The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-14
PROTECTION WITH WIrCEtS-
TfhS.

The great Carnegie non WI r. ~
Homestead, Pa, employ arg" /
iJrce ofthand>, ouch:a .ioIce a. TO
make "A COLONY by themselves \
Nv DAYS ago they were notified that
wares vonl b4 reduced, and WHEN !
tiry shaved Dissatisfaction ct II
they were soon Impressed with tie
ptohaoillty that they wou!@ lose
their places and other iacoie'>
would be employed Instead lheS
did not like that prospect any bet
ter than the prospect OF reduced
wages; and so they made resistance.
Their resistance was not Ju6tl-
fable in all It's aspects, but thel1
lives and the lives of their wives
aud little ones depend upon Tue
matter. They must have employ
meut and any organized effort on
the part of capital TO cut short their
wages meant d great deal TO them.
This great ''protected' industry,
Instead OF having friendly and
| amicahle adjustment OF the oItua-
ton, demanded surrender of the
| works of which the Iaborers had
AIKEN possession.
There was some mismanage-
| ment on the part OF the county
authorities and tho company sent
for three hundred hired "Pinkerton
detectives" to come down to Home
stead and force the d-hauded
IIab0rers to submit to the diCtatiOnS
of the money power for which they
had been accustomed to labor.
The Plnkerton men were armed
with Winchester rifles and were
prepared 10 do bloody work and did
lit. although they dlsclaimed any
knowledge OF where they were
going and for what purpose. This
is told in PinkertOn's story print
| ell elsewhere IN this issue.
The lahorers being determined to
de before they would submit to
force, met tbs PInkeTton men and
would not let them land from their
barges. Fail five thousand persons,
some armed and some not, met the
Pinker+ons and forced them after q
bloody battle to raise flag Of truce;
not, however, before fifteen or twenty
OF the Homestead men were killed
and some OF the Pinkertons also.
When the Plnkertons raised q flag
of truce the Homestead men ceased
firing. But they broke their faith
aud went upon the barges and took
the PlDkerton men, The lahorers
were SO enraged at the blood and
loss Of life Of their comrades that
they treated the captive Pinkertons
shametuliy by beating, kicking and
|
from the scene Of the capture. The
Pinkerton men were finally released
aud allowed to return to their homes
10 New York, Chicago and elsewhere.
Now. all this needless blood,shed
comes from the oppression OF labor
with the grinding heel of great
capital. 1t comes, too, under repub-
lican protection laws. Does any
poor lahorer, white or black, North,
South. East, or West, see how the
protective system of this government
protects him? 1t protects the rich
industries, snch Us the Carnegie iron
indus Try, and allows the lord of the
possession TO live in his magnificent
castle in Scotland and grow richer
and richer all the while by grinding
out the very life CT the men whose
honest toll tightens his tring 8
every moment they live. Every lick
they strike clinks the gold into his
Golfers, and when they are mindful
to resist outrage Mr.. Carnegie's
company hires murderers to come
and shoot down the poor laborer
like the wild beasts OF the forest.
And this is republican protection.
The republican party will pay
dearly for this brutal outrage com
tnltteed under the wing of their
"rrot ctlon.' 1t will tell at the ballot
hnY In Nnvenhar