The age-herald., 1899-05-25
SOCIAL ILLS OF THE DAY Spoke of the Evil Tendency of
 Generalization.
THE POWER OF THE MILLIONAIRE
. .thing Terms He Referred to Lap
 logs of the Rich Being Social C Supporters of the Work ingman's Child

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 'e-..Sugene V. Debs, the able advocate of Sew social order and the fearless de- ;Sender of the rightes of the masses as against the classes, last night addressed a fair sized audience at the Auditorium upon the subject, Labor and Llberty.'
 With a scholarly understanding of his subject he presented a clear and forcible word picture of the Social ills that hu- man flesh is heir to- through the present competitive system, offering as a. panacea the equitable principles of socialism, which he claims will emancipate the working man from the trials of industrial slavery and elevate him to that position among men to which he Is justly entitled.
 Earnestness is one of MT. Debs' strong points, which, together with his convlnc- ing arguments, gives him foothold upon his audience His use of the epIgramatic expression is powerful, his aphorisms are sparkling with keen sense of logical de- duction and cutting sarcasm.
 As an orator MT. Debs has a striking appearance, his clean shaven face, with it's honest expression, appealing strongly to his hearers.
 MT. Debs was not formally introduced to the audience and lost little time in ex. pressions of appreciation usually indulsed in by orators, but entered at once into a discussion of his subject.
 Wrongs of Competitive system
 He began by inqufring into the wrongs of the competitive system, which he said was enslaving the working men and creat- ing a privileged class. This he attributed to the economic revolution of the last half century. in which the machine had forced out thousands of workmen, leaving them to seek employment in other trades than their own.
 Fifty years ago, he said, the workman and the employer sat side by side in the shop and the workman received exactly what he produced, production having been carried on, not for profit, but for use. Then there was not a single millionaire nor a single tramp. The words had not been coined.
 Why is it, he asked tRat conditions are changed? Why are there thousands upon thousands who do not work, and thousands upon thousands who cannot get work? The answer" he continued, "the result of the social system in which the weak are crushed down by the strong, and made abject slaves to the power of concen- trated capital.
 Under the constitution" he said, "all men are born equal, entitled to equal rights and equal privileges. Yet under the pres- ent social system it is untrue. A system that deprives any man of the right to work should be abolished and destroyed"
 Word Picture of the Tramp
 Mr. Debs drew a vivid word picture of the tramp, creature, he said, of our own vaunted Christian civilization, the offspring of a condition which he himself had no part in creating.
 The advent of the machine was taken up from it's inciplency and carefully fol- lowed to the present day. whsu it had taken the places of thousands of sys,scd mechanics.
 MT. Debs drew dark picture of the man who tells his wife that he has lost his job and his subsequent struggles to obtain em- ployment sustained alone by the love for his dear ones.
 When an assembly of tramps was re- gently dispersed by the police in London, he said, they gave three cheers for Jesus Christ, which was harshy criticized as a most sacrelig ous uttterance. Not so, how ever, for the man of Galilee was friend to the poor. He did not mingle with the rich but devoted his life to the alleviation of suffering among the poor and needy.
 Middle Class Being Wiped Out
 Under the present system, said MT. Bebs, the middle class is being wiped out, 1t is a conflict of the few against the many. and the weak are growing weaker and the strong growing stronger. Panics are be- coming more frequent. and admitting that there has been some improvement since 1893, it is only temporary, and the cry will soon be over product.on;' not natural over production, but an under consump- tion. since labor, which is paid one-quarter of the wealth it produces, can only buy one-quarter of the production.
 Woman in the industrial World Machinery, he said had been the means of introducing women to the industrial world. It had destroyed the power of the husband and father to earn livelihood. and had called upon the wife and children to assist in ekeirg out mere existance for the family.
 MT. Debs attacked the trusts, which, he said. were the natural results of the com. petitive system.
 He pointed out the evolution of industry under the present system, from the days when individual effort was the means of pr oiuetion then came the partnership.
 
 Continued on Second Page.)