The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-10-28
THE HOMESTEAD HORROR.

THE HOMESTEAD HORROR.
4 Strong Indictment Of Our Present. sys-
tenn Of Civilization.
The Homestead Wholesale killing
adds another stinging Indictment to
the long list to which our boasted civil.
, ization must plead guilty. Men were
killed, homes made desolate, wives
made widows, and children made Oh
phans, not because men are barbarouS
monsters who delight in savagery, but
simply because of sad inability to UNI
derstand and render to each other that
Justice which alone is an immutable
guarantee of continued peace and kind
~ fraternalism among men. Those
who sit in judgment on such horrible
occurrences as that of the Homestead
tragedy, are too prone to consider only
the circumstances by which they are
Immediately attended, and it is for this
reason, and this reason alone, that so
many different opinions obtain as to
who is responsible for such upheavals.
The Pinkertons, the laboring men, the
sheriff, the governor, the Carnegie
company and the protective tariff are
each charged by different men with the
responsibility in this case. If either
is wholly responsible, it follows logic
ally that the others cannot be at all to
blame, and the fact that such a wide
divergence of opinion as to where the
burden should be placed exists, is proof
Of how sadly all are at sea. The Pink
ertons are generally blamed but the We.
hemence with which all parties censure
them ought, at least, to be tempered
with the reflection that even if they are
immediately to. blame, government is
primarily at fault for allowing such an
un-American organization to continue.
Had Congressman Watson's bill been
enacted into law, as it easily might
have been long since, the Pinkerton's
would have been wiped out of existence.
The bill was introduced and referred
to the judiciary committee February Q.
1892. Despite every effort of Mr.. Wat
son and his peoples party colleagues in
the house, it has been allowed to sleep
in the committee. Mr.. Watson is Justly
angry at this hypocritical affectation Of
sympathy for the Homestead sufferers
and condemnation Of the "Pipkerton
thugs" by the republican and demo.
cratic members of the house, who have
practically killed the law which would
have rid the country of the 'smercenary
hirelings." But while the passage Of
this law would have destroyed this or
ganization, which exists solely in the
interest of the plutocratic corporations,
it is more than questionable if it would
have prevented the Homestead slaugh-
ter. It will be remembered that not
many years since murder, only more
aiabolical than the Homestead killing,
in that it numbered one woman and q
child among it's victims, occurred at
east St Louis It will be recalled that
neither the Pinkertons, nor the state
militia, nor any other regularly recog.
nized force, had anything to do with
that outrage. 1t was ''men of grit''
who, who, in response to an open Offer
Of ''S5 per day." rendered their services
TO the Missouri Pacific Railway Co., and
who, with Winchester rifles supplied
by the corporation, assassinated five
men, one woman and child. In view
Of this fact, and in view of the further
fact that outrages of similar charac-
ter were perpetrated before the Pink.
erton force was organized, it Is cerSai-.
that men who believe the destruction
Of the Pinkerton organization will pre-
vent the recurrence Of such scenes as
the Homestead butchery are doomed to
disappointment.
Certainly, the Pinkerton band of as
sassins should be stamped out, not be-
cause the crimes they commit could not
or would not be committed by others,
but because their continued existence
stamps their acts with the approval OF
the people.
The cause of such occurrences will be
found back of the Pinkerton's and 81
the state militia and of ''men of grit"
In fact these are all necessary concom.
itants of condition of things that is
rapidly dividing our people into two
who are able to hire
killing done and those who are so poor
IN purse and so mean in spirit as to ac-
cept their blood-money. The economic
which not only permits, but
which is rapidly fastening the division
Of the people into plutocrats and pau.
pers must be changed. That neither
democrats nor republicans are in favor
If change, except for the worse, is
proved by the fact that the only differ
ence between them is a question of
which of two ways of using the nations
taxing power will soonest cheaper
goods.
The peoples party is the only party
hat is pledged to such economic
changes as will increase the value OF
abor and decrease the power of money.
The people are realizing as they
never did before the necessity for this
zind of a change and such happenings
IS that at Homestead serve to empha-
'ize this necessity.
Senators Vest and Palmer were pre-
correct when they said that
he Homestead outrage would help the
peoples party.-National Economist.
Ominous Rumblings.
The reform press Of the country for
several years back has been predicting
disaster as the result of hiring private
lrmed men to shoot striking workmen.
such predictions have been scoffed at.
mt thu ooc Iii.