St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-08
Torn Off the Pretended Guar
dian Angel Of Labor,
: Protection,
And the Underlying Ghoul
8 of Selfishnesss Exposed
!. to View.
Senator Palmer Takes Ad-
8 vanced Ground in Defense
= ?, Of Workmen,
Maintaining Their Right to
g Work--Stewart and Vor-
:.
Il hees Agree.

WASHINGTON, July 1.-THE speech of
MI. Palmer in the senate today OH the
resolution for an inquiry into the battle
at Homestead, Pa, between the Pinker-
ton forces and the striking workmen
was remarkable for the advanced. posi-
ton taken by the Illinois senator in
maintaining the right of factory and
railroad employees to demand employ
ment at reasonably fair rates of COM
penSation.
Mr.. Voorhees, speech on the same SUBJ
ject was made up of an attack on the
Republican party and its policy of pro-
lection. to which he ascribed the crop of
labor riots ALI over the country. He
was replied to by Mr.. Hale, who criti-
cised him for converting such a
grave matter as the Homestead
conflict into "a question Of
party politics; defended the Repub.
dican party from all responsibility for
that conflict, and assumed for that party
and its policy of protection the creditof
the building up of such great industrial
establishments as those at Homestead
and Bethlehem, Pa. The Republicans,
he said, were doing all possible for the
advancement of the interest of the
people.
A MurderOus Gang.
In the course of the discussion Mr..
Stewart remarked that it seemed beyond
controversy that the managers of the
Carnegie works had employed MUIR
derous gang. Whatever might have
preceded the trouble: whatever the1a-
boring people might have done, that did
not mitigate the offense of bringing into
use an armed band of assassins.
That |as serious blow. to law and
order. 1t endangered the life and
anarchy. 1t was the most outrageous
transaction that had occurred in many
years.
That 300 armed men should have been
brought from distant cities prepared for
war. brought in during the night to
make war upon the laborers of the
country, was fact that must attract
1.-THE attention of the whole country, ana
{ that could not be condemned in too
|lstrOng language. -
+ Senator Palmer said the action taken
was in contempt of the authority of the
state of Pennsylvania. 1t was difficult
for American citizens (whether they
were In the right or in the Wrong) to
submit to being driven by an armed
force. He said that every impulse of
his mind tempted him to say that he
should dislike being driven by a power
which might happen to be in the right.
he maintained, however. that the citi-
ZenS of Homestead were right. He as
serted that these men had
A Right to EmpIoyment
here. They had earned the right to
live there. He maintained, further
more that the wOrkingmen, having
spenttheir lives in that peculiar line of
service, mad the right to insist on the
permanency of their employment; and
that they had right to insist also on
reasonable compensation for their SER
wees. He maintained that at the time
of the assault on those people at Home
stead they were where they had Alright
to be. They were on the ground which
they, had right to defend. They were
conducting themselves in the line of
their rights.
Manufacturing establishments, he
said, were public institutions, just as
railroads were. They were public be-
cause they worked for the public; be-
cause they employed the public, and
because the men in their employ be-
came unfit for other service. While he
conceded the right to the capitalist to
control his property and the right to a
reasonable reward for his investment,
he claimed that the laborer had a right
to permanent employment during good
behavior. Of course. tine laborer was
compelled to submit to the changes of
business. Where,the profits were small
the laborer would have to divide the
loss. and where they were large the
profits should be divided.