Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-07-21
Saint Narg's Beacon,


ton army Of 800 men at Homestead,
that the object was q perfectly law
full one, to protect property. 1t
viii be said further that the 800
Pinkertons were not only protec-
tors of property, but officers Of the
law under a deputy sheriff, on their
way TO take charge Of the company's
works. And it will be asked -
Has not q manufacturing company
a right to defend it's property ?
And il its own power 10 made
quate, has it not a right to hire
others to help it? And, above all,
has not sheriff the right, nay, is
it not his duty, to summon a posse
OF 800 or 5000 men, il need be,
and send them in charge Of depu-
ty to scene of disorder to protect
buildings and machinery and resist
the mob that threatens to destroy
them!
Yhere is but oJ.s answer to be
given to these questions. Yes
Protecting ones property is strict
ly lawful business, and q most
praiseworthy act besides; and re-
sisting mobs is q strictly lawful
business and most praisewOrthy
act also and when disorder, at
tended by danger of violence, pre-
walls in certain locality, and the
Sheriff is appealed to for protection
he has no choice but to do his duty
and put down the law-breakers or
make his best effort to do so.
But there is o question behind
all this, and it is not local or per-
sonal. 1t is not confined to the
town Of Homestead nor to the State
of Pennsylvania. 1t is as wide as
the country. The 800 men whom
Captain Held" took with him to
the Carnegie works were not posse
summoned openly from the inhabi-
tants Of the vicinage; they were
not even citizens of Allegheny
County nor of the State Of Penn
sylvania. They were hirelings,
"picked up" as Robert Pinkerton
says, in New York and Chicago,
and offered as a trained and discip-
lined army to whoever wanted to
hire them. They were sent to their
work, secretly and at night, armed
with Winchester rifles and reyolvers.
They expected trouble and were
prepared for it. They went to kill;
that is the chief part Of the Pin
kerton standing army's business,
and when we hear from the scene
of labor strike that force of
Pinkerton detectives" has made
its appearance we look for blood
shed.
A few years ago the Pinkertons
were what they called themselves,
detectives. But they have grown
into standing army for the defense
OF the property of rich corporations.
There is no limit to their numbers.
There may be as many of them as
there is money to hire them, 900
or 100000. They are drawn from
the streets and slums of great cities
and the supply is practically inex-
haustible.
There ara many things that are
lawful bnt that were better never
done. 1t may be strictly lawful for
the Pinkertons to keep armies on
hand to be hired out to rich corpo-
rations and it may be strictly law
full for rich corporations to hire
these armies to protect their prop
erty from their own locked-out EN-.
ployes. Nevertheless, if this strict.
ly lawful business is permitted to
go on at the rate we have seen, il
will not be long before we shall
witness the large industrial estab-
lishments in every manufacturing
centre leagued together in an ALI.
ance offensive and defensive, with
q Pirkerton army behind them,
every unpopular millionaire en-
ployer attended BY o bodyguard OF
braves and uniformed Pinkertons
as thick on our streets as soldiers
OF the Imperial German Army are
in the parks and beer saloons Of
the German capital.
Republican rule is fast bringing
the American people into two classes,
employers and employees, with q
bristling line Of antagonisms be-
tween them the employers growing
fewer and fewer every day and the
employees more and more numerous
every day. What wonder, then,
that tho faw With l;u,;4lom. ...~.~.,