The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-21

Chicago, Aug. 20-A. r. U. President
p. ". Debs was a witness before the
strike commission today. The court
room was crowded from the. bench to
the doorways.
Now tell us, in your own way, Mr..
Debs.' said Commissioner Wright,
what you know of the Pullman strike
and the results"
Leaning forward in his seat the tall
leader of the great strike began in
low, clear voice a recital which gradu-
ally became more earnest and forc1ble
as he proceeded, until it developed into
almost an grafton. He told of having
received word that a strike in Pullman
was imminent and of his coming to
to investigate. Il found, me
said, 1.-The men were working for the
Pullman company at wages upon which
they could not live. / found the salar-
les had been cut time and time again
until skilled mechanics were working
their lives away for wages not Suff1-
cient for a day 1aborer; that the town
of Pullman was so schemed that every
penny the workingmen made found It's
way back to the company. In fact,
pitiable condition and determined that
I would do all in my power as president
of the A. r. u. to improve the condi-
ton of those men. The strike follow
ed, ordered by the men themselves.
Then came the boycott ordered by duly
elected delegates to our convention and
then followed the railroad strikes.
by various local unions, each
Of which had grievances of its own.
The Prime Cause.
"Would the railroad strikes have oc-
Cured if there had been no Pullman
trouble?" asked Commissioner Wright.
mo, the Pullman strike was the
prime cause. We desired to stop Pull
mans cars and shut on his income
thus forcing arbitration. But the rail-
road men had grievances of their own.
The General Managers association had
been organized with the avowed inten-
ton of giving assistance to the rail,
roads in their troubles. Evidently the
move was to drive the organizations
from existence. No sooner had this
association been formed than systemat-
ic reductions of railroad wages all over
the country began. The men were
ready to strike and felt they had cause,
but the trouble would not have come
when it did had not it been for the
Pullman matter. The time was unpro
pitious I did not order the strike. I
had not the power. The men did that
themselves But / do not wish to shfrk
any responsibility and am willing to
saw I heartily concurred in and ap-
proved of the action taken by the men.
AS to violence, I always condemned 1t.
I have written and spoken against it,
believing and knowing a strike cannot
be won by violence. AS to the tele-
grams sent from our office counsel
ing violence, 1 know of no such epis-
ties"
1t Was as n Jake.
what about the buy a gum tele-
gram?" asked Commissioner Herman.
THAT is easily explained. The tele-
gram was sent by the private secretary
to friend in Butte. and was merely a
playful expression. 1t was sent as such
and so understood
Debs then said that within five days
after the strike was declared, the union
had the railroads beaten. 'They were
paralyzed," he said, ''but injunctions
were sown broadcast and shortly after
wards the officials of the A. R. U. were
arrested for contempt of court. They
beat us. About this time General Miles
came to Chicago and called on the Cen
eral Managers association, and the
next day was quoted in an interview
as saying that he had broken the back
bone of the strike. Now l consider that
call of General Miles as vulgarly out
of place. He had no more right to con-
suit with the General Managers asso-
citation than he had to consult with our
union. 1 might say, too, it seems
strange that all our letters and tele-
grams were made public property
while not a line of the railroads cor
respondence was published. If it had
been, I think we could prove that the
general managers at a secret meeting
declared that they would stamp the A.
r. u. out of existence"
Says They Were Jealous.
In response to a question, Debs said
that the union had taken every posi-
BILE means to prevent riot and disorder
1--WE objected to the presence of federal
troops, but not to state troops and
police. If I remember rightly, no seri-
Gus outbreak occurred until the federal
troops arrived, as their presence in
famed the men,"
The witness then told of the trouble
with the railroad brotherhoods.
1.-THE brotherhoods have outlived
their usefulness" he said, "and for
that reason I left the firemen's organ
izations. They were, 1 fear, jealous of
the A. r. u. and helped to defeat u.s.
There is now a movement on foot to
form a united and grand railroad or
ganization Within a few days a prop
osition will be submitted to the other
railroad organizations, whereby the
officials of the A. r. U. and other
unions shall resign with no possibility
of election to office. The principal cause
of strife then being relieved, an organ
ization will be effected, if the brother
hoods will consent, which shall include
all railroad employees"
Justifies Strikes.
what is your opinion as to meth
DDS of preventing strikes?" asked Com
missioner Worthington of Debs.
"My own idea, and it is the idea of
the A. r. u, is to unity all the railway
men of the country. A power like that
prudently managed would avoid
strikes. The railway managers would
recognize the wisdom of treating it
fairly and meeting it in a conciHatory
spirit,
'Do you believe a strike is justifiable
that interferes with public convent
ence?"
II believe striking is justifable no
matter what The result, when it resists
|enslaving and degrading"
do you believe in government own
ership of railways?" asked Mr.. Ker-
nan.
Eyes. sir, believe the government
ownership is decidedly better than rail-
road ownership of the government"
Mr.. Debs was followed by p. P. Nor