Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-08-28
Have We a Private Standing
ArunV

Within a few years there has grown
up an institution in this county which
is unconstitutional and an alarming
menace to a Republican form Of Gov
eminent. We refer to the private
army mustered, uniformed, armed
and paid by Pinkerton. To all in
tents and purposes PInkerton is a
General with a private army under
him who will obey his commands as
unquestionlngly as the private soldier
obeyed a Napoleon. This army is
raised to suppress strikes and fright
en- laboring men into submission to
the demands of Corporations and en-
plOyers Of large numbers Of men.
They have on several occasions with
out prOvocation fired into prOmiscu-
GUS crowds and killed spectators
None of them have yet been punished
and they seem to be above the reach
Of the civil courts. Just last week
regiment was sent to the officers of
the New York Central railroad to
suppress the strike of the operatives
for better pay. The Chicago Herald
denounces this modern innovation of
allowing a private standing army in
this country and says:
Governor Hill should be taken
sharply to account for permitting the
nj A.v. L. l.
tary powers in Albany This IS a
matter with which a state executive
is entirely competent to deal. No
private citizen or corporation has a
right to bring into a state an armed
body of men and set them up as pre-
servers of the peace. These mercen-
aries are responsible to nobody, as
has been shown on a dozen occasions.
Instead of preserving the peace, the
effect of their presence is usually to
precipitate violence. Their employ
ment in a military capacity should be
prohibited everywhere, and most of
all IN the great empire state of the
east, whose chief executive knows the
difference between a government by
law and a government by the money
lords.
The employment Of the Pinkerton
mercenaries by a strike threatened
corporation is a confession of weak
ness that should not be tolerated.
Either the corporation has no Justice
on It's side or the state is incapable Of
giving it the protection it deserves.
In either case the resort to a private
armed force Is scandal and an out
rage. If popular government is so
weak that in all times of turmoil ir-
responsible armies of mercenaries
must be employed to protect proper
ty and enforce the laws it is an insult
to this country.
Since the above was put in type
the Associated Press says:
WASHINGTON, D. c., August 25.-In
the house to-day Representative
Quinn Of New York, offered for refer
ence the following resolution;
ReSOLUed, That the committee on
the Judiciary be instructed to inquire
and report by bill or otherwise what
legislation within the province of the
! federal government may be proper
and necessary to prevent corporations
! engaged IN Interstate commerce traf-
tic from employing uniustifable large
bodies of armed men denominated
detectives" but clothed with no legal
( functions. The employment of such
so-called detectives operating at the
city of Albany and other places as
recently to place the lives of peace
able and unOfending citizens at the
mercy of persons acting without legal
authority, direction, or responsibility
and to the great injury and detention
Of Interstate commerce.