The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-08-21
Tho Leader Of the Late Great Strike
Tosliiles Before the Com
mission.
Ho Tolls OF the Causes Which Led
Up 20 the Big
Struggle.
inJunoiions Of tho Courts aud JsAisuAy Of
the Now Ualon Bsa, tho
HAilroad Men.

CHiol0o, Aug. eO.-ThS A. X. Z. pEosi-
deni X. v. DOba. Wba a witness before The
atFiks commission to-day. The court room
vna crowded trom bench 10 doorxayL
Nov toll "a IN your own wAy. MG
Dsbs," said Commissioner Wright, what
ron know Of the Pallman s,riko aud ita re-
gnliE.n
Leaning forward Ia his sent tho tall
leader OF the great strike began In al low,
clssr voice a recital, which gradually be-
came more eaFnest and forcible ~ he pio.
ceedsd. until IL dsvsloDod into hmos, m
otAtion. lie told OF having received word
that a strike Ia pullmAn was almos, ilnmi-
nsn,, aud Of his coming 10 Chicago 10 In
vsslisats. II found" he said, "thst the
men were working for tho Pullman coni-
pany u, wages upon which they could not
live. found that salaries had been out
,ime and again until skilled mechanics
we're working their lives away for wages
not sufficient for o day laboref. That town
Of Pullman vls 80 schsnsd that every
penny O workingmaa msdo found its way
back 10 the eompsny. Ia fact. found the
woEkingmen OF Puilman In pitiable con-
dition and / Determined that would do all
in my power as president Of the A. n. q.
70 improve the condition Of these nsn.
Tho strike followed, ordered BY the men
thsmsslvss. Then came the boycott or
defed by duly elected delegates 70 our con.
veltion. and then followed tbs railroad
striker, ordered by various local unious
zach Of which had grisvsnss OF tts e~n."
hat .l sha Inn /. NJ al
asked the com missioner.
''rhat 10 easily explained. The telsQrsm
vac sont By my private secretary 70 n friend
in Butte. and wss merely q playful sxptss-
sion. II WAS sent as such and 90 under
stood"
"would the railroad strike have occurred
II there had been no Pullman troublsY
asked CON missioner Wright
mo. Tho Pullman at,iks was the prime
cause. We desired TO stop Pullman's cara
and shut oil his income. thus forcing him
70 arbitfato. but the Iailroad Deu made his
grievances their own. The General Mana
gers association had been organized with
the avowed Intention Of giving assistance
20 railroads. In labor toubles. Tho evi-
dent aim Was 10 drive organized
labor from sKlstenoe. No sooner had
this association beon formed than .
~ IA pathetic reduction OF railroad wages all
over the ooantry began. The men were
ready to strike aud felt they had q sause.
bul the trouble would not have come when
IL did had not been for the Pullman matter.
Tho time was anpropitous. ! did no, or
der the al, ike. had not the tower. Tho
men did that themselves; bot / do not wish
80 shirk any responsibility and am willing
10 say heartily ooneured in aud approved
the action taken bF the men.
'As TO violence, always condemned II.
have written and spoken against 10. be-
lievinQ aud knowing that strike cannot
bo won by violence. As 10 kilograms sent
from our Office osunseiing violence. 1 know
of no such epistles."
Debs then said that within ivs days after
the atriks was declared the union bad the
rail osds bsatea. "Thsy we're parslS zsd, I"
he said. "but iniunotions werc sovn broad
cast and shortly after the officials of ths A.
Il. u. were arrested fos contempt
OF court. That beat ua About this
time Gen. Miles csmo 20 Chicago. called on
the General Manager association, and the
NEXT day be wss quoted in an interview
saying be had broken the backbone Of the
strike. Now. ! consider that call Of Gen.
Miies 40 vulgarly out Of place. He had no
more right 90 consult With our unioBs. /
might aay. too. il seems strange that all our
letters end kilograms were made public
correspondence vas published. IL IL had
been thiHk We could prove that the gen.
o al managers. ~ secret meeting, declared
that they would stamp the A. X. Z. out of
existence"
In reply TO n question Dsbs said that the
union had taken every possible means 10
prevent riot and disorder.
I'VE ohjeetad 10 the presence OF federal
troops, ut NOT 10 stats oops and police.
IL l remember rightly no seiisus outbreak
occurred until the federal troops arrived, ss
their prssepos ihfamsd the men,"
WitnOa thsn told OF the troubles with
the railroad brotherho 1ds. The brother
hoods have outliysd their ssofulnsss." he
said, 'nnd for that reason left the fire.
mems organization. They were. | ar
jealous OF the A. X. L.. and helped dSfsA,
"a. There IL now a movement on foet 90
form . uaitea and grand railroad oiRaniza-
tion. Within few days proposition will
hs submitted W the other railroad oTgani-
Kaiions whereby the officials Of the A. Il.
u. and other unions shall resign, with no
possibility OF election 10 office. The pTin-
civsl cause OF strife thsn brinR relieved, an
organization will bo efsotSd ~ the bFothct-
hoods will consent which ahan include all
Iailroad employee"