The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-09-04

The Appeal to Reason, devoted to the
spread or socialism In the United States,
Will print OH Saturday the full text OF
the article written by Eugene v. Debs
In reply 70 Grover Clevelands article.
THE Government in the Chicago Strike
Of 1884,
Mr.. Cleveland's article appeared In the
July number OF McClure's Magazine.
The Appeal to Reason states that the
editor OF McClures refused to print Mr..
Dobs's reply.
The Debs reply flls fourteen columns
Of the ordinary sized newspaper. Here
are some extracts from his Introduction:
When the strike at Chicago occurred.
did President Cleveland make a personal
Investigation No.
Did he grant both sides hearing He
did not
In his fourteen page magazine articlu
what workingnlan or what representa-
tive OF labor does he cite in support
OF his statements or his official acts?
Not one.
aver that he received eve3y par
ticle OF his information from the capt.
talist side that he was prompted to act
by the capitalist side. that his official
course was determined wholly, abyolute-
~ by, and in the interest Of the capitals
list side, and that no moro thought or
consideration rsTas given to the other
side, the hundreds OF thousands of work
ingnen, whose lives and whose wives
and babes were at stake, than II they
had been so many swine or sheep that
had baked on their way to the sham
bles. ~
Cleveland Ignorant Of Facts?
Mr. Debs. to prove that President
Cleveland knows nothing about the Chi
cago strike except what has been told
him, quotes from Mr.. Cleveland's article.
In which the former President says:
1.-THE strike was provoked by a reduce
ton Of wages Mr.. Debs replies:
This is not true. The fact Is that, al.
thong h wages had been repeat edly reduce
ed, the employees did not strike. They
appointed a. committee to meet the Off
cials and ask why, II their wages had to
be reduced, the high rents they were
obliged to pay the Pullman company were
not correspondingly lowered. Failing to
secure redress. they called upon Mr..
Pullman himself. He promised to in
following day the committee was dis.
charged, and thereupon all the employees
laid down their tools and walked out Of
the shops. That is what provoked the
strike, ana the report Of the strike COM
mission proves IT. s.
Calls 1T War on Labor.
Mr.. Debs declares that Grover Cleve-
land began his war upon the American
Railway union by appointing the attor-i
ney of the Chicago. Milwaukee and st.
Paul Railroad Company as special coun-
sci for the Government. He denies the
United States mails were Instructed, and
says that when the strikers offered to
move all mail cars and all trains to
which mail RS were attached the rail-
roads determined that If Pullman cars
were not handled the mail cars should
not move Thereupon the railroad attor-
ney, acting as special counsel for the
Government, called for Federal troops.
Mr.. Debs continues:
Suppose that President Cleveland had
appointed Clarence S. barrow attorney
for the American Railway union. instead
OF Edwin S. Walker, attorney Of the
General Managers Association. as special
counsel for the government.
And suppose that barrow had ordered
the offices OF the General Mana gers As
ISOLATION sacked the books. papers. and
correspondence. including the unopened
private letters OF the absent officers,
packed up and carted away, and the
offices put under the guard OF Federal
stitution OF the United States. as was
done by Walker with the offices OF the
American Railway union! 3s
And suppose, moreover, that the Ameri-
can Railway union, backed up by OAR
row, agent OF the United States Govern
n1ent, had sworn in an army OF thugs,
thieves. and ex-conyicts, " (see official re-
port OF Michael Brennan, superintendent
OF Chicago Police. to the Council OF Chi
cago) to serve the .Amerioan Railway
union as deputy United States marshals
and "conservators OF peace and order!'' !.
And suppose. finally. that the expected
trouble had followed; would any one
in possession of his senses believe that
these things had been done to protect life
and property and preserve law and or
der?
Railways the Real Lawbreakers.
Mr. Debs declares that the railroad corr
porations were the real iawbreakers all
through the strike. He says:
The Implication that runs through Mr..
Cleyeland's entire article Is that the rail-
way corporations were paragons OF peace
and patriotism, law and order, while tho
railway employees were criminal, des-.
perates ana EtplOO0tnlTSlysI MOD, winch slhu
to be suppressed by the strong arm OF
the government. y $,
No wonder the ex-President is so dear
to the iron heart Of the railroad trust,
and every other trust that uses the gov
eminent and its officers and soldiers to
further It's own sordid ends. 3
Let us consider for moment these
simple questions:
Who are the more law abiding, the
predatory railroad corporations or the
shard-worked railroad employees?
What railroad corporation in the Uni
ted States lives up to the law OF the
land? Not one.
What body Of railroad employees vio-J
ilates it? Not one. II X
r