Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-09-12
HOW WILL TT END9

A Blow at the Liberties of the American
People.
The more we think OF the injustice of
placing Debs and his associates in jail
the frmer becomes our belief that there
is deep-laid conspiracy to subvert the
objects of this government, If not to
overthrow the government itself Debs
is in Jail. lie is there for crime or he
is there innocent OF crime Can any one
tell what crime he has committed? 1t
is said that he is there for contempt OF
court He was engaged in legitimate
business. 1t does not appear that he
committed an unlawful act. That ques
ton has not been settled In the opinion
only OF lop-sided judge was it unlaw-
full. That judge issues an injunction
interfering With the rights of citizens
and without authority of law. Debs
pays no attention to it. He is arrested
and thrown in Jail without trial as to
his guilt or not. Article vi Of the
Amendments to the Constitution is
ignored by this one-horse Judge That
article guarantees to every citizen the
right Of q speedy trial by an impartial
jury. They started to try Debs. Just
as they were coming to the point where
it would be shown that the general
managers of the railroads we're the
aggressors, and the judge who issued
the injunction was in collision with
them, one Of the jurors got the belly
ache and the case was postponed. Then
Debs was sent to Jail without the real
issue In the case being tried. Had JUS
tice been done the judge who issued the
injunction should have gone to jail in
stead of Debs. Evidence was ON hand
to show that the rioting was melted by
deputy marshals whom the general
managers had appointed. Some cars
were burned by the same men. Debs
puts the case strongly and deaantly
when he says:
what say about the appointment of
the deputies is not only borne out by
the report of the strike commission,
but Chief of Police Brennan in his an
nual report charges that the deputies
consisted largely Of ex-convicts, thugs
and thieves, and that some Of them
were caught in the act of breaking into
cars and stealing merchandise, while
others were caught suspiciously near
cars that had been set on fire. We have
witnesses in large numbers, among
business men, who will testify that cars
were fred by deputy marshals and that
riot was melted by tho same element.
LET me ask Mr.. Thomas II American
Railway Union men had been bent on
destroying property why it was that
no Pullmans were burned? They were
in the same yard, but they were not
fred because they were too expensive.
Not an American Railway union man
was arrested charged with arson. The
general managers knew they were dc.
fested and their only escape was by the
torch, which brought on the whole
course OF subsequent events"
Debs has done all he could to have
the matter investigated. But neither
the general managers or the court seem
to be very anxious forAn investigation.
Beneath 1t all lies something more than
the imprisonment Of Debs. It's blow
at the liberty of every American citizen.
II the courts can make law by issuing
an injunction which is not law, and
then send men to Jail without trial by
Jury for ignoring it, we have reached a
stage much nearer open revolt and
physical revolution than most people
think. - the injunction was wrong
then Debs has committed no offense.
Why was he not tried on the matter at
issue? Because he was innocent and
any honest jury would bring in YER
dict that would hold tbs lnJunct'on
of that judge up to public cont mpe' "A
few years more OF this kind OF wor. ana
the people will upset the whole fab. nc
Of this so-called government, and pluto
cratic judges and railroad managers
will rue the day when they usurped
powers that belonged to the people.