The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-08-13

line Of service, had the right to in
sist on the permanency Of their
employment; and that they had q
right to insist also on reasonable
!, compensation for their services. He
maintained that at the time of the
assault on these people at Home.
stead they were where they had a
> right to be. They were on the
ground which they had right to de-
fend. They were conducting them
selves in the line of their rights.
J Manufacturing establishments were
public institutions, just as railroads
} were public because they worked
for the public; because they en-
ployed the public and because the
men in their service became unfit
for other service. While conceding
the right Of capitalists to the con-
troll OF their property and to reas-
enable reward for their investments,
he claimed that the laborer had the
right to permanent employment
during good behavior. Of course
the laborer was compelled to sub
nit to the changes of business.
Where the profits were small the
parties would have to divide the
loss, and where they were large they
would have to be divided. That,
he maintained, was the law to day
because law was the perfection of
reason.
Following this clear recognition
by an American statesman of the
change that is coming, and ought
to come, is the awakening of the
laborer himselfto the true meaning
of the Homestead fight and the
cause of his age-long conflict with
capital; as witness:
THE HOMESTEAD WORKMAN s APPEAL.
''The most evident characteristic
of our time and country is the phe-
nomenon Of industrial centraliza-
ton which is putting the control of
each of our national industries into
the hands of one or few men and
giving these men an enormous and
despotic power over the lives and
fortunes of their employees and
subordinates-the great mass of
the people-a power which eviscer-
ates our national constitution and
our common law, and directly an
tagonizes the spirit of universal
history in it's world wide struggle
after lawful liberty-a power which |
though expressed in terms of cur
rent speech as the fright OF employ
ers to manage their business to suit
themselves" is coming to mean in
effect nothing less than right to
manage the country to suit them
selves. The employees in the mill
of Carnegie, Phipps & Co. at Home
stead, Penn, have built there town
with its homes, its schools and its
churches; have for many years been
faithful coworkers with the compa-
ny in the business of the mills;
have invested thousands of dollars
of their savings in the expectation
of spending their lives in Home
stead and Of working in the mill
during the period of their efficiency.
In addition to the ordinary gifts
and advantages of our government,
the national Legislature has seen fit
to specially foster and protect by
public taxation the industry of these
mills, and the state Of Pennsylvania
is to-day guarding it at great and
extraordinary expense.
Therefore, the committee desires
to express to the public, as its firm
belief, that both the public and the
aforesaid have equitable
rights and interests in the said mill
which cannot be modified or d.
verted without due process of law
that the employees have the right
to continuous employment in the
said mill during efficiency and good
behavior without regard to religious,
political or economical opinions
and associations; that it is against
public policy and subversive Of the
fundamental principles of American /
liberty that whole community of
workers should be denied employ J
nent or'suffer any other social det- .
riment on account of membership :
in church, political party or a 5
trades union; that it is our duty as /,
citizens to resist by every legal and {
ordinary means the unconstitutional :
anarchy and revolutionary policy
IF the Carnegie company, which J
seems to evince a contempt of pub t
ic and private interests and dis 9
'egard of the public conscience by !
is refusal to submit to lawful arbi- (
ration, and by the lawless impor- !.
alton of band of mercenaries to !
iorcibly deprive the employees of !
heir equitable rights in advance Of :
my legal adjudication thereupon,
md without previous appeal to the
awful forces of Allegheny county
md the state Of Pennsylvania.
The committee wish it known
hat we will prosecute the said pub
ic and private interests in the \
=