Debs: His Life, Writings and Speeches, with a Department of AppreciationsDebs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor)
History
Debs: His Life, Writings and Speeches, with a Department of Appreciations
Debs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor)
Socialism -- United States; Socialist Party (U.S.)
Now follows what the Strike Commissioners themselves have to say about
the deputy marshals, and their words are specially commended to the
thoughtful consideration of their chief, President Cleveland: “United
States deputy marshals, to the number of 3,600, were selected by and
appointed at request of the General Managers’ Association, and of its
railroads. They were armed and paid by the railroads, and acted in the
double capacity of railroad employes and United States officers. While
operating the railroads they assumed and exercised unrestricted United
States authority when so ordered by their employers, or whenever they
regarded it as necessary. They were not under the direct control of any
government official while exercising authority. This is placing officers
of the government under control of a combination of railroads. It is a
bad precedent, that might well lead to serious consequences.”
THE GOVERNMENT SERVES THE CORPORATIONS.
Here we have it, upon the authority of President Cleveland’s own
Commission, that the United States government under his administration
furnished the railroad corporations with government officers in the form
of deputy marshals to take the places of striking employes, operate the
trains and serve in that dual capacity in any way that might be required
to crush out the strike. This is perhaps more credit than the
ex-President expected to receive. His own Commission charges him, in
effect, with serving the railroads as strike-breaker by furnishing
government employes to take the places of striking railroad men and
arming them with pistols and clubs and with all the authority of
government officials.
Page after page bears testimony of the disreputable character of the
deputy marshals sworn in to the number of several thousand and turned
loose like armed bullies to “preserve the peace.”
The report of the Strike Commission contains 681 pages. I have a mass of
other testimony, but for the purpose of this article have confined
myself to the report of Mr. Cleveland’s own Commission.
HOW THE STRIKERS WERE DEFEATED.
Hundreds of pages of evidence are given by impartial witnesses to
establish the guilt of the railroad corporations, to prove that the
leaders of the strike counselled peace and order; that the strikers
themselves were law-abiding and used their influence to prevent
disorder; that there was no trouble until the murderous deputy marshals
were sprung upon the community, and that these instigated trouble to
pave the way for injunctions and soldiers and change of public
sentiment, thereby defeating the strike.
CONFIRMED BY CLEVELAND.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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