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Debs and Coxey

Eugene V. Debs played a large role in aiding the United States recover from the strike. Debs served as a labor organizer and socialist from 1855 to 1926. He began his adventure to success in Indiana's Terre Haut Lodge of Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen where he served as a national secretary. Simultaneously, Debs went into politics as a Democratic candidate for a city clerk in 1879. He was first elected over Republican and Greenback candidates but was reelected in 1881. During his time in office his ideas evolved. Originally, he supported the organization of workers by their "separate crafts (History.com, 2)" and resisted industrial organization goal of the Knights of Labor. Although, his year long involvement in a strike against Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad changes him. He now thought craft organization was hurting working people's efforts to secure fair wages and working conditions. Also, Debs thought concentrated corporate power had a deliberating impact on political rights and the American Dream opportunity. As a result, he resigned as secretary of brotherhood and organized an industrial union of railroad workers. Debs was sent to jail for his intense advocation and at this point had a 2nd change of view in 1894 with the strike against the Pullman Company. This strike was caused by trains being made in Chicago as the Pullman built houses on the 600 acres of land and rented out the houses to the workers while it was technically publicly owned. As a result, George B. Pullman who was the proud owner saw the town as a solution to the challenges of industrial workers. Although, many were unhappy from the high rents and "regimentation". In the winter of 1893-1894, Pullman cut wages by approxiametly 25% giving himself the blame for its own low revenues during this depression. (Brinkley, 447) He walked away with the conviction questioning the ability of trade unions to fight capital's economic power and began seeing socialism as a solution to this economic bust. (Brinkley, 536)

 

Jacob S. Coxey aided in creating job opportunities for the unemployed in 1894. He accomplished this through advocating a massive public works program in 1894. (Alexander, 129) Although, the congress would not accept his ideas so he began a march through Washington named "Coxey's Army" to insist on it. They still wouldn't listen to him as they saw it as similar to the Homestead and Pullman strikes which proved instability and the people trying to take control in a lower scale revolution. (Brinkley, 494)

Works Cited

Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

"History.com." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Jacob S. Coxey. Digital image. Ohio History Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

"Eugene V. Debs". Digital image. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2016

Alexander, Benjamin F. Coxey's Army: Popular Protest in the Gilded Age. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP, 2015. Print.