Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-07-31
DEBS ON
LABOR
QUESTION

Eugene V. Debs arrived in Durango
yesterday morning from Silverton
wine Q he spoke Saturday evening. He
was met ny a committee of labor men
al inimas City and at the depot intro
ducei to the reception committee
Messrs. c. Il. Mcconnell. n. c. Miller
and w. c. Chapman. There was a
large number OF people present and
the Woodman band escorted the gen
tleman to the Strater hotel. where he
was introduced to the crowd by Mr.
Mcconnell. Mr.. Debs made a few re-
marks and then the assemblage dis
persed until afternoon. The Wood
man band escorted the speaker to the
grounds. a large number of laboring
men forming in double line. At the
grounds he was introduced by Mr.
Hutchins. president Of the Carpenters
ters' union, and talked for about two
hours to an audience of 700 to 800
people Following is the main portion
of Mr.. Debs' speech as taken down by
The Herald stenographer:
1t is a source of special satisfaction
to me to stand in your presence this
afternoon to discuss the labor ques-
ton. which is the question of human
ity. and upon its just solution depends
the survival of civilization. shall
not appeal to your prejudices; | would
not excite your passions. shall adj
dress myself to your reason.
It is labor from which power springs
1t is labor that feeds and guides the
commonwealth. 1t is labor that raises
a nation from poverty to wealth. And
shall not labor come to its own? Who
shall doubt it? Let labor everywhere
take heart and hope. for the midnight
is passing and joy cometh with the
morning.
Formerly work as rule. was done
with simple. primitive tools. These
We're owned and controlled by the
workers that used them. Man is
tool using ANIMAL, helpless without
the tool The tool is simply an exten-
sion of the workman's arm. 1t is the
symbol of his individuality, his slave.
The history of the development of man
is largely written in the history
of the the development of the tool
with which he works. When the
tool was simple, to make living was
simple. After a man had learned
trade and could use the tools, he was
virtually his own master. He was
master of what his labor produced,
and the more Independent he was, the
more he could enjoy
In the latter day of concentration,
the more he produces the worse he is
off for the moment there is over-pro-
duction. the mills. mines or factories
close down and the working man finds
himself turned off In the time of sim
pie tools there We're no great capital
lists; there were no white slaves. The
employer was worllingman. sitting
side by side with his employees. There
were no millonares and no tramps.
for the reason that the workingman
controlled the tools with which he
worked. and received what the tools
produced. He worked for another to
perfect himself in his chosen occupa-
ton, and when he had become master
of his trade. and had served his time,
he could buy tools, rent a shop, and
produce for himself In that day pro
ductions We're for home use and there
was a free interchange among the
workers. There was no quest for
foreign market. and no time when
they stopped producing. 1t was a slow
age. 1t required from IA to Is hours
of labor daily to satisfy a mans ply
steal wants. It was a selfish age.
Man worked in his own small shop
isolated from the world, He had very
little time for mental or social i'm
provement
The time came when the tool was
touched by the magic wand of inven-
tion, and by the Introduction of the
machine. modern labor became posi-
BILE. The workingman deserted his lit
tie shop. He had not, at this point,
common sense and intelligence enough
to appreciate the value of the tool with
which he worked; he did not know
that it was necessary to his independ-
once and to his salvation.
The small employer who had some
capital bought the machine, and the
small employer gradually became the
capitalist. Production was carried on,
not for use, but for profit. The owner
began to compete with other owners.
Ine WORKING capacity increased, ana
there was a demand for cheaper pro
duction. The machinery represented
the skill that was formerly inherent
in the brain and in the cunning of the
fingers and skilled labor became com
mon labor. Up to this point, it was
the man, the husband and father who
supported the family; the woman was
the queen OF the cottage and the child
rem went to school. In the system
that prevails today. the man is re-
duced to poverty the wife to tear
stained rag and the child to machine
oil. While the child feeds the ma
chine. the machine starves the child
When production was carried forward
for profit and cheaper labor became
necessary. the wage of the husband
and father was reduced to a point
where he could not support the family
Then the woman was compelled to be
come factor in the Industrial system
First it was competition between the
machine and the man, next between
the machine the man and the woman
and finally between the machine, ant