The herald., 1895-03-20
EUGENE DEBS AND HIS ENEMY
Tie A. R. U. Man and the
Managers Agent
BOTH TALK in SEATTLE
Mr.. Egan Does Not Want to Discuss
the Strike Leader
Some Warm Words Spoken by the Two
Generals, and No Complimentary
Remarks Made

Seattle, March 19.-The simultaneous
appearance in this city OF f. V. Debs,
president of the A. r. e., and John NJ.
Egan, president OF the General Managers
Association, which conducted the great
railroad strike, has resulted in their be-
coming involved in a wordy war. While
Debs spoke kindly of Eagan on Monday,
Eagan said of Debs:
1T is unnecessary for me to discuss
Mr. Debs in the newspapers. He has al
ready been discussed and the people know
him pretty WELL / pity the poor devils
who go and spend fifty cents to hear him.
The only advice they will get is to organ
ize and strike again and the last great
tie-up for which Nj. Debs was respon-
sibe plainly shows what a success he
made of it. The American Railway Union
will never flourish again and the only
men who nowadays talk of having another
strike are those who figured in the last
one lost their positions and are now
anxious that another shall occur in order
that they will be able to secure the posi-
tions of those who would be foolish enough
to 20 out.
the country touay-men some of whom
have been in the railroad business for
from ten to twenty years and who were
competent i'll every way. They had
worked along and received very good
wages until Mr.. Debs organized his union,
told them that they were slaves and that
if they would only strike the companies
would be compelled to raise wages, They
took his advice and the result they well
know. They will never be able to get
back their old positions and they must
suffer Many of them will go hungry,
but not so Mr.. Debs. think if you make
little inquiry you will find that Mr..
Debs never went to bed hungry. He has
drawn nice, big salary, and is now trav-
cling about the country ut the expense OF
the workingmen. The A. II. L. may get
up a good membership once again, but
you Will find that many of the new mem
bers were those who figured in the last
strike and who now want to encourage
others To go out in order to make some
new berths in which they may hope to
drop.
Mr.. Debs, | suppose, appeared on the
platform tonight dressed as well and
probably a great deal better than many OF
the members of the General Managers
Association, and he lives just as well as
any of them. | don't care to discuss the
matter except to say that Mr.. Debs never
won strike, and | don't believe ever
will.
After reading this interview, Mr.. Debs
addressed mass meeting this morning at
which he said:
MIR Egan is a dishonest man and
ruifian; he is a thief and he knows that
he is, and he knows that | know that he
is. He could not hold position as flag
man on any road running out of Chicago,
and he knows that | know why. He has
been connected with many railroads and
he has robbed every road and every cor
poration that he has ever had anything to
do with. He is a corrupt, low, dishonest
man, and cannot conceive OF any man
having sufficient manhood to push aside
1,.;1 and, I'm, 10 Ii in+ip
He does not like me because he could not
corrupt me, and he has no use for any
man he cannot corrupt. | could have
been in financial clover today if | had
cared to become traitor to the interests
OF the laboring men and the American
Railway Union; | could have life pass
over all the railroads in this country.
81 have got sufficient manhood to say
what think of man to his face, and
that is more than Mr. Egan can say. He
would not tell me to my face what he had
to say in that interview which was pub
lished in the paper this morning. He
will never meet me in private or in pub
lie and discuss who are the conspiraJors,
for he knows who they are and what
would be the result. That man is COW
ard, and | only wish | was where | could
tell him so, and | venture to say he would
not attempt to deny it.. Why, 400 yoke
of oxen could not pull him on the same
platform with me. | have friends enough
to raise $1,000 cash to any charitable or
ganization in the land, and | want here
to make public challenge. l will agree
10 give $1,000 to any charitable
organization in the land, if he
will meet me on the public
platform and discuss the history and
causes OF the late strike, both to speak
from the record. The record will tell. and
10 one knows it better than Mr.. Egan.
1t was at the instance of the General
Managers Association that the trial came
to such a sudden termination in Chicago
a few days ago. They don't want it tried;
they don / want the truth to be known,
and the trial was continued until May LIST,
and when that date comes around they
will want it continued again. and so on
until the whole matter. is dropped. But
we, the accused, are endeavoring to COM
pei the accusers to try US. and if guilty
we want to be punished, and if innocent