, 1892-02-04
AND RIOTERS.
WATSON AFTER PINKERToNIsM AND
LLOYD ON POLICE TYRANNY.

The resolution calling for an inve5ti-
cation of the Pinkerton Detective"
agency introduced in the house of rep
r~esentatives by Watson, of Georgia, is
something like it. 1t is high time the
government made inquiry concerning
that gang of thugs. which for years has
trampled the law under foot and ridden
rough shod over ~lawabiding citizens
In the preamble to his resolution Mr..
Watson recites that such al agency is
known to exist in certain states, and is
said to maintain an armed force of 35, 900
men. whose purpose is to act as militia
in certain states, to quell disturbances
between employers and employees by
use of force and bloodshed. The pre-
amble in conclusion says that such an
organization is liable to be used for the
most dangerous objects and is a
to the civil institutions of this country.
1t is doubtful If Representative Wat
son, being from a portion of the country
that has not experienced Pinkertonism
to the extent that the more northerly
sections have. knows more than half of
the history of the crimes pe~rpetrated by
those hired murderers. Only those who
taNO OttA Al kCASl AOA o JCdAo Will
the labor increment north of the Ohio
river are aware of the full extent of the
lawlessness, brutalities and cold blooded
murders that mark the trail of 1.-The eye
that never sleeps" Peaceable strikers
have been shot down by the ruffians at
the command of railroad kings, and the
murderers have gone unpublished be-
cause of the influence of their employers
and masters. Labor organizations nave
protested against their presence on the
ground of n peaceful controversy, but
their protests have fallen on deaf ears.
If Representative Watson succeeds in
passing his resolution and her pushes
the investigation it provides for he will
find many things that may astonish him,
though | do not state it as a positive
opinion that he is not now fully posted
on tho subject. But some members of
the house judiciary committee will GER
tainly have their eyes opened. They
will learn that the guards" furnished
to any hat will pay for them
are, with the occasional exception of a
captain" made up Of the scum of the
earth-creatures too low to be entitled
to associate with decent workingmen,
whom they are employed to awe. II
the committee is able to get at the bot
tom facts it will learn that depredations
have been committed by these guards"
time and again to make their continued
employment appear a necessity. Dyna-
mite and torch have been used by these
devils, and the blame laid upon strikers,
that the dangerous state of affairs"
might be made apparent to the capital
lists and authorities, The agency is said
to make at least two dollars a day profit
on each man employed as guard"
Chicago has the honor of being the
headquarters of the Pinkertons, and it
was in the vicinity of hat city hat the
first guarding" was done. Afew years
ago-and | presume 1t is so nowhere
was in the Pinkerton building in Chica-
go a relic of the Inquisition. 1t was
called the Sweat box" Never having
been in it cannot speak from expert
ence, but 1t is a matter of common
knowledge in that city that men have
been seized, without warrant Of law,
and subjected to the most cruel and
brutal treatment in the Sweat box" in
order to extract confessions or informa-
ton from them. This is said to have
been a common occurrence during the
labor and anarchist troubles of 1886.
The police department Of the city main
tanned a rival of the Pinkerton "sweat
box" at that time. | am personally ac-
quainted with two men in Chicago whose
minds were almost destroyed by the
Chicago sweat box" treatment, and
they will never recover. They were
members of labor organizations. Mr..
Watson should ask the committee to in
vestigate a little in this direction.
Since Representative Watson has had
the courage to bring this matter up in
congress the labor organizations of the
country should give him all the assist
ance in their power. The unions and
declarations in the various states where
P~inkertonism exists have taken steps for
several years to have their respective
legislatures act on the subject, but it
seems to me hat Mr.. Watson's idea is
the correct one. 1t is clearly a matter
for the national government to handle,
though of course each state could dis
pose of it within its own boundaries, but
there can be no doubt that maintaining
an armed force, to be employed as militia
in any part of the country, and under
pay from a corporation or private citi-
zen, is clearly a violation of the consti-
tuition of the United States, and must be
put down by the national government.
The reference to Chicago made above
brings to mind the outrage perpetrated
on meetings of workingmen in Grief's
hall recently. The reader knows how
that affair was partially settled; how
the mayor and chief of police tried to
square the matter by making absurd ex-
cuses and by paying the Painters union
for damages to its property. But there
is another side to the question and the
liberty loving citizens of Chicago are
keeping their eyes on that side. A mon
ster meeting was held recently under
the auspices of organized labor, having
the cooperation of certain high minded
citizens, at which this other side was
brought out for inspection. Henry D.
Lloyd was chairman of the meeting and
a fair idea o how the people feel car be
gathered from the following extracts
from his address: