The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-03

little as two cents, eight cents and six
teen cents for two weeks work after
having the water and rent deducted.
Men are known to have tainted at the
work bench Children were barefooted,
ragged and hungry. Women were seen
to peer from behind half open doors
not having clothes fit to be seen. The
employees hocked into the A. r. Y.
and after q time sent q committee 10
Pullman. The committee was dls-
charged and the next day every en-
ployee, male and female, walked out
on strike. The officers of the A: r.
O., including President DeDs, lrlea 10
postpone the strike until the uIIon
would be stronger, but to no avail
Five or six attempts were mace 70
have Pullman arbitrate but he colby
maintained that there was nothing 10
arbitrate. In June the convention OF
the A. r. u. met at Chicago ana aIter
investigating the Pullman strike de-
cided unanimously not to handle any
Pullman cars unless Pullman would ar
nitrate. The General Managers asso-
citation met and and decided TO slald
by Pullman. The employees refused
to handle Pullman cars ana were Gus,
charged. Then all the employees IN all
branches Of the railway service struck,
and as far as the railroads were con-
cerned the strike was won.
IT was not expected that a govern
ment of, for and by the people, as ours
was supposed TO have been, would
openly and wantonly assist the rail
roads in helping Pullman to starve ms
employees In this we were mistaken.
As soon as che General Managers as
ISOLATION found that they were
whipped they I'm to the government
for help. You know when Grover, the
fisherman, was inaugurated he took an
oath to uphold the constitution of the
United States, but he winked the other
eys and appointed as attorney general
one Olney. a director of the Boston &
Maine railroad, which is the system
of railroads that embrace all of the
New England states. Tue first thing
that railroad attorney General Olney
did was to instruct all the federal
judges in the various judicial districts
in which the strike occurred to issue
injuctions restraining the a. r. q.
from holding meetings, in short for
bidding the men to strike. The one
served upon us in Chicago, read in part:
ITO Eugene V. Debs, the American
Railway Union, and all others: You
are hereby enjoined and commanded
not to counsel or advise with the en-
ployes OF the aforesaid named roads
y
which they might leave the service of
their respective employers"
Now you see this constitution of the
United States which Cleveland swore
to mainteil, but which he has tram
pied under foot, in its thirteen amend
ments, which cost the war of the re-
bellion, says: Neither slavery nor in
voluntary servitude, except as a pun
ishment for rhine whereof the accused
shall have beo / duly convicted, shall
exist within The United States" Again
in the first amendment it says: Con
gress shall make no laws abridging the
freedom of speech or of the press
Now, if congress has no power to en-
act laws by which the freedom of
speech may be abridged, we should
asy why a judge, who is only supposed
to enforce the laws enacted by con-
gress should usurp power to abrogate
this constitutional right? There was
no trouble until this injunction was is
sued. AS soon as it was read it en-
ragged the whole people,. Olney then
took another step. Through him the
federal troops were ordered to Chica-
go. The governor of Illinois protested
according to the constitution, which,
in section 4 of article 4, with reference
to this subject, says: 1.-THE United
States shall guarantee to every state
in the Union a republican form of gov
eminent, and shall protect it from for
eign invasion, and upon application of
the legislature or of the chief execu-
tive when the legislature is not con-
yened, from domestic violence"
Up to the time when the federal
troops appeared in Chicago there was
no violence. The troops came to Chi
cago on July 8, but the rioting did not
begin until July 5. During the contro-
verSy between Governor Altgeld and
President Cleveland about the troops
being sent, not only without the re-
quest of the governor, but in spite of
his protest, the people became very
angry. Then the only thing to do was
to divers public opinion by melting
riot, burning cars and laying the blame
upon the strikers. Detectives were en-
ployed and furnished with money to
buy beer and make speeches advising
violence. No Pullman cars were
burned, however; nothing but old cars,
worn out in the service, were burned.
Then the press all over the country
began to TEEN with accounts of the
Iawless and destructive mob. But the
real purpose was to divert the public
mind so that Cleveland's action in send
ing the troops would be overlooked.
When this injunction was first served
upon US, President Debs went to two
of the best attorneys In Chicago and
sought advice. The attorneys said to
go right on as we were doing: that we
were doing nothing unlawful. In a
few days we were arrested for con-
tempt of court-not for violating anv
law. The constitution of the United
States declares: THE accused shall
enjoy the right to a speedy and public
trial by an impartial jury" Our at
torneyS demanded a trial by Jury. hut
it was refused. We went through a.
farce comedy trial, during which the
Judge slept part of the time and
looked wise the rest. President Debs
got SIX months and the rest of us three
months in the Woodstock prison. An
appeal was taken to the supreme court
but that body merely evaded the is.
sue. Our sentences expired August % |
president Debs' sentence will not ex-
pire until November %. He is TODAY
behind prison walls, not because he has
broken the laws, but because a, federal |
Judge, acting as the willing tool of
in defiance of constitu-
tional rights, has sent him there. He
Is not there as culprit or a |
although the punishment |
IS the same, but as one whose |
heart and brain went out in love and |
sympathy to the robbed and ragged !
victims of Pullman's greed for gold
A word about this injunction. The
injunction is a decree of the Judge. II |
ioes not have to be based upon law
Avs and constitutional ,.i,st,4