The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-09-01

From justice of the peace TO justice of
the supreme court of 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 expects
emancipation, labor itself must do it,
Mr. Debs then told the convention
that much restitution existed among
the miners of the once proud state of
Indiana and stated that a thousand un-
foreground workers and their families
were starvings He read the report of
the commission appointed by Governor
Mount to examine into the condition or
the miners of Indiana and then took up
the thread of his argument.
THE time has not quite come to in
cite the populace," said Mr. Debs, shak-
ing his fist vehemently. ST serve notice
on the pIutocratic element of this coun-
try that we are on the eve of another
meeting in Chicago which will be at
tended by all branches of labor That
convention will take up these same
questions and will institute agitation
and keep it going until the public con-
science and public heart are aroused
Then will come such an uprising as the
world has never seen.
81 did not come to this convention to
exploit Social Democracy or any other
movement. There is something greater
in this movement than any one element
can manage-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 speak
as becomes that man. am side by side
with you. am trades unionist and
socialist. tremendous cheering).
Whenever the trades unions of this
country decide to do battle with our
common enemy they count upon us to
come to the front and take our places
side by side with them and fight with
them.
"Never in my life have I been more
hopeful than now. am not gifted with
great visionary powers, but 1 can seen
the beginning of the end. Cheers. This
meeting is an inspiration. 1t will lead
to great results. This movement has
attained tremendous impetus and will
go ahead with a rush. When the peo-
pie are ready, and that day is not far
off, my friends, there will be spontan-
eous uprising, the supreme court viii be
abolished, congress dispersed and the
sacred rights of American citizens and
American freemen will be enthroned.
Great app1ause).
81 plead guilty to the charge of being
radical. I only wish you would allow
me to be more radical still Support
US, gentlemen of the convention and
promise you we will support the at
tempt to abolish government by injunc-
tions and the judges who issue them.
"On bearing arms, hope in this
march of common intelligence, we Will
reach point where we will be able to
settle these questions without appeal
ing to the sword or bullet. cannot tell;
certain it is, there are thousands of our
fellow citizens suffering, and certain it
is the time will come to incite the popu-
lace. When this time comes you can
depend on me. (Cheers). I will not
stand in the rear and ask you to go
ahead I will be in front and say to
you, Come on Renewed cheering1.
"Plutocracy cannot buy me; they may
send me to jail; may ostracize me, or
hang me, but, in the language of the
revolutionary heroes, do not propose
to part with myself respect, independ-
ence and manhood We no longer have
republic there is not a vestige of it left.
Nl1ei ind faf aT-xYf of f11f ~
a paddock on my lips, forbidding me to
walk on public highways and destroyed
all of my rights. 1 submit though COM
PEELED to: I am helpless. appeal to
you and to the country to come to the
front take this cause to heart and the
questions will then be solved. I will be
free and so will you.
1.-THE people are ripe for a great
change. All they lack is direction and
leadership. Let this conference sup
ply it. Let this conference set the pace.
Announce to the world that it will tenn
porarily adjourn for three weeks to re-
new preparations. Ask every man to
pledge himself to be there, come if you
have to walk, no one has a right 10
plead poverty"
Mr.. Debs went over the conditions ex-
listing in Pennsylvania. when he finish
ed with that state, took up West Viz
ginia. West Virginia, he said, had more
state in the Union and that meant less
liberty. The less government the more
liberty-the only perfect government
was no government at all.
In conclusion Mr.. Debs said:
my friends, assert yourselves; en-
force your cause. Tell every man who
can, to be as good as his word, and
stand erect"
Nearly every delegate in the conven-
ton rose to his feet and cheered the
speaker.
AS Mr. Debs finished the delegates
jumped on their chairs, threw their
hot in hn n in n nd
to greet the speaker. Chairman POTne-
roy pounded vigorously for order, but it
was fully five minutes before the con-
vention recovered from the spell which
Mr. Debs' oratory had cast about them.
One or two substitutes for the last
plankS were presented, but not adopt
ed, and the chair recognized Patrick
Dolan of PittSburg, who said the in
junction business was a gigantic bluff.
He said he had been going against
them" for two months, and here he was
expressing himself. He thought it I'M
necessary to talk about the matter;
there were more amendments and sub
stitutes, none of which was adopted,
and after an hour or two of talk the
last two planks were agreed to as sub
stituted by the committee and the
platform as a whole was declared
adopted.
1t was then agreed that the basis of
representation at the Chicago convan-
ton should be one delegate to each To-
cal labor organization, and two from
each congressional district, every man
to be a wage Garner.
The chair then appointed Messrs. Ma
hon, Debs, Sovereign, Donnelly and
O'Connell a committee to arrange for
the Chicago convention and informed
the convention that any money intend
ed as contributions for the striking
miners should be sent to Secretary
Pearce of the United Mine Workers at
Columbus, o.
Mr.. Mahon offered a resolution call
ing upon the miners now at work in
Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky and
other fields, to quit work and denounc-
ing them as enemies of human liberty
so long as they continued their present
course.
Notwithstanding the convention early