Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1897-09-04
I'HELlABDR CONFERENCE
t Is Aroused By q Speech From
Eugene v. Debs.
ANOTHER MEETING THIS MONTH.


the Toilers''-Meantime the Strike
May Be settled by Arbitration.
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
yention, 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
ii for three weeks, as a call for similar
conference, to be held in Chicago on
Monday, Sept. 27, was Issued
Among the resolutions adopted, which
vigorously denounce the injunctions is
sued by the courts against strikers,
was one declaring. THAT we hereby
set apart Friday, the third day of Sep
TENDER, 1887. as a "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 GER
tain it 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. I will be in front, and say
to you, Come on 1 shrink from blood
serve liberty and our rights in that
event win shed the last drop of blood
that courses through my veins.
'Plutocracy cannot buy me. They
may send me to jail, may ostracise
me or may hang me. but, in the Ian
guage of the revolutionary heroes, l
do not propose to part company with
my self respect. independence and
manhood. We no longer have q re-
public. There is not a vestage of it
left. The judiciary OF this country has
placed a paddock on my lips, forbid
den me to walk on public highways
and DESTROYED all of my rights. / cub
sait Because poa compelled me to. I ana
helpless. I appeal TO you and to the
country to come to the front, talse this
cause to heart and these questions will
then be solved. ! will be free and so
will you.
THE significance of this movement
portends new and important develop
ments along the line of battle. / look
forward to the time when people will
dethFUne the power that has enslaved
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 deiegates
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 it 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
terning them enemies of human lib
erty so long as they remained on duty,
was adopted.
Notwithstanding the convention
early in the morning had declined to
act on President Ratchford's resolu-
ton requesting President Mckinley to
convene congress for the purpose of de-
fning the authority of judges in the
matter of injunctions a resolution to
that effect, but requesting the conven-
ton to ask President Mckinley to act
in that direction, introduced by W. D.
Ryan, the Illinois organizer. went
through with whoep, and shortly be-
fore Z o'clock the convention adjourned
sine die.
Mr.. Ratchford, who was especially
pleased with the conventions instruc-
tons 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 the
coal strike was considered there as
settled President Ratchford aeknowl-
edged that he had received a propo-
sition to have the miners resume work
at Ga cents, pending arbitration. He
added
Our executive council meets tomor-
row night and the proposition of Mr.
Young, who represents large number
of operators, will be considered, with
other matters. / must decline to dis
cuss the proposition until after it is
submitted to the council