The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-07-08


men Did Wrong in Taking Posses.
sion of the Property - Tho Law
Should 30 Respected by Both Sides.
New Yonk, July 1.-THE interest
which was manifested in the wage
trouble ut the Homestead mills was in.
tensified by the terrible rioting Of yes
terday. All Of the leading papefa to-
day comment at great length on the
tragedy.
The World says:
It istoo soon yet to appertion blame
for what has occurred; too soon to pre-
dict what will occur hereafter. 1t is
organized government and not y de-
tective agency, to which the private
citizen is bound to look for protection.
In brief, there are legal ways and illegal
ways of meeting force by force, and SO.
long as organized society exists it is to
the legal, and not to the illegal, methods
that the citizen is bound to make his
appeal. The merits OF the controversy
between the Carnegie people and their
workmen are wholly aside from pre-
sent consideration. Now that violence
has been done and battle joined be-
| tween the two forces, neither OF which
ia authorized to make war, 1t will be
the duty OF the state of Pennsylvania
to restore order on. both sides with an
impartial hand. and to employ what
ever measure o fforcs IL may mud neces-
sary to that end. When that is done,
particular questions OF right and
wrong can be investigated, and not be-
fore. The present question is between
law and lawlessness.
The Tribune editorially says in part:
The dispatches so fatty conflict thatit
cannot here be determined whether the
frstehot was fired by the watchmen at
tempting't to land at the works or by the
strikers. The responsibility must lie
further back. Why were armed men
brought to the spot, and why were arm
ed muititudes assembled to resist their
landing? It is hard to believe that il q
fair arbitration had been asked, this
struggle would not have been avoided.
The workers we'll knew that the lowest
rate Of wages proposed enabled them to
earn about twice as much as men at
similar work in Great Britain, and per-
haps three times as much as men en-
gagged in similar work in Belgium. and
more than the men at Pittsburgh had
earned a few years ago. But they were
impressed with the belief that Mr.. H.
G. Frick, to whom management OF the
company has been entrusted, was re-
solved to break up their organization.
Then some OF the workers made a false
step. The hiring Of Pinkerton men to
guard the property was not a step cal
culated to prevent strife, and yet resist
ance to their landing was clearly lawless
violence. Americans believe in ample
Justice to labor, but they are not anarch-
lists. They will sternly condemn any
attemptto deprive laborerso OF their right
to orgaulze and to aid each other in all
lawful ways, but they will also strongly
condemn every resort to lawless vio-
lence.
The Times says:
1t is not necessary to discuss the dis
pute between the Carnegie Steel Com
pany and its employees in order to fix
the responsibility for the outbreak Of
violence at Homestead. The company
may have been wrong in the course 1t
took in regard to the scale Of wages, but
it had the right to employ men in its
works at w~hateve.rate of pay they were
willing'to accept After its former en-
ployes bad abandoned its service they
had no right to interfere with the en-
ployment OF others or with the opera
ton of the works. In calling upon
Sheriff McCieary the company was clear
" within its rights, and it had ample
cause for doing so, as subsequent events
have proved. No state can atforC to let
its citizens take the law into their own
hand wage bloody warfare among them
selves in defense Of what they claim TO
be their rights. The first duty OF the
public authorities in Pennsylvania is
plainly to establish order at Homestead
and compel its people to submit to the
rule of law.
The Herald says:
The outbreak was the result OF law
lessness on both sides. 1t would have
been averted had both or either kept
within the bounds.of the law. 1t was
precipitated by the action OF that hired
band ofPinkerton detectives. 1t cannot
be denied that the lockout compelled
the Carnegie people either to let their
works stand idle and besieged or TO
adopt some means of enforcing their
rights. No ono would deny the right
of the latter to protect their property
and continue their business. Now that
the outbreak has occurred but one duty
confronts the public authorities. Pence
must be maintained and order pre-
served. Mob violence and lawlessness
are to be put Down ii it takes the entire
power OF the commonwealth and the
nation to dol. Any other ontse would
lead to anarchy. For strikers whose
cause is Just and who keep within the
bounds OF the law there is no luck OF
popular sympathy. Those who take
the law into their own hands simply
array themselves against the authority
OF the government, state and national.
Ii P~ittsburgh Papers.
PlrrsBuRaA, Pa, July 7.-The Dispatch
says: "rhe sympathy of the public was
clearly and almost universally with the
Homestead workers in the struggle for
their organization and against what
they claimed to be areduction OF wages.
~ At .v;npoVby nathan iDvOIynd