The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-07-14
THEY OWN THE TOWN.
Strikers Still in Possession of Homestead
They Maintain Order. However,.

THEY OWN THE TOWN.
Strikers Still in Possession of Homestead
They Maintain Order, However,.
HOMESTEAD, Pa, July 9.-The town
was quiet all of Friday, but the strikers
are nervous from the constant strain of
watching and waiting for an attack
during the last few days, and it would
not take much to set the community in
an uproar. Ex-President William
Wiehe, of the Amalgamated AS
sociation of Iron and Steel Work
ers, came to town in the morn
ing and called a meeting of the
strikers in the rink where the Pink
ertons were imprisoned after the
capture Wednesday. But the meeting
was not success. Scarcely 200 of the
1000 strikers responded, and those who
did attend were at variance with tho
views of the chairman.
In the meantime Homestead contin-
ues in possession of the locked out men.
They are autocrats of the town, and
many of them beneath their slouched
hats wear the dignity and the knowl-
edge of sovereignty. The town is un-
der what is known as the borough sys-
tenn of government and the chief repre-
sentative of the state is a burgess Or
der has been strictly maintained, how
ever, and, to the credit of the locked-out
men, it can be said that they have not
committed any act of violence or of
plunder, and that beyond taking excep-
tional precautions against Pinkerton
men gaining an entrance or obtaining
valuab BILE knowledge they have not done
anything.
The strike at the Carnegie steel mills
is costly affair to both the company
and the men. The product of the mills
when they are running in full blast is
valued at about s3S,OOO a day. The
cost of running the mills is from s19, 900
to $26,O day. For wages every
day is expended from $4,000 to seO,O 900,
and about $4, 900 worth of material is
used when the mills are running on
full time. The company is understood
to figure its loss of profits at $4,000 or
Ss, 600 day and the men lose some
thing like sl5, 900 every day they are idle.
HARRISBURG, Pa, July Gov. Patti
son is still of the opinion that matters
can be adjusted at Homestead without
calling out the military. While this is
hoped for it cannot be denied that there
is a feeling that the works will never
be opened until the aid of the military
is invoked.
The committee of Homestead citizens,
! including ex-President Cox, Hugh
O'Donnell, J. II. Williams, DR.. J. II.
Purman and G. w. Carver, arrived at
the executive department at 1890 FRI
day night, and were at once ushered
into the private Office of the governor,
who was awaiting them with Attorney
General Hensel and Private Secretary
Tate. On the way to the capitol from
the railroad station the committee
stated that they came to Harrisburg to
see the governor at the repeated and
urgent requests of the workmen to ex-
plain their side of the controversy,
and for no other purpose. There had
been considerable misrepresentation,
and they wanted, they said, to dis
abuse his mind of any false impress
sions that may have been made by re-
ports from the scene of the trouble.
| 1t was midnight when the conference
came to an end, and the committee, fif
teen minutes later, were on their way
back to Homestead. When they had
! gone Attorney General Hensel received
the newspaper representatives and
gave them the substance of what
had occurred during the confer
ence. He said the committee was COM
posed of two representatives of the
labor organizations and three of the
citizens of Homestead. Two of them
had been summoned as part of the
sheriffs's posse. They came to say
to the governor that the works are
now in possession of the owners of the
plant, and that their watchmen are
low on the ground No attempt had
been made by the workmen to take the
works or destroy property. They
pledged the citizens of Homestead
of good order and the safety of the
works. The committee stated that the
sheriff could take charge of the prop.
erty and that there would be no resist
ance to his authority. There has never
been any attempt, they said, to execute
writ or serve civil process and that
the sheriff would be permitted to do SO
at any time. Mr.. Cox said the people
of Homestead, without regard to party
or organization, commended the gov
ernor's action in declining to send
troops He regretted the occur
rences of Wednesday, but said
the responsibility rested largely
with Carnegie & Co., who brought
the Pinkertons there as their armed
employees, acting without official au-
thority, and attempted to be landed.
No organized attempt has been made,
he declared, to prevent the landing OF
the detectives. 1t was rather the re-
suit of an accidental collision than OF
generalization.
Gov. Pattison said he was glad to
hear that peace and order prevailed
and hoped it would continue. He
wanted it understood that the civil
authorities must exhaust all the means
at their command, but he desired it also
to be understood that peace and order
and the observance of the law must be
adhered to and would be maintained
even if it required all the force of the
state or an appeal to the federal gov.
ernment. but it would be done unde,
the forms Of law and in subordination
to the civil authority. Property would
be protected and the rights of all
parties in the existing struggle would
be strictly maintained without regard
to merits or uemerits of business diff.
ferences between them.
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