The record-union., 1895-03-20
AMERICAN RAILwAY UNION.
The Two Principal Opponents in rh,
Railway Strike at Seattle.

The Two Principal Opponents in the
Railway Strike at Seattle.
TACOMA, March 19.-Eugene V. Debs
arrived here this afternoon. In an inter-
view he said that 2,2O0 mon have joined
the American Railway Union on the
Great Northern Railway system since he
started on his present trip.
Ten organizers are at work in various
parts of the country, and 1 expect by July
lst there will be the greatest labor organ
ization that this country has ever seen. /
am working along the line Of unifcation
OF all labor and trade organizations.
Those mon who deserted the American
Railway Union in the late strike are now
utterly helpless. We now have 100000
members in the American Railway
Union.'
The simultaneous appearance in this
city OF h. V. Debs, President of the
American Railway Union, and John NJ.
Egan, President OF the General Managers
Association, which conducted the great
railroad strike, has resulted in their be-
coming involved in a wordy war.
Egan said to-day: "It is unnecessary
for US to discuss Mr.. Debs in the news
papers. He has already been discussed,
and the people know him pretty well. |
pity the poor devils who go and spend
nfty cents to hear him. The only advice
they will get is to organize and strike
again, and the last great tie-up Tor which
Mr.. Debs was responsible plainly shows
what success he made of il. The Amer
lean Railroad Union will never flourish,
and the only men who nowadays talk OF
having another strike are those who
Inquired in the last one, lost their posi-
tlons, and are now anxious that another
shall occur IN order that they will be able
or hp
would be foolish enough to go out.
There are hundreds of such men in
the country to-day-men, some Of whom
have been in the railroad business for
from ten to twenty years, and who were
competent ia every way. They had
worked along and received very good
wages until Nh Debs organized his
union, told them that they were slaves,
and that ii they would only strike the
companies would be compelled to raise
wages. They took his advice, and the re-
suit they well know. They will never be
able to get back their old positions, and
they must suffer. Many OF them will 20
hungry, but not SO Mr.. Debs.
u think If you make little inquiry
you Will lind that MIR, DebS never went
10 bed hungry. He has drawn a nice.
big salary, and is now travelling about
the country at the expense of the work.
lngmen. The American Railway Union
may get up a good mem bership once
again, but you will find that many OF the
new members are those who figured in
the last strike, and who now want to en-
courage others TO go out, in order to
make some new berths in which they
may nope to drop.
MIR. Debs, l suppose, appeared on the
platform tonight dressed as well and
probably great deal better than many
OF the members of the General Managers
Association, and be lives just as well as
any OF them. don't care to discuss the
matter except to say that Mr.. Debs never
won strike, and l don't believe ever
will"
After reading this interview, Mr.. Debs
addressed mass meeting this morning,
during which he questioned the honesty
OF Egan's motives in the strike question
ana assailed his personal integrity.
II have sufficient manhood TO saw
said he, what | think OF man 10 his face.
and that IS more than Mr.. Egan can saw.
lie would not tel! HE to my face what he
had TO say III that interview which was
published in the paper this morning. he
VIII never meet me in private or in public
and discuss who are the Conspirators, for
he knows who they ara and what would
be the iresutt. That man is a coward
and L only wish | was where l could teli
him so, and l venture to say he would not
attempt to deny it. Why, four hundred
yoke OF oxen could not pull him on the
SaAiIS pAGtlOIIlI Win NE. nave friends
enough TO raise thousand dollars cash
to any charitable organization in the land,
and want here to make a public chal-
ienge. l will agree to give a thousand
dollars to any charitable organization in
the land II he Will meet me on the public
platform and discuss the history and
causes of the late strike, both 10 speak
from the record. The record VIII tell.
and no one knows it better than Mr..
Egan. 1t was at the instance OF the
General Managers Association that the
trial came to such sudden termination
in Chicago a few days ago. They don't
want 1t tried; they don't want the truth
to be known, and the trial was continued
until May lst, and when that d&te comes
around they will want ii continued again,
and so on until the whole matter is
dropped. But we, the accused, are en-
deavoring TO compel the accusers TO try
us, and If guilty we want TO be punished,
and II innocent we want the world to
know it."