The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-08
DEBS breaches ANARCHY.
HIS SPEECH 10 THE SOCIAL DEM
oCRATS OF THE TOWN.

He Says Thnt tho Cupidity OF y Few Has MADE
This Country an Economic Heil-Coal Min-
ers worse or Than siberian Convicts-
wants Congress Abolished as = Nuisance.
Eugene V. Debs, the labor ~agitator, arrived in
this city from his home in Terra Haute on We'd
nesday night. and addressed last night a meeting
Of tho Social Democracy. of which he is the
founder, in Brevoort Hall at Fifty.fourth street
and Third avenue. Debs is going to remain in
this section Of the country for the next five or six
weeks. He is here to boom his Social Democracy
scheme. Tonight he will speak in Harlem and
tomorrow night he will address a meeting to
be held in tho Grand Central Palace. He will
be the guest of honor at n banquet Mt the Hotel
Bartholdi on sunday night. From this city he
will go to Philadelphia, then to Pottstown,
and afterward on a trip through New
England. just before last nights meet
ing Mr.. Dobs was asked whether he
would take any part in the local campaign.
He said that he would not; that he was here
simply in the interests OF tho Social Democracy,
and while he might have something to say on
national politics tomorrow night. he would say
nothing about the local contest.
1t was the original intention Of tho Social
Democracy, according TO Joseph Barondess, to
nominate a full city ticket at tomorrow nights
meeting. The scheme was abandoned, however.
on Debs's advice. Debs said last night that
there was much in Henry Georges platform
that he approved of. He said he didn't know
George. but had corresponded with him and
held him in high estimation.
DR.. Harowitch presided Mt last nights meet
ing. There were about 200 people present. and
they greeted Debs enthusiastically. Debs said
that he was anxious to further the cause of
Social Democracy in this city. Although but
hra nn,l n1J 10 l,n,l 1a, l.,t,, ,,,lo
and is represented in twcnty.six States. he said.
Within the next sixty days. he said. it would be
represented in every State in the Union.
"A short time ago." said Debs, Everybody
was against socialism. They said there wasn't
room for it in this country, because here all
men were free and equal. and the son OF the
bumblest man might become President Of the
country. To-day there are about 5000, 900
men here who would swap their chances for
the Presidency for q square meal. Tho CAPT
talist system under which we live has reduced
labor to a useless commodity. 1t has produced
the largest army Of tramps the world ever saw.
AS an example of tho depths to which it
has sunk men point, to the employees
about 5000 of them. and they are no longer al.
lowed to, call one another by name. They can
only be identified by their tag numbers. The
next thing. l suppose. will be the rounding
up and branding of employees. after the
bltlLbu tulliON Cu VIII blttIS ny II ltAdb
ranchmen. The miserable condition OF the coal
miners OF Pennsylvania and West Virginia
is the fruit of the capitalislic system Of Gov
eminent. These men spend their lives in novels.
which an ordinary well.to-do man wouldn't
keep his dog in. They have no chance to ad-
vance,, they never see or handle any money.
and the harder they work the more in
debt they arc to the men who employ them.
They are not as well Off as the convicts of
Siberia. Sometimes one OF these unfortunates
escapes or is pardoned. There is no escape or
relief for the miners. 1t is always the Same
everlasting grind with them.
v" 1t Is the cupidity of a few that has
made this country, which should be a paradise.
luted even the Supreme Court OF the United
States, once the most august body in the land.
Tho man who ventures to say this is called a
wiId.eyed Anarchist or a demagogue. They
you will observe that all laws Objectionable to
the plutocracy are declared unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court. We might us well
abolish Congress. 1t is a useless nuisance.
benefit of the favored classes. Only the poor go
to jail.
I'm an agitator and a disturber OF the peace.
i don't want peace under the present conditions.
which enslaves nine-tenths OF my fellow coun.
Of my acts. i tell you that no power
the plutocracy can can stop
A system which lets one man accumulate mil.
lions while thousands starve cannot last. II
the mass of the just well-to-do people could
be witness to the miseries l have spoken
OF. | believe there would be a revolution
in twenty-four hours. The end of all these
troubles is coming sooner than we expected. ]
believe 1t will come with the new century. At
our convention next June we will adopt a plat
form and put a ticket in the field. We want
half n million votes in 1898. two million in
1900 and then in 1904 wa will take pOSspssiDn -