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.)
“In our cases at Chicago an injunction was issued at a time when the
American Railway Union had its great struggle for human rights and they
were triumphant in restraining myself and colleagues from doing what we
never intended to do and never did do; and then we were put in jail for
not doing it. When that injunction was served on me, to show that I
acted in good faith, I went to two of the best constitutional lawyers in
the City of Chicago and said, ‘What rights, if any, have I under this
injunction? I am a law-abiding citizen; I want to do what is right. I
want you to examine this injunction and then advise me what to do.’ They
examined the injunction. They said, ‘Proceed just as you have been
doing. You are not committing any violence; you are not advising
violence, but you are trying to do everything in your power to restrain
men from the commission of crime or violating the law.’ I followed their
advice and got six months for it. (Laughter and applause.)
“What does Judge Lyman Trumbull say upon that subject? Judge Trumbull is
one of the most eminent jurists the country has produced. He served
sixteen years in the United States Senate; he was chairman of the Senate
Committee on Judiciary; he was on the Supreme Bench of the State of
Illinois; he has held all of the high offices but he is a poor man.
There is not a scar nor a blemish upon his escutcheon. No one ever
impugned his integrity. What does he say about this subject? To use his
exact language he says: ‘The decision carried to its logical conclusion
means that any federal judge can imprison any citizen at his own will.
If this be true, it is judicial despotism, pure and simple, whatever you
may choose to call it.’ When the trials were in progress at Chicago Mr.
Geo. M. Pullman was summoned to give some testimony. Mr. Pullman
attached his car to the New York train and went East, and in some way
the papers got hold of the matter and made some publication about it and
the judge said that Mr. Pullman would be dealt with drastically. In a
few days Mr. Pullman returned and he went into chambers, made a few
personal explanations and that is the last we heard about it. Had it
been myself, I would have to go to jail. That is the difference. Only a
little while ago Judge Henford cited Henry C. Payne, of the Northern
Pacific, to appear before him to answer certain charges, and he went to
Europe and is there yet. Will he go to jail on his return? Of course
not. The reason suggests itself. If it were a railroad striker he would
be in Woodstock instead of Berlin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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