People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-07-15
The PfnkertOn Investigation.

IIukGEIUW IuFcStlRdbIUHs
Thursday, July I, Mr.. Oates, of
Alabama, from the Committee on the
Judiciary, introduced in the House
of Representatives the following
as coming from that committee with
the recommendation that it do pass !:
Resolution introduced by Mr.. Will
Hams Of Massachusetts,
Whereas the Pinkerton detective or
private police force to the number of
several hundred is now engaged in an
armed conflict at Homestead, Pa, with
the late employees Of the Carnegie Iron
Works at said place, and great loss of
human life and destruction Of proper
ty are likely to result from the same:
and
Whereas the Judiciary Committee
has been directed by resolution OF the
House TO investigate the nature and
character of the employment of Pink
erton detectives by corporations en-
gagged in interstate commerce There
tore,
Be it resolved, That said committee
shall investigate and report on the
character of the employment of said
forces in the present instance, and the
cause and conditions of the sanguina-
ry conflict now going on at Homestead,
Pa.
Mr.. Watson. I wish to ask the
gentleman from Alabama if this re-
port from the Committee on the Ju-
dietary does not favor general in
vestigation, as provided by the reso-
lntion | introduced in January; and
whether the report of the committee
some time ago did not recommend a
restricted investigation applying only
where there was any interference
with interstate commerce I would
like the gentleman to explain what
would be the relative position of the
two Investigations. Does one take
the place OF the other, or does this
enlarge the scope ofss the other, or
both ? / would like to be informed
on that subject.
Mr. Oates. Mr.. Speaker, in reply
to the question of the gentleman from
Georgia Mr.. Watson I will say
that this resolution is supplementary
10 the one already adopted, and is in
tended to enlarge the scope of the
inquiry. The resolution which was
adopted by this House some time ago
reads as follows:
Resolved, That the Committee on the
Judiciary be, and tits hereby, directed
10 investigate the said PinkertOn de-
tectiVes, to wit: The character of their
employment by corporations engaged
in the transportation of interstate
commerce or the United States mails,
the numbers so employed, and whether
such employment has provoked breach
es OF the peace or caused the destruc-
rion of property, and all the mate
rial facts connected with their alleged
employment, and to report the same
10 this House by bill or otherwise at
any time.
Mr.. Watson. If the gentleman
viii allow ME, that was the substitute
reported by the committee; but my
original resolution covered the very
same ground as this one which is
now offered, did it not?
Mr.. Oates. 1t covered that, and
a good deal more ground, but that
has already been disposed of. This
is the substitute adopted by the
House.
X
Mr.. Watson. Mr.. Speaker, it is a
very pleasant thing to notice how
much the approach of Presidential
election quickens up political move
ments. In January a resolution was
introduced here, broad in its terms
and sufficient in its allegations, to
authorize full and fair investigation
of this keeping of a standing army
by corporations to put down their
employees. That resolution went to
the Judiciary Committee, and went
TO sleep there. 1t required a resolu-
ton of this House some months
afterwards to get it even considered |
bv that committee, and after its con-
sideration was thus brought about |
by the action OF the House, 1t came |
back here shorn, in my opinion, Of |
It's strongest features, and restricted
merely to the operation of railroad |
trains.
I believe, Mr.. Speaker, that the
strongest objection to the Pinkerton
Detective Agency is this, that it is
the keeping and bearing of arms by
an unauthorized body; not the keep
ing and bearing of arms by the
citizen, but the keeping and bearing
of arms by an unauthorized body,
organized on military plan, differed
on a military plan, in violation of
the Constitution of the United
States, and put out for hire to pri-
vate parties by private parties. AS
far back as February 9th of the
present year | introduced a bill
which would have made the keeping
1~oJ~~ of -.