The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-07-07
PROTECTION Is A FRAUD.
PROTECTION IS A LABOR cRUsHsR.
Read the objeot-Lesson From Real Life
at Homestead.

AZ homehtehu,
Special TO New YORK World.
HOMESTEAD, Pa, July 4.-The dc Tenders
Of Protection say that tariff on imports
is required so that American workmen
may manufacture at high wages the same
things that the lnborers of Europe make
for low wages. The higher the tariff, they
say, the higher will be the wages Of
American workipgmen. Anybody who
reads the newspapers can tell whether
this Is true or not. Take the case of
Andrew Carnegie, the Plttsburg ironmss-
ter, the ideal Protectionist. Does the
tariff benefit him, or does IL benefit his
10000 workmen2
THE BATTLE IS ON.
As Andrew Carnegie's millions have
increased from year to year so have the
wages Of his employees decreased. The
strike at the Homestead Steel Mills today
may be the decisive battle In the war
| between Andrew Carnegie and the
Amalgamated Association Of Iron and
Steel workers which has been waged for
years. Slowly but surely the union
workmen have been driven back. One
| by one Mr.. CsrneRie's mills have been
| filled with European laborers and the
American workmen have been scattered
and driven forth from their homes to seek
| living among strangers. Now the battle
| is on at Homestead.
| "What have employer and employed
been doing all these years ?n you ask.
| The answer is brief:
Wages.
THE FOE OF ORGANIZED LABOR.
Every year Mr.. Carnegie has tried to
| reduce wages. He has not always been
successful, but he has never relaxed his
efforts. The ideal Protectionist, the man
OF millions acquired through the workings
OF a high tariff on steel, is the foe of
organized labor because organized labor
can and does keep the scale OF wages at a
living rate. Unorganized labor must work
for what Mr.. Carnegie offers to pay, and
" the scale is too low 1t must submit,
because II has no friends and no recourse.
Mr.. Carnegie is fair representative
OF class OF men who gain fame and for
tune at the expense of the poor. The
money which has gone to the erection OF
the structures which he presents repre-
sents SO much money taken from the men
who really earned II. It represents so
many groans and walls of anguish; 60
many starving families; SO many sick
men, delicate women and feeble babies
It means the intensiflcation of the greatest
curse and crime of the age--that of in
voluntary povery. The world is no richer
by such gifts, but immeasurably poorer.
VAS the price of steel billets Ia reduced "
they say, $50 are our wages reduced
Steel billets " ere made the basis of ouI
scale, but we make very few steel billets
at Homestead now. Their manufacture
has been transferred to a Carnegie mill
where non-union men are employed, the
same as steel rails were taken away from
us after Carnegie had Obtained control oi
the market. Steel billets are down to 50.
now and Carnegie makes that price the
basis of the new scale he proposes. He
also includes a reduction of individual
wages of from IL to 40per cent, and insists
that the new scale expire on Dec. 81, in
mid-winter. In his statements of tb,
present difficulty nothing Is said of the re
duction in wages or OF the change in th'
time at which the scale terminates. Hi
argument is that the last scale was signe,
when steel steel billets sold at s2s, with
minimum of S25, and that now the pric
has fallen to S22. The new scale, says he
is based on S22 minimum. He tells tn
public nothing about the reduction o
wages, which will average nearly 30 pc
cent. per individual, nor of the stipulation
that the ne xt scale must be signed in mid
winter"
CARNEGIE WILL sCALD AND KILL.
About six weeks ago, in anticipation o
the coming conflict between the Carneei
interests and the workmen, a stout boar
fence twelve feet high was built upon
foundation of Stag three feet high com
pleteIy surrounding the steel works. Thi
fence is three miles long. On the top ar
strung three strands of barbed wire g.
connected that q current of electricit
may be sent through them from the cleo
trio plant by the simple turning of
switch in the office. Port holes four inche
!, in diameter have been bored along thi
fence at the height of a mans eye
Trenches have been dug over all parts O
, the works to various points alon
, the fence where bydrants are stationed
|. Connections had been made so that eithe
cold or boiling hot water can be sen
, through these pipes to the hydrants, o..
On the river front the Carnegie stet
=, launch Annie has been fitted out as
warship, with swivel guns, and severa
fiat boats have been equipped with sma
howitzers and searchlights. The compan
has railroad tracks running all throug
: its yards and its own rolling stock. Se'
eral fiat cars have been loaded up wit
: huge water tanks and pumps. and two {
: the 'dinkey" engines also carry powerfl
!. pumps. The men at Homestead hay
= not yet decided whether the portfolios
the barbed wire fence are intended fc
Plnkerton detectives, guns or streams (
hot water. 1t is generally believed thi
they will be used for both.