Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-14

work for years" in that neighborhood
until wages had reached the minimum
limit for which these men felt justi-
fed in selling their labor. The
greater part of them were already re-
ceiving less pay than the absolutely un-
protected hod-carrier. Then came
notice of another reduction, averaging
at least 25 per cent. Arbitration was
refused; the dictum of the Carnegies
was: "Fake what we are willing to pay
or make room for men who will"
These workingmen, the people of
Homestead, refuse to do this. They
have been paying taxes for protection"
and the longer they pay and the more
they pay, the less protection" they re-
ceived and the lower their wages have
gone. Now they say, we are going to
stay here in the homes we have made
and see this matter through. If we can
not sell our labor in this home market
at something like the average rate
which unprotected labor brings in the
markets around us, We are at
least determined on doing our
level best to prevent foreign pauper
labor coming here in the sacred name Of
protection to American industry" to
underbid us and drive us from our
houses and lands and associations and
friends. And meanwhile the power
that their labor and our high tariff sys-
TEN has built up-the "absentee tariff
lord" who controls $25, 10000 worth of
factories and 10000 men--authorizes
Pinkerton to dc another job of work"
for him and the slaughter of Wednesday
is the immediate result. What will be
the ultimate result? And how long
will American workingmen support at
the polls national policy which taxes
them to build up enormous combina.
tons Of capital able to dictate wages
and emplay the Pinkerton standing
army to enforce their termsg
--sts------.
AS bearing upon the legal aspect of
the outbreak at Homestead and the
question as to how far the Carncges
were warranted in employing Pinkor-
tons to force an entrance into their
mills, the following extract from the
decision Of the Supreme Court of Penn.
sylvania, in the case of the Easton Pas.
senger Railway VS.. the city Of Easton
is quoted by the Philadelphia LedgeI
with the comment that, assuming its
applicability, ait is evident that there
were two lawless mobs engaged in the
terrible tragedy at Homestead. The
Pinkerton men, on the testimony OF
Deputy Sheriff Gray, who accompanied
them to Homestead, were not sworn il
as deputies. They went there without
any other legal warrant than any othel
employee of the company would have
had; they consequently had none what
ever to shoot and kill, or to go there a.
an armed, belligercnt force; one un
known to the fundamental law" Ii
the case cited above the court said:
} There is growing disposition in thi
; commonwealth, especially oil the part o
corporations, private as well as municipal
to take the law into their own hands ant
7 settle controversies by force, instead Of up
, pealing to the courts to redress thei
wrongs and enforce their rights in M
orderly manner. Instances arc not rare
and are of recent occurrence where band
/ OF meu have stood confronting each other
some of them with arms in their hands, il
l the assertion of supposed right. The publ
r peace has been threatened in this manner
, sometimes resulting in loss of life. 1t !
well that it should be known that sucI
persons, whether representing individuals
private corporations or municipalities, ar
simply rioters, and answerablc to tia
criminal law for their conduct. II is
2 serious mistake to suppose that municipa
! officers are above the law and can cnforc
civil rights or perform even police duties
b in their own way, in disregard of the forI
C of law The officers of Il municipality
q from the mayor down to police Officer
are as much bound by the law as a privat
y citizen, and have no right to transgres
. the law in the enforcement Of the law,