The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-01
fHELAB0R CONFERENCE
n Is Aroused by a Speech From
Eugene Y. DsbS.
ANOTHER MEETING THIS MONTH.
To Assemble in Chicago and Take
Further Action "In the Interest Of
the Toilers"-M eantime the Strike
May Be Settled by Arbitration.


Further Action "In the Interest Of
the Toilers''-Me eantime the Strike
May Be Settled by Arbitration.
i st. Louis. Sept. 1.-The conference of
labor leaders of the country which has
been In session here two days finished
its work last evening. The meeting was
productive of several sensational
speeches and many resolutions, yet no
decisive action was taken In the prin-
cipal matter for which the gathering
was summoned-the abolishment Of
government by injunction. The con-
vention. which had been announced
as the last one Of Its kind to be held.
while adjourning sine die. has merely
postponed matters on the action before
It for three weeks, as call for similar
conference, to be held In Chicago on
Monday, Sept. 81, was Issued.
1t was agreed that the basis of repre-
sentation at the Chicago convention
should be one delegate to each local
labor organization and two from each
congressional district, every man to
be a wage worker. The chair then ap-
pointed Messrs. Mahon, Debs, Sover-
eign, Donnelly and O'Conncll a COM
mittee to arrange for the Chicago con-
venlion, and informed the convention
that any money intended as contribu-
Itions for the striking miners should be
gent to Secretary Pearce. Of the United
Mine Workers. at Columbus, o.
Among the resolutions adopted, which
vigorously denounce the injunctions is
sued by the courts against strikers.
was one declaring, THAT We hereby
tember, 1897, as Good Friday" for
the cause of suffering labor in America,
and contribute the earnings Of that day
to the support Of our struggling BROTH
ers, the miners and appeal to every
union man and every friend Of labor
throughout the country to do likewise" +"
Mr.. Debs and Social Democracy"
dominated the convention, and the ia
nous labor leader carried the gathering
off its feet in the afternoon in one of
his characteristic speeches, in the
course of which he said:
Certain 1t Is there are thousands OF
our fellow citizens suffering, and cer-
tain 1t Is this cannot last. The time
will come to incite the populace. When
this time comes you can depend on me.
will not stand in the rear and ask you
to go ahead. will be In front, and say
to you, Come on shrink from blood
shed. but il this Is necessary to pre-
serve liberty and our rights In that
event l will shed the last drop Of blood
that courses through my veins.
"Plutocracy cannot buy me. They
muy send me to jail, may ostracise
me or may hang me, but, in the lam
guaGe Of the revolutionary heroes
do not propose to part company with
my self respect. independence and
manhood. We no longer have a re-
public. There Is not vestage OF II
left. The judiciary CT this country has
placed paddock on my lips. forbid
den Inc to walk on public highways
and destroyed all of my rights. sub
init because you compelled me to. am
helpless. I appeal to you and to the
country to come to the front, take this
cause to heart. and these questions will
then be solved. 1 will be free and so
will you.
''The people are ripe for great
change. All they lack is direction and
leadership. Let this conference supply
It. Let this conference set the pace.
Announce to the world that 1t will
temporarily adjourn for three weeks,
to renew preparations. Ask every man
to pledge himself to be there. Come IL
you have to walk. No man has right
to plead poverty.
''The Significance of this movement
portends new and important develop
ments along the line of battle. / look
forward to the time when people viii
dethrone the power that has ensaved
them. The movement Is marching
grandly forward. and plutocracy will
soon understand that slavery and
despotism have no rights to place on
American SOIL"
As Mr.. Debs finished the delegates
rose to their feet. threw their hats in
the air and crowded forward to greet
the speaker. Chairman Prescott pound
ed vigorously for order. but II was
fully five minutes before the convention
recovered from the spell which Mr..
Deb's oratory had cast about them.
A resolution. introduced by Mr.. Ma
hon. Of Detroit, calling upon all miners
now at work to desert their posts and
tsrming them enemies of human lib
erty SO long as they remained OH duty.
was adopted. Mr.. Mahon had another
resolution prepared asking the cor
vention to call for 100 volunteers to go
into the town Of Pocohontas, Va, on
the 18th of September, and there hold
q public meeting 'in defiance of the
mayor Of that city, who had set him
self UP In opposition to the God given
and constitutional rights Of free
Speech" but at the last moment con-
cluded not to present 1t. The reason
why will probably come to the front at
the Chicago convention.
Notwithstanding the convention
early In the morning had declined TO
act on President Ratchfords resolu-
tion requesting President Mckinley to
convene congress for the purpose Of de-
lining the authority of judges in the
matter of in1unctions resolution to
that effect, but requesting the conven-
zion to ask President Mckinley to act
in that direction, introduced by W. D.
Ryan. the Illinois organizer, went
through with a whoop and shortly be-
fore Z o'clock the convention adjourned
sine die.
Mr.. Ratchford, who was especially
pleased with the conventions instruc-
tions regarding the request for the con-
vening OF congress. hurried away last
night to Columbus. where he will at
tend a conference Of mine workers and
operators tonight. Just before his de-
parture he was shown the dispatch
from Columbus, O., saying that tho
coal strike was considered there as
settled. President Ratchford acknowl-
edged that he had received a propo-
sition to have tho miners resume work
At 64 cents. pending arbitration. He
sdGed:~
"Our executive council meets to,nor-
row night and the proposition OF Mr..
Soung, who represents a large number
af operators. will be considered. with