The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-07-29
Northern Disturbances.

States, are trt ceable to two distinct causes
just rs there were two distinct agencies q
work in their enactment. A "strike'
originated the disturbance, Rowdyisn
brought to it the elementso Of disorder and
destruction. Yet between the organized
protest of labor, which is called STRIKE
aud the fierce disorganization Of Commun-
ism or simply Rowdyism, there is no con :
nection. They are both wrong, but wrong
in different directions. When we say tnat
"strikipg" ia wrong we do not refer to that
organized concert of action by which en-
ployees refuse to go on with their work,
but to that lawless violence 80 often re-
sorted to by them in preventing others
from doing as they please in the same
regard.
Wrong as it lie. however. popular eym ympa-
thy in America goes forth so strongly to
the enslaved laborers Of great monopolies,
that it condones much of their criminality
and would be glad to excuse them entirely
| if possible. Those vast monopolies, the
| trunk railroads of Pennsylvania and New
York, with their tributary lines, Lave en-
tered into a foolish and arrogant contest
with the Mississippi river for the shipment
of grain, meats, and other heavy freights.
In this struggle after the impossible they
gradually cut down the pay Of laborers
until it bordered upon the starvation point.
Then came another reduction of ten per
cent, and human endurance was unable to
stand it. While such q stockholder as Van
derbilt was drawing his seven millions Of
dollars a year in dividends, the hard work
ing fireman was averaging twenty -one
dollars a month for the support Of himself
aud family. If he dared to spend his pit
tance elsewhere than at the Company's
be caught away from home for night he
was prohibited from occupying a caboose
car and forced to sleep out in the weather
or spend money for lodgings.
In fact, the railroad potentates got into
the habit of treating their employees as an
improvident master treats his cattle, that
is, without a particle of regard for their
welfare, their comfort, their health, their
feelings. Provided they did not quite
starve to death the railroad kings were
satisfied. In the mean time these nabobe,
while ignoring the commonest claims of
hum snity, did not forget the lobb:es of
Congress and of State Legislatures they
did not disdain to enter the political arena
| aHd dictate q President to the country
they did not neglect to form "ring''
among themselves for the aggrandizement
of Capital and the pauperising of Labor.
Alb, no! But let Labor attempt to form it's
ring let it strike for living wages, and
hear the howl of indignation from virtuous
and outraged Capital. Theee fellows are the
veriest tyrants, the most souless, iphuman
task-maeters that ever grew fat and inso-
lent with the plethora of stolen money.
! No wonder then that the American pub
lie has pronounced sgainst them. OF
course all good citizens regret violence
and all honest men reprobate plunder.
The means by which a small installment OF
retribution has overtaken these rascalr
iteelf is another thing. We believe that q
suppressed shout of exultation went up all
over the nation when it was announced
that they had lost ten millions of dollars
in property. We believe that the univer-
sal verdict was: sit served them right, and
it is great pity that every dollar which
they have stolen from the nation and the
States and the cities or which they have
wrung from the sweat and tears of suffering
poverty-it is great pity that every dol
lar Of it was not turued to ashes ia the
same way"
Now this is, of course, only 80 far as the
railroad kings Themselves are affected.
The destruction of property by fire is al
ways to be deplored as loss to the world
at large, and, whenever the result OF
lawlessnsss, is still more to be deplorcd ne
blow to the social fabric itself
1t is said, however, that in the recent
events which have attracted such intense
attention the strikers had no connection
with the rowdies and nothing to do with
the destruction of property which took
place. The latter movement has probably
| I>aor cbaoLad fhia