The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-08-18
lIOMESTEAD'S TROUBLE.
IT HAS NEARLY RUN ITS PRES
EMIT COURSE.
organized Capital rs Moro OF tho I'm
mediate Fruits of the struggle Than
Has Organized LaibOr-Gencral Weaver
ut HUmc.-kcf form Notes.
The situation,

The labor prolem as localized in the
conditions at Homestead has nearly
run it present course. 1t may be
epitomized by saying that organized
capital has moro of the immediate
fruits of the struggle than has
organized labor. But it must be
very plain to every thoughtful
man that upon the great chess
board Of both social and political
action, the position of capital has re-
trogated and the position of labor has
advanced.
1t requires no great discernment
now to comprehend the full intent
and methods of capital in the struggle.
So far as legislation goes it has Sc
cured about all that consummate skill
and unobstructed opportunity could
suggest as possible to engraft upon
our present form of government. From
the seed thought Of the Hazard cir
cular; from the time that it was sug-
gcsted that it would be more profitable
to transfer slavery from the person, all
the cunning of legislation has been ex-
pended in the effort to concentrate all
power in the hands of the few and all
toll in the person of the many. The
experience Of every stage Of the vary
ing conflict has been quickly scented
by the trained bloodhounds of monop-
oily. and and step by step have they
fortified until to-day it is difficult to de-
tcct weak link in the forms Of des-
potic power within the semblance of
free American institutions. In Alle-
gheny County in the state of Pennsyl-
vania is to be seen to-day the culmina-
ton of this monstrosity. A man
whose hand has not yet been washed
from the blood of the Morewood furn-
aces, and whose soul, if human, should
be haunted by the vision of that dead
Hungarian girl, shot down because she
shielded the body of her lover from the
Pinkerton assassins, goes on un-
whipped Of earthly justice, from bad
to worse. In the gray dawn of awak-
ening day he hurls his hired assassins
upon Homestead, and kills her citizens,
but his forms of laws are so constructed
that the..assailed are charged with muir
der, and bandits who could not under
the same conditions show their heads
in Naples or Belgrade, are to be ad'
mitted to testify against them. This
red-handed assassin, when stricken
by a student Of his own anarchistiC
school, calls to his aid the most vio
lent and despotic system of espionage
and rakes with fine tooth comb tc
find, if possible an association of mel
more detestable than his own. Tt
accomplish his ends he has destroyed
all civil freedom and set up military
despotism. He has evicted tenant:
with cruelty beside which Irish land
lordism has been tender mercy. HI
has overturned all semblance of free
dom and dignity of American labor
and works his spawn Of serfdom within
prison walls and under the guns o
Pennsylvania military. He claims tha
it is success. God pity the admin
istratlon organs Of Benjamin Harrison
that echo the sentiments.
On the other hand stands forth tn
representatives of American organized
labor. Truth never fought grande
battle than in this struggle at Home
stead. The spectacle has arrested tn
attention of all worlds. They hav
contended for the highest and holies
rights that men ever died to defend
No crime has been proved against then
that patriots in all ages have not beel
proud to call their own. If they ar
finally overwhelmed it will only be b.
that same superior brute force that ha
tied down the throttle and sat on tn
safety valve.
The lessons of these days are spread
ing like beacon lights from hill top t
hill top. Never did the indignation
of humanity spread as it is doing q
this time. Never were the hearts c
all labor running together as they or
now. The end is not yet. The sue
cess of Frick. if it should he accom-
plished, will be milestone around til
neck of a protective policy that pre-
tects nothing but absolute despotisn
-Nonconformist.