Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-04-10
81. LOUIS, MO.
Debs ut the Exposition Hall.

81 LC'OISs shOs
Debs Mt the Exposition Hall.
Fully 5000 people thronged Exposition
Music Hall last night to hear Eugene V.
Debs' lecture on the labor problem. The
speaker was introduced by President Krey
ling of the Trades and Labor Assembly.
Mr.. Debs' statements did not differ from
those which he has previously made on the
same subject.
Mr.. Debs began with the concentration of
the money power, to which he attributed
the greater part of the ills of the laboring
classes. He said that the corrupting intiu
ence Of wealth has reached every branch
of the Federal Government, including not
only both houses of Congress, but the Fed
eral courts as well. Instances were cited
in proof of the latter assertion.
The speaker then took up the Pullman
strike, which he designated the greatest
upheaval of modern times. He detailed the
causes that led up to that great struggle of
the American Ra ilway Union against one
of the most powerful corporations on earth,
an organization with a capital stock Of S36- 3,
900, 900 and surplus of S25, 900, 900. The
progress of the strike was narrated from
the time the committee of Pullman en-
ployes waited upon the officers Of the com
pany till the committee was discharged and
the men went out on a strike.
''Let the opinion of the world be what is
may, l honor aud respect those men for
their action, said the speaker. 'And If
the conditions underlying that strike were
understood the world would think as do. -
Mr.. Debs said that there was no trouble of
any kind till July =. Up to that time the
railroads were paralyzed. What did the
general managers do? They saw they were
beaten unless something was done, and done
quickly. 1t was necessary that there should
be some trouble, so 4, 200 thieves and thugs
and men from the very scum Of Chicago
were sworn in as United States deputy
sheriffs Then the trouble began. The
speaker read an extract from the report of
the Chief Of Police Of Chicago to show that
he had not moderated the character Of the
men who were sworn in to do the bidding
Ut the Government, but were in reality, he
said, paid by the railroad corporations.
The process Of operating under injunction
was then taken up. He characterized it as
the most dangerous thing the people have
to deal with. The power of a Federal court
to issue writ enioining man from doing
something he never thought of doing Ind
then try him for not doing it, he said, is
despotism pure and simple. When the in
junction was issued in the Pull man strike
he went to one of the best lawyers in Chi
cago and asked him what could be done.
The lawyer told him he need not do any
thing; to keep on doing as he had been
that he was simply exercising his rights as
an American citizen. He took that advice
and got six months for it.
The speaker then took up the case of the
Northern Pacific road. He asked, in pas
sing, if railroads can be operated by the
Government after they are wrecked, why
cannot the Government operate them be-
fore they are wrecked? He then told OF the
acSion of the court in imprisoning him:
how he was denied the right Of trial by
jury and arbitrarily sentenced to Jail, a
sentence from which there was no appeal.
In conclusion the speaker said he hoped
to see the time when the American people
would rise in their might and vote for the
CO operative commonwealth, the only
social system that was worth living and
fighting for.
Synopsis of Annual Report of Cigar
makers Union No. a. Year
Ending Dec. 81. 1898.
Cigarmakers Union No. A was enabled to
spend in 1895 the following sums;
INTERNATIONAL.