Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-10-13
STRIKERS SCORED.
Justice Paxton's Charge to the
Jury In the Treason Cases.
He Says the Homestead WorkmeD Had
No Excuse for Violence -Corpo-
rations Have the Right to Inn
port Armed Guards.
Rad FOR sTRIKERs.

PITTSBURGH, Pa, Oct. 11.-Chief JUS
tice Paxton, of the state supreme court
at 10 a. m. charged the grand jury in
the treason cases against the Home
stead strikers The charge contained
over 5000 words and embraced agraph-
ic resume of the circumstances leading
up to the riot at the Carnegie Home
stead mill and the subsequent charges
OF treason lodged against thirty-three
union men. Justice Paxton said.
I'VE can have some sympathy with a mob
driven 70 desperation by hunger, as in the days
OF the French revolution, but we can find none
for men receiving exceptionally high wages In
resisting the law and resorting TO violence and
bloodshed In the assertion Of imaginary rights
and entailing such a vast expense upon the tax
payers OF the commonwealth. II was not cry
for bread TO feed their furnishing lips, resulting
IN E sudden outrage, with good provocation: IL
was a deliberate attempt by men without
authority 10 control others in the enjoyment
of their rights"
In defining the law, Justice Paxton
sand:
when the company shut down its works and
discharged its men II was acting strictly in the
lines OF the law; IL could not compel the men 10
work nor could the men compel the company 10
employ them; no arrangement could be
made in such regard except in the
nature of contract agreed upon by
the parties Upon this subject their rights
were mutual The company had the uu,ioubted
right TO protect its property for this purpose il
could lawfully employ as many men as it saw
proper and arm them II necessary. The right
OF the men was 10 refuse To work unless their
terms were aceeded TO and persuade others 70
join them in such refusal but the law viii sus.
"a them M mo hav nj
tempt 10 control the works, and to prevent
by violence or threats OF violence other laborers
from going 10 work, then they placed them
selves outside the pale of the law. Ii cannot be
tolerated for moment that one laborer shall
say 10 another laborer: You shall not work foi
this man for that wage without my consent,
and then enforce such command by brutal vlo-
lence upon his person.
"You will observe that the offense charged Is
treason against the state and not against the
United States: IL is matter with which the
latter has nothing to do and over which Ii can
have no jurisdiction. A mere mob, collected
upon the impulse OF the moment without any
definite object beyond the qualification OF IT'S sud
den passions, does not commit treason, although
ii destroys property and attacks hlman life
But when large number OF men arm and or
ganize themselves and engage in com
mon purpose TO defy the law 10 resist
its officers and deprive their fellow-citi
2enS OF the rights TO which they are en-.
titled under the constitution and laws, II
is a leying OF war against the state, and the
offense is treason. Where body of men
have organized for reasonable purpose every
step which any one Of them takes in part ex
ecution OF their common purpose IS an overt
act OF treason. Every member of such asserted
government who has participated in such
usurpation has committed treason against the
state.
He closed by saying:
I'VE have reached the point in the history OF
the state where there are but two roads for uH
to pursue. The one leads 10 order and good
government the other leads TO anarchy. The
one great question which concerns the people
of this country is the enforcement Of the law
and the preservation Of order.
When Justice Paxton announced that
it was not necessary that only the com
monwealth be inveighed against for
one to be guilty of treason, that it is
proper for any firm or corporation to
hire guards from any state whatsoever
and arm such guards, the faces of de-
PENDANTS heightened perceptibly. The
instructions fell among them as a
knell. There seems to be little doubt
that true bills will be returned. And il
true bills be returned there is little
doubt that several of the strikers will
be convicted