Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-26
oRDWAY'S LATEST BREAK.
The Militia Commander of Washington
Makes an Attack on Labor Unions for
Which He May be Called Down-Sensa-
tionaI sneech to His Command,

! Which He May pc Caueu OoWn-SenSa-
tionaI Speech to His Command.
trRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, May OLA speech that was
positively astounding, coming from one in
| his position, was made to the District mill
tia a week ago, by General Ordway, the
commander-in- chief, and it has already
| borne its legitimate fruit in the demand that
| has been made from the labor organizations
| of the District, that he be dismissed from
| his command The speech, in brief, was a
| glib description of the manner in which a
| mob of working people, engaged in rioting,
| should be annihilated by the District militia.
The General was at times Is gu quite humorous,
| though his greatest graf cation. would be to
| get at a riotous crowd of wage-workers.
The Generals oratory was not received
| with satisfaction even by the wage-working
| young men who are soldiers of the militia,
| and the 10000 laborers and mechanics of the
| District who are not take 1t like mortal
| personal insult. Itwas contemplated to call
at once, en- masse, on the General at his
elegant residence not to sack the place, but
| to demand an explanation of his language,
but the calmer heads counseled different
course.
The various assemblies and unions ofwork-
ingmen discussed the speech and their dele
gates carried the offense to the District
Assembly and the Federation of Labor.
Three notable men, Paul Bowen, L. P. Wild
and E. W. Hambleton, all of them gentlemen
of at least as fine breeding and education as
General Ordway, and all of them Socialists,
moreover, were appointed to draft charges
against the General and request his dis
missal. The memorial was presented at the
War Department, and created q good deal of
serious discussion among the high officials
The charges assert that the General used
language that was reasonable and in
cendiary and calculated to create in the
minds of the militia officers sense of their
superiority to the law; an excessive fear of
the dangers to be encountered in the line of
duty, and q bitter hatred and bloodthirsty
vindictiveness toward such people as they
may be called upon to restrain in the inter-
est of peace and good order. And that, when
he abandoned the field of instruction in the
proper military tactics to be used in the sup
preston of civil disorder, to eluctdate, COM
pare and condemn social, political and
economic doctrines, he exceeded his proper
functions.
Some of the Charges.
AS this will doubtless be celebrated case,
from the fact that if the President refuses to
dismiss Ordway, labor organizations all over
the country will be aroused to demand
vengeance from Congress for Ordway's in
suit, one or two paragraphs of the charges
may be given, such as follows:
"We further charge that General Ordway,
in depicting a country 'overrun with hun
dreds of thousands of the most criminal and
ignorant class of Europe, in whose wake
be called the pimps of the professional lead
ers,' but who have had a military educa-
ton and experience in war; and in warn
ing themilitia that If they ever have occa-
sion to meet these men they will be found
no tyros in the art of war, and a match for
the best intelligence that we can bring to
beir against them, has done what he could
to excite alarm and panic where GOODNESS
and courage should prevail and to partici-
pate the catastrophes, in the shape of shoot
ing women, children, spectators and passers.
hy uyh on of nj a n arr q n
timid and panic-stricken militia. We assert
that the picture is almost wholly fanciful,
and so far as his community Is concerned is
absolutely so.
The Slaughter at Fourmies.
''That it is SO generally, may be inferred
from the fact that in Fourmies, France,
where desperate and martial rioters might
be supposed to abound, if anywhere, the
collision between the troops on May re-
suited in the death of two score people, of
whom eight were women, six were children
and the rest we're wage workers We charge
General Ordway with unjust discrimination
in the discussion of the character of mobs.
Having entered upon the subject Of inter;
out labor organizations, Socialists and
Anarchists for sole comment.
"What are the duties of the militia when
mob led by lawyers, doctors and police
men, after two days advertisement of their
intentions, breaks in Jail, takes from the
custody of the law and murders II helpless
appear with the Mayor and Governor?
Mob Law by Soldiers.
"What should soldiers do when soldier
mob at walla Walla breaks into Jail and
kills man7 What is the duty of the militia
when q mob of Pinkerton detectives invade
a State with murderous intent? What shall
necticut, or three, as in Nebraska, backed by |
their respective adherents, insist on being |
Governors? What shall the militia do when |
fraud, bribery, intimidation, violence and |
false counting return a false result at cleo |
tions and the real mai ority refuse to sub |
NIT?
"These are more important and more immi- |
nent questions than the dangers from indus |
trial demonstrations. These are internal |
disorders worth talking about, but General !
Ordway seems not to know that the militia |
has any concern with them. We charge that |
General Ordway gave false and malicious |
representation of the character of labor Or |
ganizations and adroitly and with purpose |
wove them in with his illusions to .profes- |
sional rioters and organizations with un- |
popular names to convince the militia that |
there are no differences between them.
The Summing Up of Ordway.
His summing up is that ''any mob which has |
been organized under the plea of wrongs of |
labor to be redressed, is in reality composed |
of at least So per cent, of roughs, tramps. |
the soldier need have no compunctions in \
effectually eradicating Them He tries to
show that such members of a mob as may
fdreamers' or the followers of Anarchists
deserve the same fate, and rejoices that |
effectually eradicating them, which might |
otherwise be duty, will become pleas
ure.'"
The quotations within this quotation will |
serve to show the general tenor of the militia |
commanders remarkable speech. General |
Ordway, as is already known to readers
of THE DISPATCH, few weeks ago |
attempted to crowd out the colored bat
talions for the District militia, and was sum-
marily called to a halt in this by the Presi-
dent. 1t will be strange indeed if the Presi-
dent, in view of the movement of the wage
workers and their sympathizers, does not
dismiss this new social economist of the |
military school.
DEATHS HERE AND ELSEWHERE.