St. Paul daily globe., 1892-09-07
erwin ENTHUSIASTIC
Return of the Great Lawyer
and Advocate From Penn
sylvania.
He Talks Freely and Earnest
ly Of the Coming Legal
Contests.
.-l-- te--. .-i-.- -'-'--
The Dogma Of Master and
Servant as It Is Interpret
ed Today.
Accused Homesteaders Bear
Themselves as Brave, Per-
secuted Men.

ganiZations of Minnesota in the pre-
liminary work of the defense of the
men arrested for alleged rioting at
Homestead, and who will take an active
part in the trials when they begin, re-
turned to st. Paul Monday. After leay
/ ing Pittsburg Mr. Erwin went to Cleve-
land to visit his parents. both in the eight
les aid both we'll and strong in body and
mind, and was detained there longer
than he expected on account of the alb
Sence of his father at Erwin, n. Y, the
family seat since 1888, so his arrival
home was deferred until Monday.
In conversation Yesterday with an
eX-presldent of fhe trades and labor az
Sembly, Mr.. Erwin expressed his views
and sentiments very freely on the
Homestead fight and the rights of the
men arrested and now out. on.. ball. AS
there was no injunction of secrecy at
tached to the interview, the GLOBE
gives it to the public substantially as.
Mr.. Erwin expressed it.
Date of the Trials.
The great lawyer stated that Chief
Counsel Brennan expected the trials to
begin about the middle Of October, aid
continued: -. L.
Il am only one of the many engaged
in the defense of the men who fought
the Lexington of economic liberty at
Homestead, and my. observations and
personal views must be submitted to
the splendid corps OF gifted lawyers be-
fore they can be posed before the public
to lead the public thought. 5-
"H0w did you so to PittSburg? Did
you correspond with the local lawyers2''
No. The trade and Tabor unions OF
Minnesota, by letter to William Weihe,
president of the AmaIgamated ASsoca-
ton OF Iron and Steel Workers, offered
to send George w. ArgO, of Sioux City,
and myself to aid in the defense. This
offer was accepted. and we thought it
best to go i'll person to PittSburg, and
arrange what we could preparatory to
the trials. 1t was a novel affair-two
lawyers volunteering from the North
west to enter the lists of PENNSYLVANIA,
or, rather, two lawyers sent by the labor
interests to enter the courts of that old
commonwealth. -, .~r -fs'
An Unprecedented Move.
"There had been no precedent set for
our conduct. so we went directly to the
officers of the Amalgamated association.
and were warmly received by all. These
gentlemen Introduced us to Hon. Will
lam j. Brennan, who is the regular at
tOrney OF the Amalgamated association,
and by the association employed as chief
counsel to defend the Homesteaders.
mi. Brennan met Us most cordially,
and explained that the counsel who
would appear i'll court had not been
definitely engaged, although it was
pretty we'll understood who would be
retained, but assured us that we would
be welcomed by the defense bar to assist
at the trials. That in few days he
would Introduce us to the local counsel.
and we would consult with them. And
so IN few days we were introduced to
Hon. Thomas Marshall known as
"Glorious Old Tom" Marshallileads
the criminal bar of Pennsylvania, and is
one of the most loved sons of that great
commonwealth.
"Reardon, Montooth, Cox and others
who are retained Ill the interests Of the
| defense are noted lawyers. They gave
| us cordial greetings, land we will be able
| to work under and with this line of
| noble men with disinterested spirit for
| the cause of embattled laDor.''
Did you visit Homestead?"
Yes, we visited homestead, and
| were called out to address meeting of
over 1,500 of the strikers. A more in
telligent crowd of men L never saw, nor
even more honest or earnest and
| patriotic aSsemblage of citizens.
1.-The heartfelt welcome which they
| gave us as the representa- of the
sympathy of organized labor in the
Northwest we will never forget. God
bless the noble fellows. | do hope we
can do them signal aid in the courts.''
Situation at Homestead.
"What is the status of affairs on the
ground?'
''Ah, sir, there are so many starting
| points to enter into description of the
situation that [ do not know how to tell
D,rt E..-+t t.f- Al.
| groundwork of the picture:
pennsylvania is workshop of mod
ern industry. The fierceness of compe-
tition, led on recklessly by an increas-
ing desire to personally acquire great
Wealth-thiS terrible insanity of the
last thirty years-has crowded all of the
old virtues, heretofore thought insep-
arabic to great state. out Of the for
ums of enterprise. The old colonial
spirit of Pennsylvania has been buried
under this madness tor gain. The.
colonial spirit was for personal equality
ana personal liberty. Now the patriotic
spirit stops at worship of national
greatness and the splend0r Of great
personal acquisition.
"The courts of the commonwealth,
modelled on the plan of England, OH the
principle of the divine right of kings,
are content to enforce the usages and
practices specified in the Magma Charta
They stand petrilied - content to
maintain the liberty of land of kings,
barons and Yeomen-a land of classes
and chartered privileges TO the few
The labor emeutes Of the past twenty
years have passed under the judicial
legislation of that great state, only to
enforce the law of conspiracieS and acts
tending to disturb the kings peace.
Armed with the sacred deposit
of the common law powers to judicial
ly determine the rules of justice to
every disturbing abrasion OF men In
every act Of life, they seem to have en-
deavored to pass upon the new ques-
.tions now arising up from the agitated
ocean of American liberty. this Com
mending genius of our republic, by an
application of old rules and dogmas of
the government of kings.
A Fatal Idea.
| "The Hebrew dogma of master and
| servant-that fatal idea which has ever
stif1ed all liberty except religious and
political liberty-SeemS still the Gibral-
tar which the courts dare not disturb.
| Here is the critical view of the situation.
For if relief comes not from the courts,
where can labor hope for relief?
1.-The principles of the relation of
master and servant now maintained in
the law were founded upon the truth
that the master knew better than the
servant what ought to be done by the
servant. But now skilled labor has so
enthroned the special knowledge of
each craft in every fiber of the work
mans soul and body that he, the servant
of the law, alone knows what the serv-
ant should do to labor well. Bare capl-
tai asserts the old rights of a God-fear-
Ing master.
"The courts must limit the relations
OF skilled labor from the sweep of the
Hebrew dogma. The Christs love one
another must be substituted in the
law forums for the Mosaic servant,
obey thy Inaster.''
Serious Allegations.
"How do the strikers act?"
Like herOes-patient, brave, silent,
abused, misrepresented. The militia is