The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-10-22
ON TRIAL FOR TREASON.
Commencement Of Famous
Trial for Treason at Pitts
burg.
The Homestead Strikers Before
a Grand Jury---The Chief
Justices Charge.

The unusual spectacle of the chief
justice of the supreme court of
Pennsylvania sitting as judge in
the court of oyer and terminer of
county in the state was witnessed by
a large crowd in the criminal court
room at Pittsburg last Monday when
Chief Justice Paxson charged the
grand jury as to what constitutes
treason against, the state in the
cases against the members of the
Homestead strikers advisory
committee. Upon the bench sat the
chief justice, Judges Stowe, McClung,
Porter and Kennedy, while in the
clerks portion sat Judge Slagle. The
room was crowded when court
opened. Judge Kennedy said to the
grand jury that charges of treason
having been made against certain
persons it seemed meet for the
county court to request the highest
judicial officer Of the state to deliver
the charge. After detailing the
cause leading up to the Homestead
strike Justice PaXOn said:
"The mutual right of the parties
to contract in regard to wages, and
the character of the employment,
whether by the piece or by the day,
whether for ten hours or less, is fixed
as any other right which we enjoy
under the constitution and laws Of
this state. 1t is right which
belongs to every citizen, laborer or
capitalist, and it is the plain duty
of the state to protect them in the
enjoyment Of it,"
Coming to the formation of the
advisory committee and the part
taken by,,it in the strike, he said:
cit is alleged that the advisory
committee did more than induce
others not to accept employment
from the company; that is allowed no
persons to enter the mills of the
Carnegie Steel Company, and even
permitted no strangers to enter the
town of Homestead without its
consent: that it arranged an
organization of a military character
consisting of three divisions with
commanders, captains, etc, the
captains to report to the division
commanders, and the latter to report
to the advisory committee"
He then detailed how the authority
of the sheriff had been detied, the
arrival of the PinkertOns, the riot
following and finally the mobilization
of the state troops, adding:
eve can have some sympathy for
a mob driven to desperation by
hunger, as in the days of the French
revolution, but we can have none for
men receiving exceptionally high
wages in resisting the law and resort
ing to violence and bloodshed in the
assertion of imaginary rights, and
entailing such vast expense upon the
tax-payers of the commonwealth.
1t was not cry for bread to feed
their famishing lips resulting in a
sudden outrage, with good provoca-
tion; it is deliberate attempt by
men without authority to control
others in the enjoyment of their
rights. The men had a right to
refuse to work and persuade others to
ioin them, but the moment they
attempted to control the works and
resorted to violence they placed them
selves outside the pale of the law.
'lf we were to cOncede the doctrine
that the employe may dictate to his
employer the terms of his employ,
ment and upon the refusal Of the
latter to accede to them to take
possession of his property and drive
Others away who were willing tC
work, we would have anarchy. Nc
business could be conducted upor
such a basis: that doctrine when once
countenanced would be extended tt
every industry"
The justice then defined as tn
treason the organization of larg'
number of men in common purpos