The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-01-22
D[BS SPOKE At
THE AUDITORIUM
Three Thousand Persons Greeted
fhe Labor Leader.
DELIVERED AN ABLE ADDRESS
Champion of the Cause Of Humanity,
He Discussed Evils of the COM :,
petitiye System and Looks
Hopefully to Future.
DELIVERED AN ABLE ADDRESS

rights of man, addressed an audience of
more than three thousand people at the
Auditorium last night, and for nearly two
hours held their closest attention. Logical
ly and eloquently he pied the cause of la
Dor and of humanity, pointing out the en-
rors of the comparative system, and the
evolution which he holds will free the world
from the letters of poverty and distress.
He preached socialism in its purest FORM
an Theoretically portrayed condition
which would bring about the true brother
hood of man.
Striking in appearance, Mr.. Debs is
possessed of the power of oratory
bestowed upon few men, His words, ladened
with fun measure of thought and logic,
flow smooth and forcibly from his lips,
whose peadings are tempered with an
earnestness that comes straight, from the
heart. His epigramatic expression is pow
erful and his vocabulary large and force
full.
Mr.. Debs was introduced by President T.
II. f. Mosley of the Birmingham Trades
Council, and his appearance was the signal
for an outburst of applause.
Choking Forward"
His subject, while not stated, was "Look-
ing Forward" and gave vast opportunity
in which to deduce the theories which he
advocates. He lost little time in paying
compliments, expressing, however, his ap-
probation of the privilege of addressing a
Birmingham audience and the hope that the
occasion would be fruitful of good results.
Most heartily do 1 approve of the organ
2 nf i4nf. he af1
in my power I would bring every working
man into the union that he might give it
strength and share its benefits"
He declared that the trade union was the
school of the working man, where he was
brought face to face with existing condi-
tons Taking up the trend of events, he
said that he would ask none to subscribe
to his doctrines nor would he appeal to
prejudice, but wuld address himself to rea-
son.
He reviewed the economic conditions and
pointed out the revolution which had taken
place in this cuntry during the past fifty
years.
Man" he said, was tool using ami
NAL, controlling the instrument of produce
ton, and time was when men received full
measure for their Efforts
One of the Evils
Z He declared his opposition to system
where men can accumulate more than they
can consume while millions suffer for the
necessities of life. Enlarging upon this
theme he showed the effects of the COM
petative system. Society" he said, "is the
composite individual, and we are all a part
Off and it Is no stronger than its weakest
part. The poverty of the poor has its eff
feet upon the middle and upper classes and
the social sores affect the whole, whether 1t
be direct or indirect.
1.-The human being" he declared was
the product of environment and the con-
ditions under which they find themselves
are reflected in the capacities and capa-
He pointed out the injustice of the com
petative system and declared that the CEN
tury was closing in the midst of the great
est economic revolution in the worlds his
tory. 1t is the struggle between concentra-
ted capital and organized labor.
Feelingly and eloquently he quoted Ed
win Markham's celebrated poem, "The Man
With the Hoe" emphasizing its appica-
cation and declaring that the comparative
system must answer the Indictment before
the bar of humanity MANS inhumanity
to man. from Bobby Burns stock of pa
thos, was used to good effect in illustrat-
ting the struggle under the system of COM
petition, while MANS man, for a'that
and a'that was equally as forcibly ap-
piled.
Trusts a Natural Result
He carried his audience Interestingly
through the different stages of the economic
revolution and boldly declared that the
trust was the natural result and that it had
come to stay until it was evolved by the
the trust of trusts or the rule of the peo-
pie. The evolution from individual effort
to firm, partnership. company, corporation
and trust was followed with nicely that
commanded the deepest interest of his hear
ers and marked the speaker as a deep
student of the economic question.
As another illustration of the evils of
competition he declared that nothing was
so cheap in the eve of the nineteenth CEN
fury as human flesh and blood sacrificed to
the greed of men, corporations and nations
in their struggle for wealth and power
81 stand before you as socialist" he
said, land believe that this earth is the
equal heritage of the people who inhabit
1t. Capitalism was born of feudalism and
the world is suffering the birth pangs of
new social ORDER.
Herr, of War
"Are we really civilized?' he asked, pas
sionately. as he drifted upon the subject of
war. Great Christian nations are armed
to the teeth With death dealing instru-
ments as the result of this competitive sys-
tenn A premium is put upon inventions
that will destroy human life, They tell us
that wars are waged in the interest of hu-
manity, but they are merely commercial
conquests, conquests for new markets,