Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-07-28
Ihe New Hnmestea,l.

It is something like the irony Of fate
that one of the sacred names OF our Ian
guage, recalling all that is peaceful and
holy, should go down to posterity linked
with one of the worst outrages and most
senseless riots since the struggle between
labor aud capital began. 1t is the fashion
nowadays to sympathize greatly with the
poor laboring men who are represented as
oppressed in every possible manner and
suffering unheard of pangs, bodily and
spiritually. The fact is overlooked that
never before in the history OF the world
did tradesmen receive any higher wages,
work less hours and enjoy more comforts
and conveniences than they do to-day,
and more than all else, in this gloriously
'.protected' country Of America. This is
not saying that 'whatever is, is right" by
any means. No doubt labor suffers many
wrongs from capital, and also, which they
are prone to forget, many benefits. The
two parties are on opposing ground and
will never agree unless they can meet with
some ideas in common. Whether any
plans of cooperation will hasten the
long looked for millennium remains to be
seen. The greatest trouble in this eoun-
try seems to be from few foreign hot
heads, who, not finding the license they
want at home, come over here and stir up
our peaceable workingmen to deeds of
violence like those just enacted. 1t is for
ever the old, old cry of Oliver Twist for
"Morel" The people wanted liberty and
they have it; they wanted control OF the
government and they have it; they want
ed protection and they have it; they
wanted more wages for shorter hours and
they have them; they wanted education,
fast horses, Havana cigars, Pears soap
and parlor organs and they have them.
And still they cry for more. They don't
care much for religion and religion does
not seem to care much for them. The
church, which is supposed to represent
religion, generally lets them alone, per-
baps sending out occasional feelers in the
form of mission stations. And so they
work and talk and smoke and drink poor
rum till their blood begins to boil over,
they grow envious of the rich, the cham
papne-drinkers, who neither toll nor SPIN,
and they say like the Englishman, 1t s
fine Gay. Let's kill something" So come
from the abstract to the particular, take
the case OF the strikers at Homestead.
Thev were working twelve hours a day
and earning from 800 to sl0-OO therefor.
The company proposed to reduce their
time to eight hours and their. pay, by
natural consequence, somewhat, the re-
auction in pay affecting only lew OF me
men in the mill. Under tne e reoueslon o s,l
thev would earn from $50 to $500 day,
more than many a struggling editor gets,
and whoever heard of an editors strike:
The rest Of the story has heen too Wen
told bv the daily papers to need repeti-
tion at this late day. It has not finished
vet. -.
some jealous Democrats have tried 70
,rove that the tariff. and back Of that- the
Republican party are responsible for tnls
exhibition 81 mems lawiess passions. But
it is no more fair to lay this 70 the kepuo-
i;ssu Marty than to make the Democracy
RESPONSIBLE for the enormous number OF
saloons IN a certain Tammany ridden CITY.