Eugene V. Debs Internet Archive
The Marxists Internet Archive is proudly mirroring the Eugene V. Debs Internet Archive, started by Socialist Party member John Metz in July of 2001. This year is also the 100th anniversary of the the Socialist Party of America, the party founded by Debs. We’ve reformated the text to meet Marxists Internet Archive standards, but all other attributes have been left the same. Debs wrote for many of the hundreds of socialist newspapers journals and magazines that existed during his life. The collection of all these writings is a life time project, a labor of love for America’s greatest Marxist. We are in debt to John Metz and the Chicago Socialist Party for allowing us to help build the Eugene V. Debs Internet Archive. Beginning in 2006, Robert Bills, the National Secretary of the Socialist Labor Party of the US, started contributing rare texts by Debs from the extensive SLP Archives. We thank Robert for his comradely contributions. Lastly, we have been linking to various E.V. Debs documents that have been placed on the Marxists Internet Archive Early American Marxism archive where many Deb’s documents reside and are in PDF format. The MIA’s EAM is a mirror of Tim Davenport’s Marxist History Archive.
EUGENE VICTOR DEBS (1855-1926) was one of the greatest and most articulate advocates of
workers’ power to have ever lived. During the early years of the 
labor movement in the United States, Debs was
far ahead of his times, leading the formation of the American Railway Union (ARU) and the American Socialist Party.
Debs was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 5, 1855. He left home at 14 to work on the railroad and soon became interested in union activity. As president of the American Railway Union, he led a successful strike against the Great Northern Railroad in 1894. Two months later he was jailed for his role in a strike against the Chicago Pullman Palace Car Company. While in jail, Socialist and future Congressman Victor Berger talked with Debs and introduced him to the ideas of Marx and socialism. When he was released from prison, he announced that he was a Socialist.
He soon formed the Social Democratic Party, which eventually became the Socialist Party in 1901. He became their perennial presidential candidate. He ran on the Socialist ticket in 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920 when he received his highest popular vote—about 915,000 (6%)—from within a prison cell. He had been arrested once again, this time for “sedition”; because he opposed World War I. Many Socialists were imprisoned during this time because they felt that the war was being fought for the profits of the rich, but with the blood of the poor. Debs was fortunately released in 1921.
Debs died in Elmhurst, Illinois, on October 20, 1926, but he is remembered to this day by countless labor activists from all over the political spectrum. The Eugene V. Debs Foundation works to continue his legacy into the 21st century...
To learn more about Debs and his life, read Stephen Marion Reynolds’ Biography of Eugene V. Debs for a full accounting of his life and times
Table of Contents
Life of Eugene V. Debs, Grand Secretary and Treasurer (1888)
The Common Laborer (1890)
What Can We Do for Working People? (1890)
Agitation and Agitators (1890)
Powderly and Gompers (1890)
Proclamation to American Railway Union (1895)
Milwaukee Enthused: Debs Speaks to Tremendous Meetings in the Cream City
A Call to the People (1897)
To the Hosts of the Social Democracy of America (Labor Day Message—1897)
The Future (1898)
The American Movement (1898)
Labor’s Martyred Heroes (1898)
Against Fusion: Debs Reiterates his Declaration for the Benefit of Doubters: He Urges the Importance of the Convention, Where a National Platform Will Be Adoptedt (1898)
Speech to the First Annual Convention of the Social Democracy of America, June 9, 1898 - excerpt.t (1898)
Outlook for Socialism in the United States (1900)
Socialists Who Would Emasculate Socialism (1901)
Speech to the First Annual Convention of the Social Democracy of America, June 9, 1898 - excerpt,
The July Convention (1901)
The Mission of Socialism is Wide as the World: Speech at Chicago, Illinois, (1901)
How I Became a Socialist (1902)
The Western Labor Movement (1902) [PDF version]
What’s the Matter with Chicago? (1902)
Auguries for the New Year: E.V. Debs Writes of His Late Tour (1903)
On the Color Question (1903)
The Negro In The Class Struggle (1903) [PDF version]
