The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-02
THE DEBs RIOT IN CHICAGO.
General MiIcs's Statement I'm Reply t.
Governor AltgeId.

Washington Special to New York Sun.
In reply to statements I'm Governor Att
geld's speech in Cooper Union. New York,
Oct. IL, In relation TO the Debs riots IN Chi
cago. wherein ne said that United States
troops were ordered TO be i'm readiness f-e
days In advance of any trouble. With
view to force employees TO work for their
employers. n statement is made. with tho
approval of General Mics who comma nded
the United States forces on The occasion In
question. and with his indorSs nic1t ~ Its
accuracy. as follows:
1.-The hordes. or so-called armies OF
Coxey were organized In Kansas Colorado.
California. Oregon and other States. and
sw8rmed across the country. in some cases
seizing trains for their transportation and
living upon the people OF towns. Villages
and communities in their route. Following
this the employees Of the Northern Pacific
struck and practically held possession OF
the read when II was not earning its run
ming expenses. The same thing vas done
on the Great Northern. the strikers holding
possession OF the property for weeks. re-
CARELESS OF law or the rights Of the prop
erty owners Then strikes occurred in near
ly all the coal mines between The Alleshe-
MES and the Rocky mountains. In many
instances the property was seized and un-
lawfully held, regardless OF the civil au-
thorities Following this, in May. 1so-.
strike was ordered i'm the Pullman works,
in Chicago, and when that business was
paralyzed a sympathetic strike was ordered
on all the railroads over which the Pull
man cars moved. This was I'm June and
according TO Governor Altgeld-s own state
ment published In his Cooper Union speech.
nois were abandoned by the employees and
prohibited from moving by the strikers.
Trains were ordered sidetracked by the
hundreds. and the passengers were practi-
cally held prisoners for weeks. The inter-
state commerce of the entire country west
OF Chicago was suspended by the end OF
June. a few mail trains were allowed to
run. but "a many instances every window
was smashed. In some instances the OPP
orators were hriItally treated.
This was the. condition or affairs on the
last of June. Under the laws Of Congress
IL was the duty Of the President TO protect
the interstate commerce. the mail routes.
the subtreasury at Chicago. containing
$50 coo 900 of government money. and other
United States property. When the mail
and interState-commerce lines were OBJ
structed and paralyzed. IL became the duty
OF the United States court to take action.
which 1t did. although the lives OF its mar
shais were threatened and they we're un-
able TO carry out the lawful orders Of the
court. 1t was then. and not until then,
July 2 that President Cleveland ordered
federal troops TO protect United States mar
shals in the lawful execution or their du-
II as. and also TO protect properly under the
jurisdiction Of the United States authori-
ties. At the same time the leaders publicly
declared that IL was no longer strike, bus
a rebellion. When the United States mar
shais under the protection or the federal
troops. had opened the lines or interstate
commerce and mail routes and projections
had been obtained for the property under
the Jurisdiction OF the United States the
troops were removed TO their former sta
tons July IS Hence they were In Chicago
only fifteen days, and did not In any way
interfere with the municipal or State au-
thorities. The strike however. was rot Or
dered of until two weeks later. This dcms
onstrates clearly that the federal authors
ties had nothing whatever 10 do with the
so-calied strike. Neither had they any.
thing whatever TO DC with the questions be.
tween capital and labor.