River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-06-06
The RECENT DECISION.
Debs Says 1t Is n Cruel wrong-AItgeId
Is Hitter.


TERRE HAUTE, Ind, June 4.-Eugene
V. Debs, president of the American
Railway union, has addressed a circu-
lar letter to members of that ORGANIZE
tion in relation - The recent decision
of the United States supreme court
The circular says:
"A crue. wrong against our treat and be-
loved order, perpetrated by w. A. Woods.
United Sites circuit judge. has been APP
proved by the United States supreme court;
but though prison walls frown upon myself
and others whom YOU chose as officials of
your order, ! assure You that neither
dependency nor despair has taken the place
of the course which has characterized us and
our order since the storms OF persecution first
began to beat upon US. We have not lost faith
In the ultimate triumph OF truth over perjury.
OF justice over wrong. however exalted may be
the stations of those who perpetrate the out
RACES"
President Debs then reviews incl
dents leading up to and the results of
the great railway strike, and saws:
In Russia the victim OF autocratic dis
pleasure is denied trial by jury OF his peers.
William A. Woods carries out the Russian
practice In Russia the doomed man or woman
Is arraigned before the supreme despot or
one OF his numerous satraps Truth. justice.
mercy. are forever exiled. Age. sex, charac-
Ntf liipttuccs name anu CDuNllkon cONI. Tor
nothing. 1t is enough to know that
the brave soul yearned for freedom.
and the penalty OF exile. impriSon-
ment, torture or death is inflicted. and IL
has come To this at last in the United States
OF America that the law OF injunction is the
viii OF despot, and by the exercise OF this
Russian power American Railway union on
eials go to prison and the hope is
that by the exercising of this
power the American RGilw;.y union Will
be crushed In this supreme iuncture l call
upon the members OF the American Railway
uuion TO stand by their order. In Gods own
good time we will make the despots' prisons,
where innocent men suffer. monumental"
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, June 4.-Gov. John
p. Altgeld in an interview on the de-
cision of the United States supreme
court remanding Eugene V. Debs and
his friends to Jail, said:
demanding Debs to jail is in itself q matter
of little Importance, but the principle estab
lished is OF transcendent importance This
decision marks a turning point in our
history, for IL ct blishes new form
OF government ampng men. that Is gov
eminent by injunction Under this procedure
a federal judge sitting in rear room can. on
motion of some corporation attorney issue
ukase which he calls an injunction forbidoing
anything he chooses and which this
law does not forbid. Where the Law
forbids thing injunction is necessary.
In other words he can legislate for himself and
having done so he can turn around and arrest
and imprison many people as he pleases;
not for violating any law, hut or the mere pre-
text that they disregarded his injunction: and,
mark you, they are not tried by jury accord
ing to the forms OF law. but the same Judge who
issued the Ukase and who claims his dignity
was offended himself tries the case ami
whether anything is proven nothing is
proven. he can send men to prison at pleasure
and there is no remedy"