Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1892-08-05
HOMESTEAD.

and that evening but three, the 9Th, 10Th
and 10th, with Battery B. and the Sheri-
dan troops were left at Homestead. Gen.
Snowden turn ed the command over to Gen.
Wiley, and left for Philadelphia. There
were rumors of the strikers taking possess
ion of the heights across the river and pre-
venting workmen coming in via the Little
Bill"
Sylvester Critchlow's hearing was com
pleted before Judge Magee that day, and
he was held for murder without bail and
sent back to Jail. Two clerks in the works
saw him shooting the Pinkertons-
Superintendent O'Mara arrived in Pitts
burg that night having in charge FREQ
Mollick, whom he had arrested at Lont
| Branch.
On Friday Berkman was given hear
ing inside the Jail. He acknowledged try
ing to kill Frick, and he was held on sew
eral charges.
Gen. Snowden was interviewed upon nj
arrival home and was reported as follows
at is reported that you may be made
defendant in any prosecution that may d.
brought in the Iams AFFAIR."
so haYe read in the newspapers, Du
l know nothing else about it. L think
have explained myself perfectly in ina
matter. When the offense of Private lam
was reported to me ordered that he d.
dispraced and drummed out of the regl
ment 1t was not my province, nor was Il
necessary for me, to write an essay In
structing Col. Streator how a soldier guilty
of such a crime should be disgraced. ina
matter could safely be left in Col. Streat
or's hands.
"Asto the nature of the punishment was
ignorant of that until after it had beer
inflicted, but I have my own opinion as te
the character of the punishment thai
| should be meted ont to q soldier guilty o.
treason in time of actual revolution
'sMy position in the matter can be readi
| ly explained. Until the punishment has
been inflicted and Col Streator's repor
turned in to me / knew nothing OF it
When read the facts returned it and or
dered the mans discharge.
'"The matter has been greatly exagger
ated. Iams was not strung up by tn
thumbs. His hands were tied up over hi
head, but he could reachthe ground witt
his feet. He did not become unconscious
The action of Coils Hawkins and Streato
were such as men take in the time OF war
In active service Col. can shoot privat
| if he fails to do his duty. The oolonels arr
ordered to preserve discipline and they ar
allowed great latitude.
We were at that time doing martial duty
The community was in state of revolu
ton. Anarchy was rampant. An inde'
pendent government had been set up ant
an armed censorship of the press establish
ed Murder had been done, and men as
sumed authority whose hands were ret
| with blood. The condition in o word wa
one of war Iams was given every oppor
tunity to clear himself, but instead of ac
cepting them he repeated and emphasized
his remarks in the presence OF the regi-
ment That was giving counsel to the enc
my, In word, it was mutiny."
Col. Cullinan of the major general
staff, who came homo with him from
Homestead, had no hesitation about ex-
pressing himself regarding the situation
out at the troubled district.
1.-THE disorderlv element is OF the run,
said the colonel, "O'Donnell has disap
peared, and ! believe that the strikers gen
orally are demorAiised. They have been
particularly insulting Of late end the sol
diers have had to bear many indignities q
their hands.
"There arc three regiments of infantry,s Il
troop of cavalry and battery Of ARTILLERY
and they a.e srnpgh to get away with the
strikers in case Of a struggle. The gat
ling and other guns of the battery are on
bluff overlooking the town. and the very
first shot would drop shell into the head
quarters of the association. Every soldier
on the ground has stood untold abuse from
the strikers of late. and should collision
arise am afraid they woEa get to wori
without awaiting for orders from superior
officers"
"What is the opinion entertained by yor
and your brother officers regarding the
Ians case 7"
eff Iams had got bis deserts" was th'
reply, che would have been taken out ant
shot. His punishment was not bit to se-
we're. His suffering was very brief 1 am
astonished that his punishment should
have met with SO much disapproval, but
it is evident that everyone does not know
the serious nature Of the circumstances.
Why in the western part of the state there
is more sympathy xrressed for Iams than
for Frick, the victim Of depraved would,
be assassin.
'1ams may congratulate himself upon
getting off so easily.
On Sunday, Chaplain Adams of the 10th
Regiment, preached to the nine hundred
men in the mill in the morning, and that
afternoon an orchestra furnished sacred
concert.
Talking to newspaper man at Washing
ton d. G. Monday, Judge Oates, of the
Homestead committee said: 1 haye gone
carefully over the testimony taken al
Pittsburg, Homestead and Washington,
and have tried to be as impartial as a judge
upon the bench. As told you few days
ago, in the Homestead matter it is i'm
possible, az far as ! can see, to recon-
mend any legislation that will remedy
such troubles. ] have taken the facts that
have been given to the committee and
have drawn my inferences as to the cause
of the tr oubie find, and do not hest
tate to say SO, in my report, that both sides
were to blame. try to point out how
helpless the Federal Government is to
provide legislation by which such differ
ences can be settled.
'"The Supreme Court has decided again
and again that Congress has no power that
does not hang upon the Constitution, and
there is nothing In the Constitution that
permits Congress to interefere with indi-
vidual rights that are as old ss the Magma
Charta. refer particularly to the right of
the individual to make contracts ofhis own
will and according to his own tastes.
That is undoubtedly the question involved
in the Homestead trouble. There was no
violation OF contract there. 1t was merely
the inability to make contract. How
can the Federal Government interfere in
such q case and say, Here you must make
such and such contract That would be
direct blow to individual liberty that has
existed since the barons tore the Magma
Charts from the hands of King John. L
try to make this matter clear in my report.
II have dealt with the arbitration feat
ture, and am compelled 70 say it is failure.
can suggest nothing better than the pres
ent voluntary arbitration, which does not
seem to work very successfully. As soon