Sheep magazine Archive 2: issues 10-17

22
In 1893 he founded the American
Railway Union that was soon involved
in the great Pullman strike against the
company that operated most of the
country’s railroads. It soon became the
biggest strike in US history at the time.
The bosses used hired gunmen to
intimidate strikers (13 were shot dead)
and the government won an injunction
to halt the strike. Debs was convicted of
defying the injunction and jailed for six
months. While inside he avidly consumed
socialist literature, including Karl Marx’s
Capital. Debs said Capital “set the wires
humming in my system”.
He emerged from prison at the age of
40 as a revolutionary, and had broken
forever from the Democrats. He helped to
bring together groups of socialists and in
1900 ran for president, gaining less than
1 percent of the vote.
He didn’t believe that elections would
bring socialism, and later denounced
the “sewer socialists” who compromised
to win local office and bring in minor
reforms. He was also suspicious of
leaders, saying, “I do not want you to
follow me or anyone else. If you are
looking for a Moses to lead you out of
this capitalist wilderness, you will stay
right where you are.
“I would not lead you into the promised
land if I could, because if I led you in,
someone else would lead you out.”
His vision was that, “When I rise it will be
with the ranks, and not from the ranks.”
Debs spent most of his time organising
and supporting struggle. He was one of
the instigators of the militant Industrial
Workers of the World (IWW) union.
But he did think elections, and political
struggle more generally, could boost the
battles in workplaces and localities.
Against those who wanted to just build
unions, Debs argued, “Some say politics
means destruction to labour organisation
but the reverse is the fact.”
Debs refused to make concessions to
racism in order to win votes. He said,
“The man who seeks to arouse prejudice
among workingmen is not their friend.
He who advises the white wage worker to
look down upon the black wage-worker
is the enemy of both.” He would not
speak to segregated audiences.
SHEEP IN THE ROAD : NUMBER TEN