The Negro and His Nemesis (1904)
The Socialist Party & the Working Class (1904)
To The Socialist and Its Readers (1904)
The Federal Government and the Pullman Strike: Eugene V. Debs’ Reply to Grover Cleveland’s Magazine Article, (1904)
To The Socialist and Its Readers (1904)
Apostrophe to Liberty (1904)
The Coming Union (1905) [PDF version]
Revolutionary Unionism(1905)
Class Unionism (1905) [pdf version here]
Berger and His Opponents (1905)
Industrial Unionism (1905)
Speech to the IWW Founding Convention (1905)
The Industrial Convention (1905) [PDF version]
Berger and His Opponents (1905)
The Industrial Workers: The Convention and Its Work (1905)
Winning a World (1905)
Arouse, ye slaves! (1906) [ PDF version]
Open Letter to President Roosevelt (1906)
You Railway Men (1906) [PDF version of original pamphlet]
The
Socialist Party and the Trade Unions: Contribution to a Symposium in The
Worker (1906)
John Bown: Americ’s Greatest Hero (1907)
Mother Jones (1907)
Revolution (1907)
Unionism and Socialism (1907)
Railroad Employees and Socialism (1908)
A Short Speech Amongst Friends: Girard, Kansas (May 21, 1908)
Roosevelt and His Regime (1907)
Unity and Victory (1908)
The Issue (1908)
The Socialist Party’s Appeal (1908)
Letter to Frank Bohn, National Secretary, Socialist Labor Party (1908)
Susan B. Anthony: A Reminiscence (1909)
Industrial Unionism (1909)
Fred Warren Convicted by a Packed Jury (1909)
Trial and Conviction of Fred D. Warren: Summary of the Celebrated Case—Liberty of the Press the Issue—Two Years in the Federal Courts and the Motive Behind It (1909)
Industrial Unionism: A Letter to Tom Mann (1910)
A Letter from Debs on Immigration (1910)
The Little Lords of Love (1910)
Working Class Politics: Extracts of a Campaign Speech for Local Cook Co. SPA at Riverview Park, Chicago, Sept. 18, 1910 (1910)
The Secret of Efficient Expression (1911)
Help! Help!! Help!!! (1911)
Danger Ahead (1911)
Labor’s Struggle For Supremacy (1911)
The Secret of Efficient Expression (1911)
The Eight Hour Work Day (1911)
Mexico (1911)
The Crime Of Craft Unionism (1911)
This is Our Year: But Two Parties And But One Issue (1912)
The Socialist Party’s Appeal (1912)
Political Appeal to American Workers (1912)
Capitalism and Socialism (1912)
A Message to the Children (1912)
A Contrast Presented by Presidential Candidates of the Socialist Labor Party and the Socialist Party (1912)
The Fight for Freedom (1914)
“The Socialist Party’s Appeal” (1914)
Telegram Read at the Funeral of Julius Augustus Wayland: Girard, Kansas—Nov. 13, 1912 (1912)
Pioneer Women in America (1912)
The Results of the 1912 Election: A Statement (1912)
The Old Umbrella Mender (1913)
The Coppock Brothers: Heroes of Harper’s Ferry (1914)
Jesus, the Supreme Leader (1914)
On the Death of Daniel De Leon (1914)
American Socialist Forerunner of Powerful Revolutionary Press (1914)
The Gunmen and the Miners (1914)
Industrial and Social Democracy (1915)
Louis Tikas: Ludlow’s Hero and Martyr (1915)
Peace on Earth (1915)
The Social Spirit (1915)
The School for the Masses: The People’s College of Fort Scott, Kansas, (1915)
Russell and His War Views: Letter to the Editor of The American Socialist(1916)
Politicians and Preachers (1916)
Social Reform (1916)
Peace (1916)
James Connolly’s Foul Murder (1916)
Face to Face with Facts (1917)
Towards the Rising Sun (1918)
The Canton, Ohio Anti-War Speech (1918)
The Strike That Should Have Won (1918)
“Marx and Young People,” (1918)
The Campaign This Year (1918)
Indicted, Unashamed and Unafraid (1918)
Marx and Young People (1918)
Views on the Double Attack on Russia (1918)
Statement to the Court Upon Being Convicted of Violating the Sedition Act (1918)
A Convention to Restate, Not Apologize (1918)
The Situation in Ohio (1919)
The Wall Street Explosion (1920)
Why Are We Not Stronger? (1920)
Review and Personal Statement (1922)
Debs Calls the Jury of the People to Try Indiana Governor (1922)
An Appeal for Russian Famine Relief (1922)
Review and Personal Statement (1922)
Embattled Liberators (1922)
Getting Together (1923)
Michigan in the Muck (1923)
Let Us Build (1923)
A Sheriff I Loved (1923)
Socialist Party Due to Make Greatest Gains in its Entire History, Eugene Debs Declares: National Chairman of the Socialist Party Outlines Political Situation (1924)
The American Labor Party (1925)
The American Labor Party (1924)
The American Labor Party (1925)
Speech at 1925 Conference for Progressive Political Action (1925)