Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-08-04


TEE attempt to land 500 Plnher-
tonians. armed with Winchester
rifles. from barges to protect the
Homestead steel works of the Car.
negie Company resulted, as might
have been expected, In serious riot,
with considerable loss Of life. An
army of 5000 strikers opposed their
landing. The Pinkertonlans made
the attempt twice, and twice were
driven back to their boats with loss.
Some were killed and several injured
on both sides. 1t will be observed
that the resentment of the strikers
on this occasion was directed against
the Pinkertonians, their natural ene-
mics, The reason for this is clear
enough. It was but repetition OF
the story which has been told so
many times in other places, that the
substitution of Pinkertonians for the
officials of the law is fatal mistake.
Instead of protecting anything or
unfolding law they only aggravate
the mischief and make it worse; and
in every instance in which they are
employed against strikers they in
cite them to the same pitch of fury
that the red rag does a mad bull.
Workingmen in. conflict with their
employers over question Of hours
or of wages have no respect for mer-
cenaries, who do not overawe the
strikers, but merely madden and ex-
asperate them and fill them with the
determination to clear out the Pinker-
tonians. The strikers commit acts
OF violence simply because they hate
and despise the Pinkertonians. The
latter are very generally regarded as
illegitimate police, who are illegal
conservators Of the people. The
armed Pinkerton forces are not part
of the shrievalty, or Of the police
force, or of the militia They are
not responsible to the city, the coun-
ty, or the State. They are not law
fully organized militia, or commanded
by officers appointed by the Governor.
They are not recognized anywhere as
legitimate guardians of the public
peace, and hence their employment
as policemen to overawe strikers in.
variably calls forth protest, and,
where workingmen are strong enough,
violence and armed resistance. In
Illinois and some other States Pinker-
tonianism has been abolished by law.
Pinkerton officers may do as detec-
tives to help run down criminals,
counterfeiters and embezzlers, and
for private night watchmen so long
as their duties are confined to the
protection of property against thieves
or the danger of fire, for in no city
is the regular police force large
enough to give special attention to
individual property, but with these
duties their usefulness ends. When
they take the place of the sheriff's
the police force, or the
military, they only make things
worse. While this is true, however,
everybody must regret to see the
Pinkerton forces put in danger OF
their lives; and the violence of the
Homestead strikers toward them
after they had displayed flag of
truce and surrendered uncondition-
ally cannot be justified by any of the
usages of civilized warfare. The
workmen determined to give the
Plnkertonians lesson and eliminate
them as factor at this memorable
strike, and they were successful, in a
most cruel manner. These works
must now be protected by the law,
and they certainly will be. If Mr..
Carnegie, who is now disporting him
self somewhere in Scotland, had in
structed his lieutenants to leave the
works open and intrust their protec-
tion to the law, it would have been
better. There is no other legitimate
protection. If the law is strong
enough TO protect them no harm Will
be done while employer and employees
are settling their. difficulties. If it is
not strong enough, then the. people
speedily will make 10 so, whatever
cost it may entail. Meanwhile the
Legislature of Pennsylvania, il it be
wise, will abolish Pinkertonianism as
a means of public protection or guar
dams OF law and order. For these
purposes they are worse than useless
They provoke riots rather than quell
them, and cause disorder instead Of
allaying it. They are no good. They
will have to go in Pennsylvania as
they did in Illinois.
nrrnrr rcr pouaad papdnH xuho