The San Francisco call., 1899-11-01
EUGENE V. DEBS.

Eugene V. Debs the labor agitator, ad-
dressed an audience last evening that
filed every available bit of space in Met
rapoHtan Temple. That some were at
tracted there by curiosity there Is no
question. but that the great majority
were in hearty sympathy with the theo-
riez advanced by the speaker was also
amply evidenced.
There is not much that is musical in the
address Of Debs He is not an orator,
and makes no pretense of being one AT
times in mis- talk he wanders far from his
subject, and at others he places no more
expression in his words than schoolboy
speaking his first piece. But he has the
happy faculty of appealing to an audience
of workingmen, and that is his stock in
trade.
The train that brought him here yes
terday from Seattle was late, and he did
not reach the Temple until little after 9
clock. He is a tall, young appearing
man, well groomed, and having the ap-
pearauce of being well fed. He is any
thing but a living example of the misery
that he pictures as existing among the
In 0nening mis- address he apoIoglzed for
causing the audience to wait for him,
claiming that the trouble was caused by
"a crippled engine on the line Of the South
em Pacific Company.
IF I had had the power of a Federal
Judge he said, Il would have issued an
injunction against the connecting train,
restraining II from departing without
me-" uebs spoke at length on what he
claimed 10 be the evil of labOr-saYing de-
vices. laying to them the blame for all
the real or imaginary troubles of the
WorKiugman.
"Iu DAYS Of old the laborer controlled
the tools with which he worked and he
received the fruits of what he produced.
Then there were no millionaires, no
tramps. no wOrkingmen in enforced idle
ness. ! Rave sympathy for the tramp, for
be- is a victim Of our nefariOus latter-day
system, in the creation of which he took
u9 part. The tramp is living rebUke to
.ur bTuited Christian civilization"
Mr. Debs denied that the country is en-
iOylng an era of prosperity He claimed
that the wages of the laborer were never
al so low an ebb as they are at present.
lie spoke particularly of the coal miner,
without whose labor the wheels of in
dustry would cease to reVolve," whose
wages. he said. averaged but 81 per day.
Life is curse for him from the cradle
10 the grave. He creates wealth which
he is not permitted to enjoy. While we
claim To- be Christian people we are not
half civilized
THE railroads are said to be extremely
prosperous, vet the man who does the
most work gets the smallest pay. The
section hand receives for his labor on an
average but 81 10 day. You cannot cross
the continent on a railroad train II the
section hand is not doing his duty and
on duty. The railroads are operated
purely for private profit. They pay their
president $4,000 yearly and his chief duty
is to see that the section man gets no
more than 81 10 a day. These railroads are
Tho greatest corrupting power of modern
times. 80
The speaker impressed on all who sym
pathized with the socialistic movement to
stand true to their colors and not be led
away from their party by alluring prom
ises of politicians. He said that the only
way In which they could accomplish any
thing was by the ballot and that it was a
useless weapon If they used it for parties
in whose principles they did not believe.
He said the future appeared bright and
that the day was not far distant when the
people would rise up In their might and
claim their own.