The morning times., 1895-09-09

OF Any Court.
The case of Eugene Debs and its bearing
upon the rights ana liberties Of American
citizens formed the subject of the sermon
of Rev. Alexander Kent, at the Peoples
Church, yesterday morning. There was
large attendance of workingmen, and
they showed their appreciation by repeated
enthusiastic applause. There was no
special adornment of the assembly room
in Typographical Temple, but fine
bouquet Of red roses beautified the pulpit
at the speaker side.
without att Ipting a critical review
and analysis of the legal points in the case,
DR.. Kent showed from admitted facts
that in the opinion of men even not at all
identified with advanced thought upon
labOrquestiOns, Federaipower was stretched
to great lengths to break the strike Of 1894
at Chicago, ana to punish Debs as theleader
of it.
He first quoted from the report OF the
United States commission appointed TO
investigate "The following passage"
opinion as shaped and voiced by the pluto
cratic press of the country touching the
character and conduct of DebS and his
fellow Officers is utterly bascless- 1t
reads:
There is no evidence before the com
mission that the officers of the a. K. L.
at any time participated in or advised
Intimidation, violence, or destruction of
property. They knew and fully appreciated
that as soon as mObs ruled, the organized
forces of society would crush the mobS
ana all responsible for them in the remotest
degree, and that this meant defeat. The
attacks upon corporations and monopOlies
by their leaders j n their speeches are
are similar to those to be found in the
magazines and industrial works OF the
day
VAST AMOUNT OF TESTIMONY.
THE commission had before il evil
dence not only of parties interested for
and against the strikers, but a vast
amount of testimony from disinterested
sources, And it reached the conclusion
that while some OF the strikers Were un-
doubtedly concerned in the outrages against
law, the number was small In the view,'
says the report, that the railroad strike
was wrong; that such mobs are well known
to be incidental 10 strikes and are thereby
given an Incentive to gather and commit
crime, the responsibility rests largely with
the A. r. T.; otherwise that association, it's
leaders and very large majority of the
men on strike are not shown to have any
connection herewith
This testimony touching the attitude
OF Debs and his fellow workers we may
fairly accept as in the main impartial and
truthful"
Then Or. Kent turned to the charges made
in court. viz: First, conspiracy tn boy
colt Pullman cars" conspiracy to hinder
interstate commerce." using threats, vio-
lence, and other unlawful means of inter
ference with the operations of the roads,"
and with disregarding theinjunction of the
court commanding them To desist from all
unlawful interference"
The conspiracy case, he showed, was SO
weak that as soon as evidence for the de-
fenSe began 10 be taken the railroads and
their friends including many newspapers,
began to weaken in their vOcifernus de-
mands for prosecution of it. Then juror
was taken suddenly i'll. Next Mr.. Pull
man had to leave the city, Wickes had to go
to Europe, and the trial collapsed. Not,
however, says Mr.. Debs, till it was known
that the jury was solidly for acquittal
WAS ANOTHER MATTER.
But the charge of contempt of court by
violation of the Injunction was another mat
ter. There the Judge was not hampered by
jury. The leader of the strike admitted
that he ordered Strike and Counseled all
members of the union to refuse to handle
Pullman cars. This they declared they had
a right to do, and in all they did, they
carefully avoided any action that could
legally subject them to arrest That they
did no unlawful thing is shown by the fact
that they were not arres'a1.
1t was the fact that the General Man
ayers Association could not reach them
under existing law that led to the applica
tion for an injunction restraining them
from Going what the law permitted them
to do.
They were not only en- joined from ''com-
pelling or attempting to compel" but frsln
Inducing or attempting TO induce" any
railway employees Ito refuse or fair' to
obey the orders of their employers. They
were prohibited from using persuasion
The court, in other words, forbade what
the law did not forbid, and made penal
that which under the law was not oaly no
offense, but a guaranteed right.
The purpose OF this injunction was not
merely to restrain lawlessness on the part
OF individual strikers either. If any striker
broke the law he could be arrested The
purpose was to break up the strike and to
relieve the railways. The managers were
beaten when they called in federal court
TO forbid the strikers to persuade men
to refuse to work.
Judge Wood in his opinion talks about
violence as if there had been violence, but
is obliged 10 base his action wholly on the
fact that persuasion was used contrary to
his unwarranted injunction. This was
species of judicial iugglery and dishonesty
utterly unworthy OF any court"
DR.. Kent contended that the injunction