New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-12
THE SITUATION AT HOMESTEAD

Governor Pattison has at last yielded 10 the
application of Sheriff McCleary, approved by
seven Judges of the Court of Common Pleas
and ordered the National Guard of PennNl-
yania 70 assemble under arms at Homestead
Had he taken this course when the necessity
for it was first demonstrated he might nave
nreventcd the atrocities of last Wednesday, and
he certainly would have spared the country
the spectacle of a community defying lawful
authority and preserving semblance OF order
nv threats of violence The conditions which
have prevailed at Homestead for week are
not merely unwarranted they are demoralizng
and intoerable The peace which has reigncd
there has been counterfeit. There has been
no liberty of utterance or action. The worst
form of despOtism has been in power. Ihere
has been no standard 10 follow or appeal TO-
The nsubstantial, shifting and conflicting opin-
ions and wishes of individuals have usurped
the definite and ineligible authority OF law
The workmen in seeking to defend in this man
ner what they call their rights have made the
real rights of every citizen in the lana, them
selves included harder TO defend hereafter
Every one of them who owns home provided
by his own thrift holds il less securely than
he did a week ago We believe that many OF
them realize this fact, and those VINO 90 not
ought to be made aware of it,
The appearance of the troops is likely to he
instructive on this point and sautaIy. The
mere announcement of their coming seems to
have produced good effect The relief Of
mind which is generally manifested by the
workmen testfes to consciousness that their
position is morally as well as physically I'M
tenable. A majority of them are intelligent
men, capable of comprehendng in calm mo-
ments the logical consequences OF theory
nut into action. How can such men fail to
perceive that they are carrying ont doctrine
which they would resent and resist if 1t were
applied to them? When they take credit TO
themselves for preserving the Carnegie Mills
from destruction, while preventing the owners
from using their property, they must know how
little credit they would give to others who
should presume to limit them to such worth
less tenure of their own homes.
Having finally made up his mind to act Gov
ernor Pattison has done well to enforce his ai-
thority in large and commanding way. BY
putting more than 700 men in motion toward
Homestead he has averted all danger OF re-
sstance The workmen said at once that the
TROOPS might TAKE pO>>t>SIOH VI viz WINS wa
opposed by them, and are promising TO con-
form cheerfully to the new situation about TO
be created, so long as the troops merely act as
guardians of the mills. That is good, so far
as it goes but it does not 90 neatly far enough.
The labor leaders at Homestead are also say
ing that the troops must not be used rs means
of putting the mills in operation but only to
protect their existence, and are significantly
suggesting that 5000 men cannot stay IN
Homestead indefinitely. Now, the owners OF
these mills pay taxes upon their property not
for the sake of merely retaining their title 10
ownership but for the sake of using it in what
ever lawful way they please. II Is of no value
to them, but an immense burden, so long n,
it stands idle The State guarantees them the
cht TO operate the works if they can hire men
for the purpose. 1t is quite as true and as
important to remember that the state also
guarantees 10 every man the night to engage
in any lawful pursuit by exchanging his labor
for wages if he can. We sincerely hope that
this controversy may be amicably settled, and
we urge upon both sides a resort TO arbtra-
ton. But nobody ought 70 be afraid to face
the fact that the State is bound TO secure the
owners Of this property in the use Of It if they
make that demand