we
could prove that the general managers
would stamp the a. r. U. out of exist
ence."
In reply to question Debs said
that the union had taken every pos
sible means to prevent riot and disor-
der. 1--WE objected to federal troops.
but not 10 state troops and police. If
remember rightly no serious outbreak
occurred Till the federal troops arrived,
as their presence infiamed the people,"
Project for . Now Organization.
Witness then told Of the trouble with
the railroad brotherhoode. "The BROTH
erhoods have outlived their usefulness"
he said. land for that reason I left the
firemen's organization. They were,
fear, Jealous Of the A. II. u, aud
helped 10 defeat us. Now movement
10 on foot to formulate grand railroad
union. Within u few days q PROPOSE
ton will be submitted to the other or
whereby the officials of the
A. X. U. and other unions shall resign.
with no possibility Of election 10 office.
1t is believed an organization can he
effected. II the brotherhoods will con-
sent, which shall include all railroad
employees"
"Wnat is your opinion a. to the
methods OF prevent ting strikes?" asked
Commissioner Worthington of Deb.
"My idea-and 1t is the idea of the A.
r. U.-is 10 unity all III. railway men
of the country. A power like that, pru-
IDENTIFY managed. would avoid strikes.
The railway managers would recognize
the wisdom Of treating it fairly and