The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-10
A Record of Shame and Danger,

A Record of Shame and Danger.
Homestead presents the most appalling
record ever put on tho books Of business In
q civilized community. Here it is. as near
rs the facts exhibited without contradic-
ton can make it:
At the CARNEGIE works a dispute arose
about wages between the company and the
employees. This dispute involved be-
tween three and four hundred men.
the total number employed being sew
eral thousand. The men being as firm
as the company upon the disputed
point. and acting in a solid body. stopped
work. Tho Homestead employees consti-
tuted substantially the whole town. and
they surrounded the mills. placing their
own deputies on guard. saying that they
would keep the works safe. but allowing no
one to enter. The company called upon tho
Sheriff to give their property back into
their possession. The Sheriff thercupon
went to the works, which were In state
Of capture. and the people Of Home
stead met him with indubitable evidence
that the life Of himself and his followers
would not he safe if he attempted to per-
form his duty. The Sheriff withdrew. after
failure to extend the protection of tho law
over the property. and issued the follow
ing proclamation:
Hh1ea, 1t has come to my knowledge that certain
psrsons have conHrcxa'ed and assembled and near
the works Of the ClRSlGIE Steel Company, and on the
Toad aud highway leading to the same. and such
Ders' have interf-rcd with YORK ngnen en- p!oyed
N said works obtaining access to the same ami that
eerbain perm. have made threats Of inj nv en-
ployees and from said works. and hav. threat
sned hat II the owners Of said works attempt TO run
tho same the properly viii be injured destroyed
Now l. LuAN II MCCLvARY. High sher d Of said
county. do hereby roty amt all persons that all
the acts enupera ed are fu and that all persons
engaged In the same in any Liable to arrest
and pun shment. And furil er command all persons
TO ABSTAIN from assembling or cGngregatng !, afore
said and from interfering with the workmen bust
ness. or the operation Of said works and In all
respects to prservo the peace and retire to their
respec i've hnm"s or places ot sience. tho rights
OF tho ~orImeh I" work ami the right OF the owners
to operate their works will DO fully protected and in
case Of failure 10 observe these all persons
onsndiHg viii he dealt with according to law" o
This was torn down. During this time
the Sheriff was seuding appeals to tho Gov.
ernor OF the State to send aid. representing
tho situation as grave in the extreme. and
tho Governor was fencing with pettifogGing
excuses to avoid committing himself.
MICHAEL HICKEY. President OF the West
ern Branch OF the Amulgamated Associa-
ton. said on Tuesday. the day befo Q the
battle: The men will die in their tracks
before they will submit either to work
for the CARNEGIE scale or to allow
non-union men to come in" There is 10
need OF questioning the fact OF this asser-
ton. The sequence showed that there was
ground it.
The mill owners hired three hundred
men. armed. with tho Intention OF getting
them into the mill secretly, 10 that at
last the promises might he in their pos.
session again. These mcr were known as
P1NkERTON detectives. They are offensive
to most American citizens. to strikers as
. threatening foe. and to others rs an
armed force which the energy Of the proper
ly constituted officers OF State should never
permit to lie necessary. The coupany put
these three hundred mon into bargcs.
and taking them in tho night when
the people OF Homestead were asleep. they
attempted to take item peaceubly to the
doors OF the works. But tho strikers.
who appear to have been organized for
fight us we'll as for labor union pur-
poses. heard Of tho PlNKERroSs' COM
Ing. They reused themselves out OF
their beds by signals Of guns and
nash lights. and sped to tho river to block
the PINKEIToNs' entry. in tho company's
name. into tho companys works. So de-
termined were the strikers that they torc
down the company's fence and broke into
its premises. In order tiat they might con-
front Its representatives at every point
Then there was murder. The question
who fired first Is not factor In determining
who committed it. People will assign
the responsibility for murder according as
they think or deny that the strikers were
justified In vowing to die In their tracks
rather than that non-union men, men
whom they did not control and approve OF.
should enter the CARNEGIE works even
under Mr.. CARNEGIE's guidance. That. OF
course. WAS declaration OF death to in
truders. Tho determination to die under
thoso circumstances necessarily meant
the resolve to defend themselves, to
kill In the cause. II the strikers owned
the works and not Mr. CARNEGIE, and
II they were protecting their own prop
to defend II 10 the last extremity: and in
that cnso tho PINRERroN men did tile muir
der But II Mr. CARNEGIE had the right to
enter his works and to take assistance with
him. aud II he hadn't. no man has right to
get into his OWE house or to cmpluyn private
watchnian to protect il. then his mon. these
PIKKERToSs. when they We're threatened
with violence by the strikers. did no muir
dor. But murder was done.
The strikers were too strong. however.