St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-07-14
CHAUNCEY DEpEW'S IDEAS
THE NEW YORK CENTRAL PRESIDENT
ON THE STRIKE.
HE DISCUSSES IT'S CAUSES.

HE DISCUSSES IT'S CAUSES.
In an Interview With the London
Times He Says the Labor
Troubles Were Due TO Indus
trial Depression and the AM
bilious Effort of ID ebs to Absorb
ALI Employees Into the a. X. u.
LONDON, July 3.-Chauncey M. De-
pew, at the request of that paper, has
favored the Times with the following
statement by cable of the general
causes and real meaning of the labor
troubles in the United States. The
Times granted the Associated Press
correspondent permission to cable the
interview to the United States:
The labor troubles in the United
States are due to the long continued in
dustrial depression, and the strike was
caused by the ambitious effort of Mr..
Debs, present of the A. X. o., to alb
sOrD all organizations of railway em-
ployes into one. 1he success of the
disorder and delay in suppressins it
were owing to the heretofore underlined
boundary between state and federal
authority. The financial crisis last year
crippled many enterprises aud the un-
certaIntieS of tariff legislation which
followed, prevented the recovery and
closed the majority of the mills and
furnaces. This made the number of
unemployed greater than we have ever
known. The abrupt and permanent
curtailment of production and consump-
ton has been felt in every department
of American activity. From the farm
to the factory every business has pro-
portionately suffered, and the distress
among workingmen has been CORE
spondingly severe. There is universal
desire for anything in place of the pres
ent conditions.
The Populist party found in this stu
alton its opportunity, or rather the situ-
alton
CREATED THE PARTY.
The idea which its members gathered
from its teachings is that liberty means
the right to violate the law, and provid
ing the law breakers are poor aud are
sufficiently strong, to defeat or oYeraWe
the ordinary peace establishment of the
community. In the states where this
party is in power. strikes, iOckouts, boy
colts ana suppression of railway traf
tic receive direct assistance or
passive permission from the authorities.
With these unprecedented Industrial
conditions and the anomalous political
relations in a few states. the elements
wpra f1 VnrahI fOr what n ,atin nOIiD-
tries would be revolution, and with
Anglo-SaXon riots, even if there be at
first successful the reason soon reaSSertS
itself and firmly enfOrces the law.
The delay and disappointment in
tariff legislation at Washington i'm
paired the confidence of the country in
the ability of this congress to provide
measures of relief or to discover its
incompetency and adjourn. An appeal
to the country would lead. as every one
believes, to an Immediate and decisive
response. Our railroads have about
100000 miles Of trackage and
one million of employees. Among
employees, the locomotive engineers,
firemen, trainmen, swltchmen and 9TH
ers have each their organization or
brotherhood. These labor organizations
have become conservative with time.
and their contracts with the companies
are inviolable. The locomotive en-
gineers are the strongest and richest of
American labor unions. and their agree
ments, while not enforceable at law,
are adhered to with
SCRUPULOUS HONOR.
Mr.. DebS was for many years a high
and popular official of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Firemen and the editor
of labor magazine of advanced social
istlc and somewhat anarchiStic views.
He conceived the idea of breaking up
the existing organizations and gather
ing the railway world into his order.
His scheme was attractive. The
Initiation fees were only 81. and the an
nual dues 20 cents. The order was to
control the railways and coerce their
managers. Debs would begin with
million Of dollars in his treasury and
possess an income of two hundred
and fifty thousand. He made
his first appeal to the switch
men, and industrial financial dis
tress gave them general sympathy
though their action Intensified the suf-
fering a thousand fold. The result
proved how we'll Debs and his associ-
ates understood the powerlessness of
the states to control the situation. With
the exception of three transcontinentai
lines, all our railroads are chartered
by the several states. State laws
have permitted consolidation of
connecting roads; so that many CON-
panles ran through several states as one
company, under one management, but
the portion of the line in each state is
still wholly subject to its charter in that
state. The state governments, often
| controlled by opposite parties, have no
joint or common action. Sympathy with
strikers in Illinois at one end and in
California. 1000 miles off, at the other
stops travel and traffic.
STATE AUTONOMY
reached its perilous condition when the
governor OF Illinois gave great moral
support TO the strike by rebuking Pres
ident Cleveland, and virtually ordering
the United States forces out of his ter
ritory.
1t reached its ridiculous stage when
the governor of California requested a
permit from the strike leaders to visit
his capital, which was content ptuously
| refused. The popular belief has
always been that the national
| government could not act in repressing
riots or disorder until requested to by
| tue state authorities of a commonwealth
| which was unable to cope with the in
| surrection. President Cleveland is
| sluggish but courageous. Legislation
| following the civil war had given the
| general government powers unused
and forgotten. Congress in enact
ing the Interstate commerce law,
had assumed to regulate cor-
merce between the states, and
unconsciously with it the responsibility
| to keep open Interstate lines as ma