The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-13
THE REAL DANGER.

lie 1EAH tAnONh-
The difficulties at the CARNEefE steel aud
Iron works viii for some time 10 come. af-
ford editorial writer's and political orators
a theme Tor discussion. 1t is an event
which throws back the corner OF the cur
tain and reveals the calamity pool to which
we are drifting, disclosing tie spirit Of
revolution which threatens tho peace Of
our country 1t is as natural now as it
was hundred years ago. for men TO in
duige IN the Illusions OF hope; and REVOLT
tons are SO terrible that it Is not to be
wondered At If men have deiuced them
selves with the hope that they are ended.
The wish is father to the hope But they
arenot onded; nor viii they end until many
problems which now perplex men are
solved. New issues will arise in tie fu-
tnre 90 they have done In the past, which
vii sometimes make deeds necessary
which are ncslawful And when such q
crisis does arise the native instinct of men
win prompt them to tho exploit. They
viii do as their fathers have done reed
each othcr's purpose in their eyes and do
the deed.
In the difficulties which have arisen be-
tween Mr.. CARNEGIE and his workmen, it
Is vain TO plead that manufacturers have a
right to reduce the wages OF their en-
ployees, and IL the nen refuse to accept
the reduction they have right to
discharge them and employ others who
viii accept the wages offered by the manu-
facturer. After that is all granted there
remains 90 be considered the justice Of the
case. dependent very largely upon the ne
cessity Of making the reduction. Details
aside, the case may be stated thus: The
workman observe that the iron and steel
Industry established by Mr.. CARNEGIE at
Homestead has made him immensely rich
in very few years; but the workmen
have seen no corresponding Improvement
in their own condition during that time.
and when there came a proposition TO re-
duce their wages, nothing was more
natural than for them TO conclude that il
was another effort on the part Of the CAPT
talist to wrest from the hard hands Of the
toilers moro of their scant earnings in
order to swell his already TOO large posses
sions. to minister to his greed, crafty his
pride or increase The luxury in which he
lives. They resisted the reduction, and to
make that resistance effectual determined
to prevent other men taking their places.
The manufacturer. equally determined to
supply the places Of the striking workmen,
employed the services OF men from the
great PIEKERroN detective agency to
guard the works and usher in the new
xvorknan rro oooornrlFoh 4hfp fhav onuoo
with arms, conflict between them and
the striking workmen ensues. in which the
former are defeated. Such, in brief, is the
case fairly stated.
It viii be claimed that while the work
men had perfect right to refuse TO work
81 the reduced wages proposed, they had
no right 10 prevent others from accepting
work at the wages they refused. That is
strictly true under ordinary circum-
stances; but where capital imports foreign
''pauper labor to supplsnt American
workmen, very strong public sentiment
will sustain the workmen in resisting to
the last ditch the attempted substitution.
We may next inquire how far the manu-
facturer was justified in importing into
the state armed forces to install the i'm
ported laborers into the places left vacant
by the strikers. 1t may be claimed that
be had right to protect his property and
his new workmen; very true, but to pro-
tect life and property and insure domestic
tranquility governments are instituted,
and Mr.. CARNEGIE had no right to distrust
the government of Pennsylvania until it
had been demonstrated that 1t was incom-
petent TO afford him ell necessary protec-
ton for his property. His importation Of
armed mercenaries into the state was q
direct insult TO the government Of Penn
sylvanin, il it is not more serious crime
Is 1t so, that in country where the great
law of the land is that in times Of peace the
military shall always be subordinate to the
civil authority, capitalists shall have the
power, independent OF state or national
authority, to import from one state to an
other armed bands of men to enforce their
measurss4 II it be conceded that they
have such right, then Americans neeo
pride themselves no longer upon be-
ing secure from military despotism
or something that is Its equivalent. If this
thing can be done then we may expect to
see an American aristocracy, based upon
the possession Of wealth, as strongly in
trenched behind the protection of hired
merceneries IS the aristocracy. Of the old
world is intrenched behind the regular
forces OF tho old and etfete governments of
those lands. But we need not fear such a
result. What we need be apprchensiye OF,
however, ia the difficulties which will arise
IN resisting this tendency towards tho es-
lablishment Of an aristocrscy, which we
are sure the people Of America win resist
Tho atruggle between capital and labor
the terribleness Of which casts its shadows
before in the CARNEGIE embodiment.
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