The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-08-19
BRAVE WoRps.

In the course of his remarks in til
United States senate, July Z, on tn
Homestead troubles, Senator Palmer
of Illinois, said:
Il maintain that these cit
zens were right / maintain, accord
ing to the law of the land, not as tn
law is generally understood. but accord
ing to the principles of the law which
must hereafter be applied to the solu
ton of these troubles, that those mel
had the right to be there. That makes
it necessary for me to assert that thes.
men had right to employment there
they had earned the right to live there
and these large manufacturing estab
llshments-and there is no other road
out OF the question-must hereafter be
understood to be public esta blishments
IN the modified sense, which will ex
plain in moment, in which the public
Is deeply interested, and the owners OF
these properties must hereafter be re.
garded as holding their property sub.
Ject to the correlative rights of those
without whose services the property
would be utterly valueless. That con-
cession which make only comedies to
hhem right to reasonable profit on
the capital invested in their enterprises.
Il maintain, furthermore, that these
laborers having been in that service,
having been engaged there, having
spent their lives in this peculiar line Of
service, have the right to insist upon
the permanency of their employment,
and they have the right to insist, too,
upon reasonable compensation for
their services.
eve talk about the civil service law
rs applicable to government employ
nent. l assert that there is a law wider
and broader than that, which gives to
these men who have been bred in these
special pursuits, as, for example, in the
service of railroads or of these vast
manufacturing esta blishments, right
to demand employment, right which
IAN only be defeated by misconduct on
their part.
Il maintain, therefore, that at the
time OF the assault upon these people
1t Homestead they were there where
they had right to be, they were upon
ground they had right to defend Do
you ask me if these men may by force
take possession of the property of an
other? No. They were conducting
themselves in the line of their rights,
rs | understand them Business was
suspended, and these men were simply
awaiting the settlement of the disputed
questions between them and their en-
oloyers.
mark me, / maintain the right of
The owners of property to operate it at
their will; maintain the right of the
operatives to assist in its operation;
maintain the right of both parties to
compensation for their SER
vices; maintain the right of these la
borers to continuous employment, de-
pendent not upon the will alone of the
but dependent upon the
good conduct of the employees.
''sMr. President, this is the only road
out of the difficulty. You may call out
the militia of the state of Pennsylvania,
Ind you may eSterminate all the inhab-
tants of that beautiful and thrifty vii |
age, and what is done? Human life |
has again been sacrificed in one of these
struggles for human rights. Do YOU
establish the right of these large estab-
ishments to control their business? On
he contrary, the laboring men of the
country, SO conscious of the existence of
his right which l assert, the right to
continue in employment during good
behavior, will continue to resist. and
his social war will be upon you, and it
becomes the duty of Christian states
men, republican statesmen, to find some
DAD out of this difficulty.
"Within my lifetime 1 have seen mar
elous changes. There was time
When individualism was the universal
ule and men lived alone almost, be-
ause they could support themselves;
nut matters have changed. To-day the
world is practically divided between
he employers and the employees. do
ot take into account those neglected
gricultural districts, those farm labor
rs for whom nobody seems to care, for
q all the discussions of tariff policy we i
ave. nobody ever speaks of the toiler
pom the farm. We speak of organized
abor and skilled labor, but when we
ONE to talk about the white or
he black men who toll upon the farm
rom the rising of the sun to the going
own thereof, and speak of the influ-
nee of legislation upon these men, we
o not regard them. If we pray for
hem, we pray for them very much as
rougham said the queen was prayed
'r, for the desolate and oppressed; if
re legislate, they are not regarded; but
lis organized labor is power in the
ate. You must regard it; you must
dust it.
'How can you adjust it? You can
Of do it by asserting what admit to
2 true, that every man has a right to
lie control of his own property in his
vn way; if he does not like to go to
ork for the Carnegies he may go to
ork for somebody else. You cannot
title it in that way. You DO not settle
by saying that Mr.. Carnegie has
ght to employ whomsoever he pleases.
hose are old truisms which have not
oplication in this changed condition, {
hen organized capital furnishes us all t
lat we have; it furnishes all our food; t
furnishes, all our clothing; it furnishes I
If physicians; believe it show fur S