The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-08-26
FATHER HUNTINGTON
ON THE SITUATION.


the situation at Homestead, and it has
attracted wide attention:
"With presidential campaign be-
fore US that appeals more strongly to
the reason and the conscience than any
similar event for thirty years, it would
be grevious mistake to allow the real
significance OF the struggle at Home
stead to be forgotten. 1t will not do to
let the feelings of indignation and dis
content in the masses evaporafe in wild
Trades against Mr.. Pinkerton or 10
generous sympathy with Private Iams.
Looking behind these individuals, men
must learn to see the outlines of an in
solent economic despotism, impatient Of
even the forms of legal procedure, and
linked with it an aggressive militarism
that despises the civil law, while yet, as
in the attempted force bill, it is ready
to use it as a cloak to hide the thrust Of
its own dagger. The dictum of monop-
olists is short and sharp: We shallr
our business to suit ourselves They
justify this position by declaring that
their business is their own private con-
Germ, end that, unless they are protected
against interference, no man will be safe
from disturbance in the possession Of
his house or his earnings. That is a
specious argument, and thus far the
majority of people, who are not accus-
toned to think things out very deeply,
have accepted it as true. But in dem-
ocratic state people must think things
out. and the conflict Of the last few
weeks will help to press the question
home. Is it true that the business of
corporations, such as the Carnegie
Steel Co., is merely private concern !.
The corporation, like most others in
our day, is of mopopollstic character
1t may not be monopoly in the narrow.
est sense of the term, but it rest upon
the most fundamental monopoly pos
sible, and it is bolstered up by whole
mass of special legislation 1t is by
the monopoly of the sources of produc-
ton in the shape of coal deposits and
iron mines and factory sites, and by the
imposition of duties on foreign steel,
that the Carnegie Co. possesses the
power It is using to maintain its atti-
tude of insolent self will. But what is
the origin of this monopolistic power ?
Is it not in the act and deed of that
very public that the company damns !?
The Carnegie company did not deposit
the coal in its beds or fill the seams of
the rocks with iron, or make the earth
on which its factories stand or spread
the clay fields out of which the bricks
are fashioned. Coal and iron and clay
are part of the land of these United
States which belongs to the people Of
these states, the public and not Mr..
Carnegie.
"That public has hitherto allowed
Mr.. Carnegie and his company to have
certain exclusive claims oyer a portion
of that land, and has demanded nc
equivalent in return. 1t has granite
privileges and failed to require cores
ponding duties, and more than that
this despised public has also passed
laws to enable Mr.. Carnegie to charge
it higher price for the products of hi;
mills than he would be able to charge
without that fostering care. In this
instance, also, no obligations at all com
mensurate with the advantages secured
to the company have been imposed
The public has done this under thu
belief that such course would be bes
for its members, including Mr.. Carne-
gle. 1t has acted in kind of unthink
ing confidence that the powers bestowed
would be used for the good of all. Mr.
Carnegie or his representatives. now
openly deny that they understand the
matter in that fashion. They claim al
an inallinabe right what was granted
them as a favor. They declare thai
they are not to be held to regard the
safety of the town of Homestead, the
commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the
prosperity of the Union or the welfare
of the public at large, but his breach Of
good faith does not alter facts.
1T simply throws upon the public
the necessity of Withdrawing its misused
gifts and exacting an equivalent for al
privileges it may grant in time to come
That is what this nation proposes to do
The tariff wall erected against foreign
steel will be removed and the rental
values of the coal and iron mines and
other natural elements will be collected
by the public and used in its own be