The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-23


Liberty Or Give ne Death"
! CHICAGO, Nov. 22-Eugene V Debs
spoke in Central Music hall tonight to
an audience that taxed the seating and
standing capacity of the hail. Most
of the leading organizations were
represented and the reception accorded
to the leader of the American Railway
union was enthusiastic in the extreme
Eight carloads of Debs friends went
down to Woodstock to greet him on
his release from Jail and several thous-
and men were at the station of the
Northwestern road when the train
bearing Debs and his friends arrived
at 1870 o'clock. The reception given
Debs as he stepped from the train
bordered on the frantic Hundreds of
men pushed and struggled to get a.
grasp Of his hand. Many of them
Rugged him and some went to the
length of kissing him. Finally he was
tossed upon the shoulders of four men
and followed by a dense throng that
never for an instant stopped its cheers.
He was escorted to the hall about one
mile distant. The warmth of the re-
ception at the depot was repeated
when he entered the hall with the ex-
ception that the men were unable to
get close to, him and contented them
selves with cheering and waving their
hats.
The speech delivered by Mr.. Debs.
which was received with great ap-
plause by his audience, was in sub
stance as follows:
His Speech.
''Manifestly the spirit of 1876 still
survives. The fires of liberty and no.
pie aspirations are not yet extinguish-
ed. ! greet you tonight as lovers Of
liberty and despisers of despotism l
comprehend the significance of this
demonstration and appreciate the hon
or that makes it possible for me to be
your guest on such an occasion. The
Vlnd1cation and glorification of Ameri-
can principles of government, as pro-
claimed to the world in the declaration
OF independence is the high purpose Of
this convention.
speaking for myself personally, l
am not certain whether this is an oc-
casion for rejoicing or lamentation. [
confess to a serious doubt as to Whe-
Their this day marks my deliverance
from bonds to freedom, or from free
dom to bondage. Certain it is, in the
light of recent judicial proceedings.
that stand in your presence stripped
of my constitutional right as a free
man and shorn of the most sacred pre-
negatives of American citizenship and
what is true of myself is true of every
other citizen who has the temerity to
protest against corporation rule Or
question the absolute sway of the
money power. It is not law, or the
administrat ton of law, of which [ COM
plain. 1t is the fragrant violation of
the constitution. the total abrogation
OF the law. and that usurpation of ju-
dicfal and despotic power, by virtue
OF which my colleagues and myself
were committed to Jail, against which
l enter my solemn protest and any
honest analysis of the proceedings
must sustain the truth Of the indict-
ment."
The speaker gave the history of the
events leading up to his arrest and
sentence. commenting freely thereon,
and continuing said:
In my vocabulary there are no walls |
of dependency or despair. However
gloomy the future may appear to 9TH
ers. 1 have an abiding faith in the ul- !
innate triumph of the right. K |
can workman fate has committed the |
charge of rescuing American liberties !
from the grasp of the vandal horde |
that has placed them in peril, by seiz-
ing the ballot and welding it to regain |
the priceless heritage and to preserve |
and transmit it without scar or blem-
ish to the generations yet to come.
Il am not here to assert the infal-
libility of the organization or it's Off
Gals. or to claim exemption from er-
ror. But 1 am here to declare to every
friend of American toll, regardless of
banner. name or craft. that if the
American Railway Union has erred, it
has been on the side of sympathy,
mercy and humanity"
Reverting to the strike Mr.. Debs
said: ct must be borne in mind that
the American Railway union did not
challenge the government 1t threw
down no gauntlet to courts or armies
lit simply resisted the invasion of the
rights of Workingmen by corporations.
It challenges and defies the power of
Thrice armed with a just
cause the organization believed that
Justice would win for labor notable
victory, and the records proclaim that
is confidence was not misplaced =
1.-THE defeat of the American Rail-
way union involved questions of law.
and government which, all
.hings considered, are without paral-
ell in court or governmental proceed
ngs under the constitution of the re-
public"
Continuing the speaker said, refer
ing to the famous supreme court &C.
,ision: Il challenge the world to as
sign reason why a judge under the
solemn obligation of an oath to obey
he constitution. should, in a temple
dedicated to justice, stab the magma
,harta of American liberty to death,
n the interest of corporations, that
abor might be disrobed of its inalien-
lble rights and those who advocated
is claims to justice imprisoned as if
hey were felons."
Mr.. Debs gave several reminiscent
,es of his prison life and concluding,
said:
From such reflections I turn to the
PRACTICAL lessons taught by this lib
ration day demonstration. 1t means
hat American lovers of liberty are
letting in operation a force to rescue
heir constitutional liberties from the
,rasp of monopoly and its mercenary
,irelings. It means that the people