The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-11-07
P0wDERLY ON: P1NKERToN.

POwDERLY ON: PINKERToN.
Aliens Hired to Butcher American
Ereemen.
Journal OF the Knights of Labor:
Two years ago one man in Chicago
got up strike and tied up a wheat
crop of the United States until the
poor of the land paid twenty cents
extra for every sack of -four they
consumed. No Pinkertons were
called out then. Were they not wan
ted? Two years ago one man or
dered a strike in hogs and tied up
the pork OF the nation until So per
barrel above the regular price was
levied on the consumers. No Pinker-
tons were called for. Were they not
wanted? A trust corners the coal
output and starves the miners,
freezes the children of the poor in our
cities, that the price of coal may not
fall. The community is being in
commoded, the food supply is cut off
and the poor of our large cities suf-
fer, but no Pinkertons are called for.
Do we need them?
A million farmers are forced to paw
tribute to the agent of dozen men.
They yield up 100000 in one
year, and are told by this agent that
the price of the produce they will
bring from the earth this year will
be SO and so. They levy this tribute
on the tillers of the soil without a
vestige of right. They have no more
authority to do this than Dick Tur-
pin had to rob in his own way. But
no Pinkertons were called out. Why
not? These things are done under
no law, no standard has been erected
by which prices are thus regulated or
men robbed, and there is no limit
but the patience of the animals
whom they fleece. Greed is the law
and fear the limit. Where were the
Pinkertons
The newspapers owned and con-
trolled by the New York Central and
published in New York city and
along the line of the Central each
day are loud in denunciation of the
Knights Of Labor because they claim
that the association is of foreign orr
gin. This claim is made while the
president of that company is sum-
mering among foreigners. Four
years ago Henry Clews, a banker OF
New York, in a street circular, said
that it was a hopeful sign to see SO
many immigrants coming to the
United States, for the tide would
sweep over the Knights of Labor,
and no matter how they struggled
the immigration would always be
the club to beat back the Knights.
They claim that our Order is foreign,
and should be suppressed because of
that. They applaud the coming of
foreigners to beat us to earth. One
may not join the Knights OF Labor,
if foreigner, under pain OF dismissal
from employment Four years ago
Adolph Polletshek landed in the Uni
ted States. He landed the year that
Henry Clews sent out that secret cir
cular. Four years later we find him
mot yet citizen) doing duty under
the pirate flag OF Robert Pinkerton
in waging a war on a body of men
who have broken no law, outraged
no statute, threatened no violence
and who reckon among their men,
bers over seventy-fve per cent. of ma
tive Americans. An alien hired on
American soil to butcher Americans
who demand justice and equality I'M
der the law. We are patient peo-
ple-aye, almost cowardly people
or we would not tolerate this thing
one day longer.
The Knights of Labor are strug-
Cling among other things, for an
honest days pay for an honest days
work, and because dividends are
wanted on watered stock they can
not get it. Their labor cannot be
watered; no deceit or treachery can
be- practiced in working the switches
or manipulating the brakes. In de-
fence OF water-of the thinnest kind
the blood OF the artisan citizen is
spilled by alien hirelings who were
imported by men who manipulate
the stock market.
Benjamin Harrison and Robert
Pinkerton stand conspicuously be-
fore the American people. One is the
Chief Executive of sixty millions Of
people and was elected by their
votes. The other is the creature OF
the monopolies of the United States,
who was not elected by anybody,
and yet has more authority than the
President. Where will all of this
end? If it is to be warfare instead
OF law, who can muster che biggest
army? Is it not time for BENJAMIN
Harrison to wake up? The mutter-
ing one hears on every hand bodies
no good to those who invoke the