“We have assurances that within 48 hours every labor organization
will come to our rescue. The tide is on and the men are acquitting
themselves like heroes. Here and there one weakens, but our cause is
strengthened by others going out in their places. Every true man
must go out and remain out until the fight is over; there must be no
half-way ground. Our cause is gaining ground daily and our success
is only a question of a few days. Don’t falter in this hour but
proclaim your manhood. Labor must win now or never. Our victory will
be certain and complete. Whatever happens don’t give any credence to
rumors and newspaper reports.
“E. V. DEBS.”
This was sent to forty points. Then the troops were called and then
telegrams like this were sent over the wires:
“To call out the troops was an old method for intimidation. Commit _no_
violence. Have every man stand pat. Troops cannot move trains. Not scabs
enough in the world to fill places, and more help accruing hourly.”
Out of 9,000 telegrams, 150 were read to the jury and they were always
proper and called upon the men to commit no violence. Among them was the
famous: “Save your money and buy a gun” telegram. This was sent under
the Debs’ half-rate frank, but as shown was not authorized by him or
sent with his knowledge, and when the whole telegram is read it is seen
to be very innocent and harmless. The jury seemed to be amused at the
juvenile attempts to fasten acts of violence on Mr. Debs. One witness,
Dennis Ryan, was asked if he heard anything about dynamite. He said the
Great Northern strike was won by the men standing shoulder to shoulder;
that they did not want violence. February 6 the Railroad Managers’
minutes were put in the case. Several defendants were examined. It was
shown that the Managers’ Association had been preparing to have a
strike, and Mr. Darrow read from their minutes dated August 31, 1893, a
resolution declaiming it was desirable that a general combination of
managers throughout the United States was desirable and that the wages
of the railroad men were to be reduced and made uniform throughout the
country. The resolution stated one of the hardest facts the managers had
to contend with was the men would complain that they were not receiving
equal pay to men on other roads doing similar work.
From the minutes of the meeting of September 21, 1893, a resolution was
read to the effect that however much it was to be regretted, a general
reduction in the wages of the men had become absolutely necessary. It
was then shown by the defense that the Managers’ Association had
established agencies to secure men to take the places of those who
seemed likely to strike. The number of men so employed was shown by the
evidence of Mr. B. Thomas, president and general manager of the Chicago
& Western Indiana Railroad Company. He further testified that the
Association was first organized on April 20, 1886, and among its objects
wage schedules were to be agreed upon and stood by, by the railroads.
Mr. Debs was called February 7 and gave his testimony clearly and
without hesitation. The examination was conducted by Clarence S. Darrow.
He testified that the object of the A. R. U. organization was the
unification of _all_ railroad employes for their mutual benefit and
protection. The attorneys for the railroads tried hard to exclude many
answers, but the court ruled them competent and Mr. Debs said there were
several railroad organizations and they were at war with one another and
had been for a long time. The same classes of men were eligible to
different organizations and the Railroad Managers’ Association played
off these organizations against one another. The railroads took
advantage of this fact and made contracts with one or the other
organizations and these would operate to the disadvantage of the others.
“The concentration of the smaller railroads into the larger had been
going on for 20 years, and there had been a gradual reduction of wages.”
These things compelled the idea of organization of the A. R. U.
The first strike was on the Great Northern and commenced April 13, 1894,
and lasted eighteen days.
“I first learned of the Pullman strike May 11, 1894. It was done
contrary to my advice. I investigated conditions at Pullman first May 4,
1894, and again May 18, 1894. I made an investigation among the Pullman
employes and was helped by the Rev. Carwardine of Pullman. I came to the
conclusion that the Pullman Company was in the wrong, that wages had
been unjustifiably reduced at different times below the living point and
that rents were much too high in comparison with what was charged for
the same class of dwellings elsewhere. The Pullman Company owned the
whole town of Pullman, streets, water works, houses and everything.”
Newspaper reporters were admitted to all sessions of the convention held
at Chicago June 12, 1894, except one where finances were considered. All
telegrams were subjected voluntarily to the examination of the press
reporters.
Mr. Debs then gave a resume of his speech at the convention and stated
that in his speech he spoke in particular about the victory on the Great
Northern having been a peaceful one. He then testified as to the
conference held by the convention committee with Manager Wicks of the
Pullman Company and the committee reported June 16, that the manager of
the Pullman Company said they had nothing to arbitrate. He testified as
to the speech made to the convention by Rev. Carwardine; that the Rev.
Carwardine told of his three years’ life in Pullman and that the men and
their families were at the point of starvation. The convention voted
$2,000 for the relief of the Pullman employes. A committee was appointed
to notify the Pullman Company that unless arbitration was agreed upon by
June 26 a boycott on Pullman cars would be ordered. He further testified
that he had advised all committees coming to his headquarters to abstain
from any acts of violence and in reply to a question put by the counsel,
replied, “No, sir; never in all my life have I broken the law or advised
others to do so.”
His testimony was listened to with marked interest by the jury.