The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-07-14

fearful picture was not overdrawn, ex.
cept, perhaps. in the latter statement.
1t was at an early hour on the morning
of the 9th inst. that the trouble began. A
force of 800 Pinkerton men attempted to
disembark at the landing in front of the
iron works. which had been fortified against
the locked out workmen. The strikers
warned the Pnkertons against attempting
to come ashore. A shot was ired-sOme
say by striker. but it is pretty certain that
it came from Pinkerton gun-and an iron
worker fell dead. Then began the carnage
which has reused the whole nation.
The strikers victory over the Pinkertons
was complete. but what had they gained?
For one thing, they had gained the respect
of nine tenths of their c5untrymen for
having administered deserved punishment
to hated foe of American liberty. But
when the calm came after the storm, they
must have realized that they had captured
huge monster that might turn and devour
them piecemeal. 1t was true that for the
moment they were masters of the situation.
but the question must have come to every
one of them as to what use they were to
make of it. They had not acquired owner
ship in the mills nor even the power to die.
tate terms of peace with the enemy-the
Carnegie Steel company-an enemy backed
the government of the United States.
Their only hopes are that the Carnegie
Steel company will voluntarily surrender.
or that through sympathy in their cause the
the laws and rally to their support. Look
ing in the direction of force the perspective
must grow darker and darker to the minds
eye until it ends in bloody grave or a
rectiOn for escape from present troubles and
approaching thralldom.
All men. save those who have become
monsters of avarice, sympathize with the
laborer in his struggle against slavery to
capital. This sympathy goes out to him
from all classes-from the homes of the
rich. the great and the learned, as we'll as
from those of the poor and the ignorant.
They will all excuse him for excuses when
his provocation has been excessive, they
will be with him when he breaks the law if
it is unjust; but if he dares to assume the at
titude of a bully and undertakes to make
might right, he puts himself on level with
his oppressive employer, and his late sympa-
thzng friends will turn against him. The
goodwill of the public is thus far with the
Homestead strikers.
While all good people deplore the fatal
conflict. they hold that the strikers were
right in fighting off an invading army of
foreign mercenaries who were ready to
shoot them down like dogs-right or wrong
at the command of the man who had re.
ceived millions of dollars from the toll of
their hands and heads. The goodwill of the
public will remain with them until they
foolishly attempt the impossible feat of
The public may sympathize with them even
then. but its sympathy will be mixed with
bullets-like the mother who weeps in sym
pathy as she whips her disobedient child.
The people have no sympathy tor the Car
negies in their troubles and will not though
they should be reduced to poverty by the
strike. Carnegie has proved himself to be
an avarciOus tyrant posing as a phlan-
thropist. He squeezes many millions of
dollars out of his workmen and spends
a few millions to build public halls and other
monuments to perpetuate the name of Car.
negie. If he were true phianthropist he
would, instead of spending that money for
the sake of others, distribute it as wages
among those who earned it. But no, thew
would receive it as their just dues and, as
he perhaps thinks, when his body dies the
name of Carnegie would he forgotten. He
hates labor unions and it is his avOwed pur-
pose to drive all union men out of his
works or compel his men to leave the
unions. They are slight check to his
greed, and if he could break them he could
reduce wages and thus add a few more hun.
dred thousand dollars to his millions eyerv