The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-07-15
BOTH SIDES AT FAULT.


bloody encounter at Homestead,
Wednesday, was one of the worst
blots ever put upon American civil
Zation, and is all the more aggravat-
ing because seemingly absolutely in
excusable. There has grown up in
this country Of late years strong SEN
timent in favor of the arbitration of
all differences that spring up between
capital and labor, but never did any
plan for the peaceful adjustment of
differences, receive a more decided
slap in the face, than that admins
tered by Mr.. Prick, the manager of
the Carnegie works, when he refused
to discuss matters with the workmen
there employed, and the refusal Of
which led to the bloody results Of
Wednesday,
| 1t seems that for some time back
Manager Prick has been working to
break up the industrial organization
at the Carnegie Works, so as to en-
ploy men who belong to no orgaiza-
tion whatever, and it would seem that
he rather courted the strike, for the
opportunity it would give him to en-
ploy new set Of men, and therefore
he was very irritating in the methods
which he took to bring matters to a
focus.
That every man who has capital
invested in business has a right to
control that business cannot be de-
MED. for to deny that right is to deny
the liberties of our free institutions.
But when the working men attempt
ed to set this right aside and dictate
to certain extent the management
of another mans business, they over
stepped their rights in the matter
and were infringing upon the exclu-
siye rights Of another. They had
right to accept or reject Mr.. Carne-
gie's offer. but after rejecting it, they
were not justified in resorting to force
to secure the acceptance Of their de-
mands.
On the other hand, while men in
terested in great manufacturing es-
Establishments like Mr.. Carnegie have
right to manage their own bust
ess, and decide what wages they can
afford to pay, and if not acceptable to
those seeking employment, close their
works entirely, still where thousands
of men are so employed, they owe it
to the general public as duty, to ex-
haust every honorable means of set
Ting whatever difficulty may exist,
for the locking out of thousands of
men means poverty and suffering to
thousands who are dependent upon
them. This, it seems, was not done
at the Carnegie Works. But on the
other hand all accounts agree that
the management unnecessarily and
arbitrarily antagonized their working
men by the manner in which they car
ried out their plans, and the men
were driven to desperation, and fuel
was still further added to the flames by
bringing there the Plnkerton men to
guard the works. These men repre-
sented no authority of law, and in
spired none of the respect for it that
a force sent there by legal authorities
would have done. This, of course,
presents no justification for the &C
tion of the strikers in their iendish
attempt to destroy these men, but
simply emphasizes the fact that in
the conduct of affairs at Homestead,
blunder was committed that was
worse than a crime.
1t is pity that anything of the
kind should have occurred. 1t has
wrought untold suffering, and has de-
stroyed that confidence which ought
to exist between employer and en-
ployed, that will take months and
even years to restore. 1t is too bad
that the true American spirit could
not have been entered into and the
bloody struggle thereby prevented.