Villains or Heroes—Debs and Pullman Explored in Woodstock Event

Eugene V. Debs, the charismatic leader of the American Railway Union, and George Pullman, the inventor and industrialist with a reputation for paternalism in the model town he built for his factories and employees, were the chief antagonists of the great Pullman Boycott/Strike of 1894.   I have  written about each man and the strike and its aftermath.  Check out this account of the strike if you are interested in details.

Each man is viewed as a hero to some and the incarnation of evil to other.  Debs is lionized by the labor movement and the American left.   Through Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2016 a whole new generation of activists came to admire the Senator’s inspiration as a Socialist.  On the other hand the right wing demonizes his militant unionism, avowed socialism, and fervent opposition to the America’s entrance in World War I.  

C. J. Martello will portray George Pullman at Stage Left.

Pullman is held up as an up-by-the-boot-strap success story who built one of the most successful industrial companies of the late 19th Century, his Pullman Palace Car Company as well as for the model town he developed, and his charity.  His resistance to “tyrannical and violent” labor is seen by many as a heroic stand.  But labor and social historians believe that the mask of benevolence toward his employees was stripped away at the slightest challenge and that he waged class war with the energy and enthusiasm of the worst of the Robber Barons.  Although a famous Universalist in his day, he is an embracement to modern Unitarian Universalists who usually omit his name in the lists of famous Unitarians and Universalists they are so fond of creating.

The lives and accomplishments of both men will be the focus of a two-day event in Woodstock, Illinois this Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4 presented by Woodstock Celebrates.  Villains or Heroes—Debs and Pullman is a follow up to a years of programs and events leading up to the dedication of a historical marker on the old McHenry County Jail building last year.  Debs and the Executive Board of the ARU were held in the jail following their conviction of interfering with the mail after the strike was crushed by brute military force.

Pullman strikers were confronted by the Illinois National Guard outside the Arcade Building in the town of Pullman.

This year a busy schedule of events will fill both days.

On Saturday morning at 10, the Woodstock Public Library, 424 Judd Street will show The Gilded Age, a recent documentary about the 1880-1896 social-industrial crisis. On Sunday morning at noon, local historian Steve Aavang will guide a walking tour of Woodstock sites associated with Debs and his jailer/friend, Sheriff George Eckert.

Ernest Freeberg, author of Democracy's Prisoner.

 Speakers on Debs and Pullman will present at Stage Left next to the Woodstock Opera House on the Square from 2 to 5 PM on both days, and the venue will host a signing by Ernest Freeberg of his book Democracy’s Prisoner which focus on Debs’ opposition to the Great War and his prosecution for a 1918 anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio which resulted in a long sentence at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.  That case is considered a landmark in the fight for civil liberties in the U.S.

Also appearing at Stage left will be Aavang speaking on the unique relationship between Sheriff Eckert and Debs during and after the jail sentence and C. J. Martello portraying George Pullman.  Local attorney Gunter Gitlin will join Freeberg for a special discussion of the civil liberties implication of Debs’ 1919 conviction.

The Old Man by the Debs historical maker on the Old McHenry County Jail in a recent photo by Bill Delaney.

On both Saturday and Sunday, the Old McHenry County Court House will items from the Debs Foundation museum in Terre Haute, Indiana from 11 am to 5 pm, and the library will showcase Pullman material from the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois from 1 pm to closing.

All day on both days, Ethereal Confections, 113 South Benton Street will offer cocktails popular in the 1890s through 1919. 

Not officially part of the festival, Classic Cinema Woodstock Theater, 209 Main Street, will show the 2027 documentary American Socialist: The Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs on Monday, November 5 at 1 and 7 pm.

All events are on or near Woodstock Square and within easy walking distance and are free to the public.  Voluntary donations are encouraged to support the preservation and renovating Old McHenry County Jail.

My Great, Wonderful, Good, Very Fine Day in Woodstock

The triumphant unveiling of the Historical Marker on the old McHenry County Sheriff's House and Jail with To Suhrbur of the Illinois Labor History Society, William Furry of the Illinois State Historical Society, Duane Pfeifer of the McHenry County Federation of Teachers, and the driving force behind the plaque, Kathleen Spaltro.

It was the most glorious late October day imaginable in Woodstock, Illinois yesterday.  The sunshine was dazzling, the blue sky flawless, shirtsleeve temperature rose to the mid-70’s, fall foliage was in mid-display side by side with brilliant asters and mums with perfect pumpkins on display.  The Square was bustling with browsers, shoppers, and vendors enjoying one of America’s greatest Farmer’s Markets as talented musicians entertained from the classic gazeebo.  Old friends were encountered at every turn.

