A CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN RAILWAY UNION CALLED TO TAKE ACTION ON THE
STRIKE.
In an editorial on the trial, headed: The Press against Justice, the
Chicago Times had this to say: "When it became evident that the rights
and actions of E. V. Debs and his associates in the American Railway
Union strike were to be reviewed in court this paper said editorially:
"The Times appeals to its contemporaries and to the people to join with
it in avoiding all clamor which may in the least degree influence the
findings of the court or bring its proceedings into contempt." It
appears that the appeal fell upon deaf ears.
"Such papers as the Tribune and the Evening Journal seized upon the very
first utterance of Mr. Debs' counsel as an opportunity for insidious
effort to prejudice the court and the people against the cause of the
labor leaders.
"Two of the editorials and two of what it calls editorialettes were
necessary to the Tribune yesterday in order to give its advice to the
prosecuting lawyers and the court proper expression. The other organs of
plutocracy though less lavish of editorial space, employed their news
columns to the same end. The first strike of the allied newspapers is to
pronounce the opening plea of the counsel for the defense, Mr. Erwin, in
effect an assertion of the gospel of anarchy.
"Overworked as it is by the bigoted press the word anarchy still serves
as a more or less effective bogyman to frighten timid and ill-informed
people, but no one who will read the reports of Mr. Erwin's address will
find any anarchistic doctrines lurking therein.
"He charged that Pullman and the railroad managers had conspired
together against the interest of workingmen, that the manner of the
conspiracy made resort to the law hopeless, that lawmakers could not or
would not act, and under these conditions the men were justified in
combining, resisting and refusing to work longer for Mr. Pullman or the
roads allied with him.
"The Times is unable to discern the savour of anarchy in that. It is in
effect only a declaration that when employes combine to resist them,
neither by direct statement or by innuendoes did the attorney suggest
or excuse violence or the destruction of property. He erred, the Times
thinks, in describing Pullman's course of procedure as illegal, for
unhappily, law as it stands, protects Pullman in his most despotic and
oppressive acts. If Pullman's course had been illegal, action at law
instead of a strike and boycott would have been the remedy for it, but
with the exception of this over-statement which may have been due to
inadvertence, Mr. Erwin said nothing that men of fair and judicial minds
can denounce as false, and nothing at all incendiary. The clamor of the
conspiracy is raised to defeat justice."
After the release of the officers a meeting was called at the Revere
House, of the directors of the American Railway Union. They concluded to
call a convention of the delegates from the different local unions, to
meet in Chicago, August 2d, and take some action on the strike. Each
local union was notified of this action and instructed to send a
delegate with full power to act.
After this meeting of the officers, they at once repaired to Ulrich
Hall, where an enormous crowd greeted Mr. Debs with the greatest
enthusiasm.
Mr. Debs,--after being introduced by the chairman of the meeting, Mr.
Adams,--was given three cheers with such a vim that the building fairly
shook. He then advanced to the platform and said: "I see you have
changed your quarters since I saw you before, and I am glad to say we
have changed ours also.
"When Judge Wood delivered his ruling yesterday he declared it to be
illegal for men to combine and strike.
"If that is the law, labor organizations had better disband at once. If
we have no right to strike, no right to combine, no right to exercise
the functions which are delegated to us, then we might as well give up
and acknowledge that we are slaves.
"If that is the law we have no right to resist or defend ourselves
against the injustice of employers.
"No matter how much has been said about the stars and stripes and the
freedom of the workingman, if that is the final tribunal, corporate
capital has the right to suck the life blood from the toiler who must
make no sign. But I am not prepared to believe that this is in harmony
with the constitution. If this is the constitution, then our liberty is
gone. Mr. Erwin sounded the slogan yesterday when he declared that there
is a higher power than the courts, a power greater than the aggregated
combinations of capital and railroads. That is the inherent rights of
workingmen to strike at the polls.
"What we want then is to rid ourselves of the old party shackles.
"We want to change the constitution so that even federal judges will be
elected by the people. Then no judge will render a decision defying all
law and justice. It is wonderful how sensitive the machinery of justice
is to any complaint directed against the workingman.
"But how is it when corporations combine? Is it of record that any
officials of any one of them has ever been in prison for violating the
law?
"It is a notorious fact that the Santa Fe has robbed the people of
$7,000,000 in the face of the interstate commerce law. Why not bring
these colossal scoundrels to justice too? They say we must obey the law.
I say we are law-abiding, and I defy any man to show a single instance
where the heads of the labor organization have advocated violence. If
the authorities want the law respected let them enforce it against the
rich and poor alike.
"In July, 1892, when the switchmen struck, the soldiers were called out
to suppress them. Deputy marshalls set fire to a lot of box cars in
Buffalo, N. Y., and this furnished the railroads an excuse to call on
the government for soldiers. The railroads are still violating the eight
hour law for which the men struck. They arrested the switchmen while the
corporations are still allowed to trample the law under foot.
"Is not that enough to bring disrespect of the law? As it is now, the
whole thing is a roaring farce. Has anybody ever heard of soldiers being
called out to guard the rights of workingmen? Whatever else I have
suffered myself, I have not lost the right of free speech. If Judge Wood
expounds the law I would rather rot in jail than be an alleged freeman.
There is no man in the country who can directly charge me with violating
the law of this country. Did any one of you ever hear me advocate
violence? (A mighty no went up in response.) On the other hand did
anyone here ever hear me counsel the men to be frank and straight
forward, and honest and law-abiding in all they did?"
The audience shouted yes to this and President Debs continued:
"Before we get through with this trial it will be shown that the real
conspirators are the railroad managers. Then if I go to the penitentiary
Mr. Egan will have the distinction of accompanying me. We will produce
the proof that the real purpose of the General Managers Association was
to reduce wages, and that until we stopped them on the Great Northern,
they were going around the circle with that end in view.
"When it comes to striking at the polls we know the people will be with
us, it will be a contest against the money power by which this country
has been absolutely ruled for so many years. Havemeyer goes into the
United States Senate and dictates what the duty on sugar shall be, and
all the people combined can't stop him. Let a poor man go to Washington
to protest and he is arrested for treading on the grass.
"I am a populist and favor wiping out both old parties, so they will
never come into power again. I have been a democrat all my life and I am
ashamed to admit it. I want every one of you to go to the polls and vote
the peoples' ticket."
At the conclusion of his address, Mr. Debs announced his intention of
going to his home for a few days.
On hearing this, the members of the American Railway Union determined to
escort him to the depot, and, although they had but two hours to make
arrangements, a procession a couple of miles in length was formed.
On arrival at his home in Terre Haute, President Debs was tendered a
great reception. Thousands of his fellow citizens in all stations of
life welcomed him with outstretched arms. Early in the evening the
Naylor Opera House was packed to completion, and hundreds of people were
denied admission owing to the dense throng of people who wished to do
honor to this great leader. When President Debs appeared upon the stage
he was greeted by a roar of applause that shook the building to its very
foundation. His eloquent address on the strike situation and the causes
that led up to it was received with thunders of applause.
This was the man whom the corporate courts had indicted for criminal
conspiracy.