The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-10-06
Real TabaSco of National
Politics Scheduled Next
Week.
SOCIALIST LEADER
ON GOMPERS' TRAIL
Declares He Will Prove Labor
Editor a Prevaricator and
Coward.

The real tabasco of the campaign IS
due next week; that is, if Presidential
Candidate l. V. Debs. of the Socialist
party, is sincere in his recent utterances
against Samuel GOmpers. president Of
the American Federation Of Labor. The
thud of the big stick as IL stove in the
political ribs Of Haskell, and the smart
ing ginger sprinkled by Hearst with
his Standard Oil letters will be but
mild pleas8ntTies If Debs and Gompers
ever get together. and Debs says he is
willing TO 20 a thousand miles TO prove
to Gompers' face that Gompers IL a
prevaricator and d coward.
The cause for the threatened injection
Of tabascO is due TO a speech made by
Debs at Syracuse last Saturday, in
which he had been called upon by a
local paper 10 answer the charge made
by Gompers that Debs had sold out the
American Railway Union during the
famous 81 strike Debs declared the
statement by GOmpers to be an unquali-
fed falsehood. and said that the latter
would not dare to face him and make
the statement
IF you will have Gompers come
here" ne continued. Il will come across
the continent TO meet him and prove
him to be a falsiher. He said I be-
trayed the locomotive fremen. but ]
have an invitation to their convention
Chance to Make Good.
President Gompers IS to 90 TO New
York State next week, and from Oc-
tober 10 10 I3. will be on the stump
In the interest Of Bryan. As Debs will
be somewhere in the political vicinity
then naturally, the possibility Of the
socialist making good his offer has been
considered. If he goes after the head
Of the Federation of Labor, then Will
come the tabascO.
'Debs?" said Gompers this morning
when he was asked what he would dc
should Debs come attempt TO carry his
threat into execution why, I have no
time to give TO Debs. L am making 9
fight. If he comes and tries to inter.
fere with me while I am speaking,
wlll-well, VIII meet the situation
whatever II may be. that is all. But
haven't time to consider him.
In making the charges that I ac
cused him Of selling out, he IS merely
putting up a man Of straw that ht
may knock down, for I have not mad,
such charges against him. But / hav,
not heSit4rpd TO sneak of his lndiffgr-
euce 10 union labor and ifs cause Ht
has made a failure Of every thing tha
he has ever undertaken. He causes me
no more concern than does any othel
man who INDUCES I'm personal abuse OF
me Debs is not a factor in this fight
He is merely trying TO assist Mr.. Taft
Cause of Debs' Ire.
The attack on Dcbs, which drew th'
fire Of the Socialist, was made in ar
editorial by Mr. Gompers In the Ameri
can Federationist of September. TIT
particular sectiJhs which seem TO have
the most bearing on the matter at IL
sue read: Mr. Debs set about 10 or
game a rival TO the Brotherhood q
Locomotive Firemen and the other rail
way OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES American La
hOr Union He did ,his I'm the hope O
helping the worst elements of the CAPT
talist class TO crush out not only TN
American Federation of Labor but ever
other labor organization in The country
That he failed in misleading the work
ers and w~eCEi0g their organization
was due 20 no lack OF effort on his part
He tried hard. as hard as any ma
with a bad cause can.
He organized the American Railwa.
Union and became its president II
rivalry To the organization whose Off
Cial he still was. He hoped and wOr6e
and plotted for the destruction Of IN
organization of which he was a re
spOnsible official.
when "A large number Of men in tn
American Railway Union responded E
Mr. Debs call to strike and many be
came blaCklisted and ViCtimiZed. IN,
advocated and finally secured the aban
dOnment Of the American RailWa,
Union, and thus left his men high ant
dry without the slightest organized pro
lection