Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-10-13
He -.:fTE:.
TREAS0|
Charge of 4

PITTsBURG, i ~. IO.-The unusna,
spectacle OF tt chief justice of the ST.
preme court of the state sitting AZ o
Judge in the court of oyer and termine,
of county in the state was wit
messed by large crowd in the Grim.
inal court this morning, when Chief
Justice Parsons charged the grand
inrv 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 and Judges Stowe
McClung, Priter and Kennedy, while
in the clerks portion sat Judge Slagle
The room was crowded almost to suho
cation.
When the court opened, Judge Ken.
nedy turned to the grand jury and said
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 causes leading up to the Homestead
strike, Justice Paxton said:
The mutual right Of the parties to con.
tract Ill leSdIu W 'Nt1EGo Gnu Iio nldldcler
of the employment, whether by the piece
or by the day, whether for ten hours Or
less. is as 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 1T.
OF the advisory committee, and the
part taken by it in the strike, be
said:
1t is alleged that the advisory committee
did more than to induce others not to &C.
cept employment from the company; that
it allowed no persons to enter the mills Of
the Carnegie Steel Company, and even per.
mitted no strangers to enter the town of
Homestead without it's consent; that it ar
ranged an organization of a military char
acter. consisting OF three divisions with
commanders, captains, ETC., the captains
to report to the division commanders and
the latter to report to the advisory com.
mlttee.
He then detailed how this authority
detied the arrival of the Pinkertons,
the riot following, and finally the mob
ilization of the troops, adding:
We can have some sympathy with amOO
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 re-
sorting to violence in the assertion OF I'LL
aginary rights and entailing such a
vast expense upon the taxpayers OF the
commonwealth. 1t was not a cry for
bread to feed their famishing lips, result
ing in sudden outrage, with good provo
cation; it was deliberate attempt by men
without authority to control others in the
enjoyment OF their rights. The men mad
a right to refuse to work and persuade 9th
crs to join them, but the moment they at,
tempted to control the WORKS and
resorted to violence, they placed them
selves outside the pale of the law. If We
were to cOncede the doctrine that the en- |
ploye may dictate to his employer the terms
OF his employment, and, upon the refusal +
OF the latter to accede to them, to take
possession Of his property and drive Others
away who are willing to work, we would
Quoted upon such a basis; that doctrine
when. once countenanced, would be eS F
tended to every industry.
The Justice then defined as treason
the organization of large number Of
men in q common purpose, to DEFY E
the law, resist it's officers and to deprive
any portion of their fellow citizens o.
their rights under the constitution and
laws. 1t is a state of war, said he
when business plant has to be sur
rounded by the army of the state to i
protect it from unlawful violence at the
hand of former employees. The justice
continued:
Every member of such asserted govern
ment, whether it be an advisory COMMITTEE
or by whatever name it is called. who has
participated in such uSurpation. who has
Joined in committee for the purpose Of
resistance to the law and denia
of the rights to other citizens
has committed treason agaist the state
When the definition of this 0tenS
is the designing or Overturning of the gov
eminent of the state, such intention NEED
not extend to every portion of the terri
tory. 1t is sufficient if it be ali Oyerturnm
of it in particular locality, and such ~
tent may be inferred from the acts commit
ted.
If you find from the evidence that the
defendants have or any of them ha#
committed, participated and aided ID
any of the acts which have Dera
defined to you as constituting tne
otfense of treason it will be YOU
sworn duty, TO find a true bill against ls
party or parties SO offending. We na,s
reached the point of the history OF lDs
state where there are but two roads Tor u
to pursue; the one leads to order anu
good government, the other leads 10 ID
archy. The one great question Whlcncoaa
ems the people OF this country Is enjoy lois,
ment OF the law and preservation OF olu''