The Press., 1892-07-14


 Thursday. July 14. 1899.
 JAMES MCLAUGHLIN & SON, PUBLISHERS.
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 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BOWEL is worth a million dollars, and except s. J. Tilden is the only millionaire who ever ran for the office. He made his money making grapes into wine, and the wine into brandy. He is very sorry now that he ever followed such business, but then-he has the million dollars, and the prohibitionist nomination.
 
 ST. JOHN, the capital city of New Bruns- wick, has been nearly destroyed by fire. The entire business portion is gone, and many of its 10000 inhabitants are home less. The total loss is $20, ,000, ,000. Amer ican insurance companies were not in it, having long ago decided that the city was too much of finder box.
 THE strike at Homestead has called to that city hundreds of newspaper report CTS. The one thing demonstrated most prominently to them is that Homstead was not, as claimed, community of me- a thrifty, thriving community of pleasant homes and well-to-do people, who, in- stead of bewailing their poverty, are boasting of the means they have to sus- tain themselves and combat efforts to change the scale of wages to fit new ad, justments of prices of product and changes in machinery and methods of work.
 SOME Massachusetts work-people think it time to call halt to legislation assum ing to be in the interest of labor people, particularly as affecting hours of labor. The cotton business is getting dull in Massachusetts and lively in the south, where cheap negro labor is hired for un- restricted hours. It makes very little difference to an employer what conditions of time and wages are put upon him ii his competitors in all quarters of the world are under like conditions. But men will not invest capital in business which they are not to be permitted to manage in competition with others in the same line.
 THE national convention of the socie- ties of Christian Endeavor last week was sufficient in number to make a sensation of fullness even in the vast metropolis. New York city papers gave pages to re- ports recognizing the power and size of the organization which is to enrol young people in christian work and assist in breaking down denominational li&es. Matters were discussed as to the future work of the order, and some mistakes of it's past conduct held up to be in future avoided. Evidently the society has come 10 stay, and these annual national meet ings to outline it's natural work will grow in magnitude and interest.
 THE empire of Homestead has surren- dered, and again became a part of the great state of Pennsylvania. The order ing out of the state militia effected the finally decided to receive the visiting mi litia "courteously," and to welcome their coming to relieve their own labor of keep ing the peace. This peace was kept by receiving every man who left the cars at that point with questions as to who he was and what his business. If not satis- fled with his appearance he was told to walk instantly out of town. The officials of the steel mill were allowed to enter their premises, if at all, only by sufferance of armed guards at every entrance. But their heads were level on one point-they ordered all saloons to be closed up. The anarchistic effects of these places were too much for the officials of the empire.
 THE Homestead affair, while not the most conspicuous of it's kind within the cycle of labor disturbances, has yet ex- cited more attention. Perhaps much of this is because of the political importance attached to it, even creating interest in it's foreseeing, and perhaps helping to in- cite it's bitterness, certainly increasing the ranking of the wound.
 The employing of hired detectives, armed with 8 purpose to war against threatened disturbers of fthepeac has been before condemned by the public sentiment of the country. Such step should never have been made necessary. The prob lem is how to do away with even pre- text for the repetition of the Homestead affair. On page 1st is statement of the manager of the Homestead works, in which he explains why this was done, and how an effort to use other means had flied on former occasion. The pur- pose of the proprietors of the iron works was no doubt to get the Pinkerton men upon their premises unbeknown to the disaffeeted workmen, and thus protect their property and their workmen from outside interference. They would then have had the semblance of right to warn from their premises persons whose an- nouneed purpose was a hostile one, and to repel attacks at forcible entrance. But their purpose was thwarted by the attack upon their hired defenders before they had reached their premises.
 In this case it seems that the sheriff of the county had foreseen trouble that he could not hope to master. He could not summons 8 posse out of community nearly every member of which was a sympathizer with the strikers. Nor else- where in the county, for all had their sympathies enlisted upon one side or the other. Beside his office was an elect i've one, the labor organization had the votes, and the inference to be drawn is a very plain one. There must be an out side power in such cases strong enough