But what made the day not just special but extraordinary was the long awaited unveiling of the Illinois State Historical Society’s (ISHS) plaque commemorating Eugene V. Debs’s pivotal incarceration in the old McHenry County Jail overlooking the Square.  The event was the result of years of effort by Kathleen Spaltro,  Steve Avang, and other members of Woodstock Celebrates.  To accomplish it in notoriously conservative and Republican McHenry County they had to overcome skepticism and some outright hostility to acknowledging in any way probably of Woodstock’s most important and significant historic connection. 

Opposition came not only from those determined to block the recognition of a Red but from the skittish fundraisers  of the Friends of the Old Courthouse, the non-profit charged with raising the hefty sums needed to complete restoration of the Old McHenry County Courthouse.  They claimed the Historic Marker on the Jail would scare off deep pocket corporate donors. 

Gunner Gittlan, standing left, indroduces speakers in the Old Court House before the unveiling.  (Mike Mallory, Northwest Herald)

But in his remarks to a crowd jammed into a room in the Court House before the unveiling, I.S.H.S Executive Director William Furry said the Debs plaque is probably “the most significant historical marker his group will place in this century… There is no marker in the state of Illinois that says ‘socialist,’  But we have about 80 markers for [President Abraham] Lincoln – sleeping here, tipping his hat here. There’s a marker in southern Illinois that says, ‘Lincoln saw a bunch of people at the land office.’”  This marker, he said, represents the Society’s determination to make Historic markers “more substantive and have much more to say about who we really are as a people.”

Although the Northwest Herald botched it in their otherwise fine coverage of the event, the McHenry County Federation of Teachers, Local 1642 of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) which represents Woodstock District 200 teachers and staff and McHenry County College support staff came forward with a contribution that covered the cost of the plaque.  By falsely claiming that funding came from Woodstock’s  tax increment financing fund the paper fuels faux outrage by reactionaries.  Union President Duane Pfeiffer proudly explained his organization’s gift.

Also delivering preliminary remarks were Tom Suhrbur, Vice President of the Illinois Labor History Society (ILHS) and Noel Beasley of the Eugene V. Debs Foundation.

Notably absent from the program and the unveiling were the Mayor, City Manager, or and Representatives of the City Council.  These kinds of folks are usually Johnny-on-the-spot for feel-good photo ops of important civic occasions.  Their absence was likely due to skittishness over fear of political fallout and pushback.  At least one current Council member, Jim Prinville, a local real estate developer attended as a member of the audience but kept a low profile.

The Sheriff's Office and Jail.

After a brief program, we all went outside to unveil the black shrouded maker on the Jackson Street side of the Old Jail and Sheriff’s House.  The ILSH’s Shurbur, ISHS’s Furry, Pfeiffer of the Teacher’s union, and sparkplug Kathleen Spaltro did the honors to cheers and applause. We all lingered in the street admiring the plaque, snapping photos, and congratulating the principals.

Nowhere to be found were any threatened protestors.

The plaque in all of its glory.

When we finally drifted away there was a two hour wait before a scheduled panel discussion at the Woodstock Public Library.  I headed over to Swiss Maid Bakery on Benton Street for the best lunch deal around the Square—a super plump hot dog, small bag of chips, and a can of pop for three bucks and change.  I took my feast to the Square where I sat in the sunshine in front of the Gazeebo listening to Andy Andrick and friends harmonize beautifully on great songs from my youth. 

I wandered over for my first good look at the new Woodstock mural on the wall of the pedway alongside of the Woodstock Theater which connects a city parking lot with Main Street.  Colorful panels represent the Groundhog Day film, Orson Welles, “Stars of the Opera House State, and local celeb Chester Gould and his creation, Dick Tracy.  Cool and fun. 

The Groundhog Day panel of the new Woodstock mural.

I stopped at D.C. Cobbs for a celebratory libation before a short stroll amid some of Woodstock’s finest painted lady Victorian homes on my way to the Library.

Due to my leisurely pace I arrived during Steve Avang’s portrayal of Sheriff George Eckert who was Deb’s jailer and became his life-long friend and admirer despite their obvious political differences.  Noel Beasley put Deb’s experience with the Pullman Strike and Boycott into perspective including comparisons to the powerful forces arrayed against workers then and out current situation.  Kathy Spaltro dived into the importance of the two historic Supreme Court cases involving Debs, their relationship to Free Speech, and in particular how the proceeding that led to his Woodstock jail time were a collusion between the powerful railroad barons, government, and the courts.  Woodstock attorney Gunnar Gittlan provided a legal analysis of the case.

After the presentations, discussion was lively and well informed.  I got to show off a little labor history trivia and bloviate more than necessary.  Which made me happier than a pig in shit. 

A good day indeed.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Eugene V. Debs Honored in Woodstock

Eugene V. Debs, bottom row far right, and the entire Executive Board of the American Railway Union were held in the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock, Illinois  in 1895 following the Pullman Strike.  Pictured are Rogers, Elliot, Keliher hogan, Burns, Goodwin, and Debs.

When Eugene V. Debs was last in Woodstock, Illinois 122 years ago in 1895 he was carried from the old McHenry County Jail on the town square on the shoulders of thousands of residents and working people to an awaiting special train that took him to Chicago for an equally boisterous and even larger welcoming crowd.  The six months that he and the other officers of the American Railway Union (ARU) spent as inmates at the Jail after the epic and historic Pullman Strike of 1894 had literally changed the life of the labor leader.  While under the none-too-onerous custody of Sheriff George Eckert Debs, a Democrat and former local office holder in his Terre Haute, Indiana hometown read and studied intensely and emerged a convinced Socialist.  

The McHenry County Court House with the Sheriff's House and Jail from a hand tinted postcard circa 1910.

Now after three years of effort Woodstock Celebrates, an organization dedicated to promoting the city’s cultural heritage, will unveil an Illinois State Historical Society’s historic marker for Sheriff’s House and Jail, 101 N. Johnson Street this Saturday, October 21 at 11 a.m.  The Illinois Labor History Society (ILHS) were co-sponsor of the effort and the McHenry County Federation of Teachers donated $1,500 to cover the City’s share of the cost of the   plaque.  The City Council approved the marker last May, which was required because the City owns the Court House and Jail buildings. 

 

Debs adresses a massive crowd on Woodstock Square after his release from jail.

No one worked harder to make it all a reality than Kathleen Spaltro who had a vision not only for the plaque but for a series of events marking Deb’s connections to Woodstock and especially his critically important role as a free speech figure.  Although originally conceived as a clustered series of events much like those honoring Orson Welles a few years ago, many of the events have stretched over the past year. These have included a public recreation of Deb’s release from Jail by the Perkins Players of the McHenry County Historical Society, The Prisoner of Woodstock stories and panel discussion featuring Steve Avang, Dr. Bill Belz, Len Kaufmann, and Jim May at the Stage Left; Eugene Debs and the Suppression of Freedom of Speech during World War One presentation at the McHenry County Historical Society in Union.  In addition Debs has been honored annually for the last three years at a Labor Day Celebration on the Square organized by local progressives and labor union representatives.

Kathleen Spaltro  was a driving force behind the Debs recognition.

But events this Saturday are the icing on the long awaited cake.

Spaltro and representatives of the Illinois State Historical Society, the Labor History Society, the Teacher’s Union, and the Deb’s Foundation in Terre Haute will all be on hand to speak.

Folks will be free for a spell to enjoy picturesque Woodstock and its attractions—check out the new mural on the pedway by Woodstock Theater before an important historical program.

Eugene V. Debs and Constitutional Liberties, 1895 and 1919 will be presented at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 W. Judd Street from 2 to 3:30 pm.  Noted Debs Scholar Ernest Freeberg of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and author of Democracy’s Prisoner:  Eugene V. Debs, the Great War, and the Right to Dissent was the originally scheduled speaker but just cancelled due to a family emergency He will be invited back on another occasion.  Meanwhile Kathleen Spaltro, local historian Steve Avang, and noted Woodstock attorney Gunner Gitlan will ably lead a discussion of the two United States Supreme Court cases concerning his constitutional freedoms decided in 1895 and 1919. The first Supreme Court decision, In re Debs, sent him to McHenry County Jail. The second, Debs v. United States, upheld his ten-year sentence in federal prison for delivering an anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio in 1918.  Debs ran for President on the Socialist Party ticket while a prisoner held in harsh conditions at the prison in Atlanta, Georgia. 

After the program Avang will lead a walking tour of sights associated with Deb’s Woodstock stay and his fellow Alsatian Sheriff Eckert.

It promises to be a jam packed weekend for folks interested in social justice and civil liberties in McHenry County.  Saturday night at 7 pm the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry will present an evening of contemporary art music with Forest Ransburg, John Urban and friends to benefit the Compassion4Campers program serving McHenry County’s homeless population.  Tickets are $15 per person or $20 per couple and can be ordered in advance from Brown Paper Tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3104789  or purchased at the door subject to availability.

On Sunday evening October 22 even non-religious Eugene Debs would turn out in support of the rights of immigrants now under attack in the county and around the country.  Be with him in spirit at the Interfaith Vigil for Immigrant Justice at Bates Park, 1500 North Seminary Avenue in Woodstock across the street from the current McHenry County Jail and ICE Detention Center from 7 to 8 PM.

It’s a weekend to learn, be inspired, act and resist.