The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-09

such an amalgamation will be formed with
in the next five years. When Debs gets to
talking of his pet scheme and extensive
| plans. he becomes peculiarly and thorough
| ly enthused and his enthusiasm is infec-
| tious
First, I shall give my time and energies
to the furtherence of the interests of thu
| A. X. w." said yesterday. 1--WE will extend
| it and strengthen it until every railroad
| system in the country will be enrolled IN
| der our banner. 1t will take careful work,
and when this great object is accomplished.
| the field will be ripe for the completion OF
| the undertaking 1t will be an easy matter
| then for the A. h. u. to flow into and from
the nucleous to the other and greater labor
| organization which is to be constructed On
! universal lines"
Can this be accomplished on account Of
! the diversified interests?" was asked.
| Can it be accomplished? indeed. it
can, replied Mr.. Debs, with rather start
| ling positiveness "It will be accomplished
within the next five years One of tho
reasons which have been given why this
universal labor organization cannot he
| made successful is that it will destroy
| trade autonomy, and the freedom of tho
different professions to govern themselves
L cannot agree with this. Universal Or
ganization will not destroy the autonomy
OF the trades for this reason. Did the
forming of the American federation OF
states destroy the Union? I will illustrate
my argument on this line. Suppose Minne-
sofa was an absolutely Independent state
ana governed itself and was tributary to
no other government. On the north lies
Canada. Suppose that Canada should have
a grievance against Minnesota and come
down in Minnesota would be wiped
out. But Minnesota is only part of
great universal fedora ton of states and
has mighty power behind her. Now just
let Minnesota represent one brancn OF
trade, and let Canada represent organized
capital and monopoly. AS an absolutely
independent organization this one branch
of labor would be forced to succunb to
the organization of capital. But if this
one branch of trade was enrolled under one
great and universal federation it would ne
impossible to crush and grind it down. be-
cause of the immense power behind it.
would govern this great universal federation
just as the great federation of states is gov
erned, by representation. There would be a
national labor congress which should have
the power Of making certain regulations for
the benefit the laboring man at large.
But each separate profession should govern
it's own immediate affairs, just each sep
arate state governs it's internal affairs. This
would preserve the autonomy Of the trades.
We would thus unity all of the crafts, and
prevent the petty despotisms which some OF
the men try to set up Such grand and
universal federation of the crafts would be
like unto the spirit of the motto E Puri-
bus Unum, which is the watchword of the
American republic. 1t would make the
troubles of the troubles of ALL and
everything would be of common concern
Each trade would represent the separate
part of one great machine, like each state
represents one part of this great nation"
Here Mr.. Debs elaborated upon the vir-
tues of the Swiss government. which he
said Was the ideal government today on
the face of the earth. He depressed some
and eXtolled the beauties of the initiative
and referendum, and pronounced certain
forms of the American free government
failures. Mr.. Debs would abolish the state
and national senates, and have all of the
national laws come through one great rep
resentative body.
But the scope of Mr. Debs PLANS are not
confined within the narrow limits of the
American continent He has other and
broader views of what universal brC Their
hood of laboring men will accomplish.
"A national and universal brotherhood of
all of the crafts in America will he the
first that the world has ever seen. and
gradually its influence would he spread
over the continent of Europe. England is
ripe for it now, and she would be the
first to come into line after America had
taken the initiative. Then GERMANY. Bel
GUM, Austria, France and even Russia
would join in the fedora ton of labor.
What effect would this have%' repeated
Mr.. Debs interestedly. why, it would
mean the disarmament of all the ma tons
of the continent, and would make war i'm
possible, for every man would be his neigh
boris brother, matter what might be
his race, creed color. He would be
bound in common bands OF brotherly love-
men working in common trades have
affection for each other | am as sure
of this as of anything | hope for 1t will
come in time. / expect to see much of this
accomplished before the new century, is
usher d in. 1t is inevitable. The money
power of the world are driving the work
ingmen into it. l know the people may
laugh at this, and say that it is preposter-
and impossible. But the people have
laughed before" exclaimed Mr. Debs sig
laugh changed to feelings of respect |
may seem too radical for the present day,
but it is coming, and you may live to
it,
Mr.. Debs was asked concerning his on;n-
ion of John Burns the English labor leader
who has just left America, after criticisinc
and ridiculing every thing that was Amer!-
can.
Il was very favorably impressed with
Burns,' was Mr. DebS' reply, land am
convinced that he is in earnest and wholly
sincere man. But like all Englishemen who
come to America, he is bound up in preiu-
dices and objections to our form of gov
eminent. He is blunt, outspoken, speaks
his impulses is honest to a critical de-
gree. But he has no tact or diplomacy,
and this is the way he has offended ths
American people by his seemingly harsh
but probably sincere arrangements of oui
Institutions
WOMEN AND CHILDREN.