The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-04
WORK OF THE WALKING DELEGATE.


A correspondent Of the New York Sun
who has, within the past few days, visi-
ted Homestead, Pa, and inspected care
fully the operations in progress IN the
mills and the condition Of the former EN-
ployes of the Carnegie people hYing in
the town of Homestead. has written the
Sun a most interesting account OF what
he saw. He says the operatives that the
company now have are turning out good
work, that they have good accommoda-
tions and that they are good and respec-
table citizens He saw the Navy officers
inspecting testing and passing the plates
for armored vessels that they are turn-
ing out. He saw tons and tons of beams
and plates produced by the new work
men being loaded on cars for shipment.
He saw the accommodations provided for
the new men and they were complete IN
every way, including bathing pools, bar
Der shops and reading rooms. free. The
men were all cOntented and suffered but
one inconvenience-lOss Of freedom from
being compelled to spend too much of
their time in the company's enclosure by
reason of the violence with which they
were threatened by the strikers if they
went abroad. Inside the mills every
thing had the appearance of an immense
industry moving along in all its depart
ments as usual.
He also went through the village, three
months back the home of thousands of
contented workmen and their families,
and what be saw there was enough to
fill the sternest heart with sadness. He
saw in the streets patrolled by deputy
sheriffs and militiamen. hundreds Of idle
men, whose black looks, frowuing faces
and disconnected expressions. overheard
as he passed, plai15y indicated that they
were a defeated and desperate lot of
men. He saw stores deserted; he saw
bill-collectors presenting bills at nice, re-
spectabe-loohng cottages and turned
away without money; he saw bank
clerks looking out of bank windows, aud
crowds of men in front Of the almost de-
serted saloons; he saw women with babes
at their breasts, looking sad and anxious,
and ne heard women denouncing in
strong language the condition of things
that had brought about the general
wretchedness.
Inside the fence" says the writer. "an
was business. work and contentment.
Outside the fence all was idleness, ha-
tired and despair. and all reports OF
Mcsrs. GOmpers, Weihe d Co, TO the
contrary. are false and only made to de-
lude the poor workmen in other cities,
whose hard-earned wages they wish to
have contributed to aid them in living in
idleness and riding on the limited express
GERS until the curtain is some day drawn
aside and the labOring man sees for him
self the demagOgue standing forth IN all
his true cOlOrS.
The reduction in wages which the Car
negie company proposed to make, which
brought on the strike, applied to but 323
workmen out Of about 1000 employed by
the company, and these 1913 were the
highest paid men employed at the works,
and even after the reduction they would
still have been paid more than any other
workin gmen in the world OF their classes
receive.
The case, then. is this: The
Walking Delegates have forced this
Indebtedness and misery upon all these
thousands of innocent, conten,ed people,
that the walking Delegate"
MAY fret and strut his little hour"
while the workinoman and his family
starve.