Debs Foundation seeks members
Eugene Victor Debs (1855-1926) was a multifaceted person who excelled as a labor leader, political activist and general promoter of social justice. Few have given so completely of themselves to the cause of human rights.
Those wishing to keep Debs' dreams alive are urged to become members of the Debs Foundation, said John H. Burner, assistant Illinois state legislative director.
As a boy of 14, Debs quit school to help support his family in hard times, Burner said. His first job was in the railroad yard in east Terre Haute, Ind. This began a lifelong association with railroaders in particular and the working class overall. His mother's concerns and admonitions regarding the hazardous nature of railroading were brought home painfully to young Debs when a close friend was killed in one of the all-too-frequent train wrecks.
When workers organized a Terre Haute chapter of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, Debs showed up and was elected secretary, Burner said. "Thus began Gene Debs' rise in the ranks of labor. Debs became general secretary of the BLF and editor of its magazine, and rose to national prominence in the labor movement."
Debs' founding of the American Railway Union in 1893 is a watershed in Debs' life and in the structure of industrial unions. The crushing of the ARU after its involvement in the Pullman strike convinced Debs to turn to the political arena to help shape public opinion and create the legal institutions that would make possible effective union organizations, Burner said.
Debs succeeded in demonstrating the power of industrial-type unions. His political activism nudged the country toward legislation to restrict child labor, give unions the legal rights to bargain collectively, and women the right to vote. Debs said, "While there is a lower class, I am of it..." and he gave freely of himself to bring empowerment and a sense of dignity to that class.
Each year since 1962, under the auspices of the E.V. Debs Foundation, a group of like-minded "Debsians" gather in Terre Haute to celebrate the memory of Debs and to honor with an award an American whose lifework places him or her in the Debs tradition, Burner said. H. "Ed" Gilbert, former Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen president and founding UTU vice president, is a past recipient of this prestigious award. Al Chesser, past UTU president, was the featured speaker in 1975, introducing late recipient Martin H. Miller, a retired UTU member and close friend of Debs who served as conductor on Debs' funeral train.
The 1999 banquet will be October 29, honoring Gloria Johnson, who is president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women and vice president of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
Banquet guests also can avail themselves of the rare opportunity to tour the home Debs built in 1890 and lived in until his death in 1926, Burner said. The home is full of original Debs furniture, many photographs of the era, and union and political memorabilia. The memorial garden has plaques honoring pioneer labor leaders.
Membership in the Debs Foundation is available in many categories. Dues and contributions are tax deductible. The foundation owns and maintains the Debs home and offers several educational and cultural programs. It is a voluntary organization with no paid staff.
For more information about the Debs Foundation, write P.O. Box 843, Terre Haute, IN 47808.