The Portland daily press., 1897-09-01
TALKING WILDLY.


Continued from First Page.
change the date of the conference, it was
decided that the matter should remain as
introduced in the platform, and the labor
congress will be held in Chicago on Mon
day, September 81. The third plank in
the platform was amended by the use of
the word proper" before use of the bal
lot" and the resolution reads as follows:
Resolved, That we consider the proper
| use. of the ballot as the best and safest
means for the amelioration of the hard
ships under which the laboring class
suffers.
Mr.. Clemens ofsKansas, moved that, the
last two resolutions in the platform be
considered simultaneously. He favored
their adoption. Mr.. Webster Of st. Louis
wanted to know if these milk and wat
err resolutions disposed of the important
matter of government by 1nJunctlon: LII
this is so, Mr.. Webster continued, "any
judge could say through an inJunctlon,
"get off the earth, you have no rlgnts
here" then reply to the courts, you
Iie"
Mr.. Webster wanted Congress to inves-
HWhy," said Mr.. Sovereign, "this
convention has rejected a proposition
looking to this very end Even it Con-
gress did give us the rights we want, the
courts OF the country would SJlll ndVo tno
power of injunction and
THEY COULD THEN THROTTLE US.
The convention should inform the
world that if this matter Is to be tested the
miners should break all injunctions.
Mr.. Sovereign said he was willing to go
to Jail in support of his idea. SIT is
time,'' said Mr.. Sovereign, 'sto bring the
miners and courts face to face in this
matter and force an issue. Fill up the
jail....with ..:.violators of injunctions and
when the men who started this movement
are incarcerated, thousands of others will
be found to take their places. CHEERS
The laboring people can vote for years,
but nothing can be accomplished. Let
us reorganize this government, = shouted
MT. Sovereign. Let us stand up and
tions stand gatling guns and winches-
tiers, but we fear them not. Let us hold
up the flag and tear down the courts. Z
I'VE stand on our dignity and will
have our liberty from this time on,
shouted Mr.. Sovereign.
The convention broke into wild cheer
ing which developed in minute into
Gus larbor leader and avowed head of the
Social Democracy of this country who
had not uttered word since the conven-
ton opened, but who has not missed a
minute of its proceedings. He arose from
his seat and came slowly to the platform.
When the cheering ceased Mr.. Debs be-
gan speech which was interrupted at the
end Of nearly every sentence by cheer
ing and hand clapping He said:
II believe the gravity of the industrial
situation in this country is we'll under
stood. 1t is quite evident that delegates
to this convention are cognizant to the
fact that civil
LIBERTY is DEAD IN AMERICA.
have said and say again, for the last
time, have appealed to the courts of
justice and shall appeal to them no more.
The A. R. U. expended forty-1ve thou
sand dollars to have the question of
civil rights tested in the Supreme courts
of the United States only to be told that
we have no rights, that capital was
bound to respect. Shall we appeal to the
Supreme courts again? No. We appeal
to this convention and to the country for
an uprising of all the common people in
every walk of life to beat back the courts
and re -enthorne the rights of the Ameri-
can people. Labor day is near. What shall
we do? predict, my friends, that we
will see the extraordinary spectacle of en-
shaved labor rattling.its chains and dane
commodity on Gods earth, and yet there
are those who would have it at lower
price. Only the other day the United
voice of labor was raised against the ap-
pointment of MIR. Powderly to federal
position. and notice that he was prompt
ly put into the place. ( Mingled cheers
and hisses.) From the justice of the
IN met of tba .f
the United States, all the judicial powers
of the United States are directed against
labor. All the organized sources of
society are against labor and if labor ex-
poets to emancipate itself, labor itself
| must do 1t. u
Mr.. Debs then told the convention that
much restitution existed among the
| miners of the once proud State of In
diana, and stated that-10O0 underground
| workers and their families were starving.
He read the report of the commission APP
| pointed by Gov. Mount to examine into
the condition of the miners of Indiana
| and then look up the thread of his ar
gument. #1S
1.-THE time has not quite come
TO INCITE THE POPULACE,"
said Mr. Debs, shaking his fist vehement
ly. ~ serve notice ON the plutocratic
| element of this country that we are on
the evening of a meeting in Chicago
which will be attended by all branches Of
labor. That convention will take up
these same questions and will institute
agitation and keep it going until the
public conscience and public heart are
aroused. Then will come such an upris-
ing as the world has never seen.
"I did not come to this convention to
exploit Social Democracy or any other
movement. There is something greater
in this movement than any one can
imagine, the emancipation of labor.
There is no division here. Each man is
entitled to his own opinion, and his right
to express it, each man to his duty as be-
comes that man. I am side by side with
you am trades unionist and So
cialist tremendous cheering.) When
ever the trades unions of this country &C.
eide to do battle with our common enemy