The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-24

come non-anion men" In other words,
| Mr.. O'Donnell practically confessed that
the strikers denied the right OF the owners
Of the mills TO select their own men 10 run
! il, and announced their intention to re-
sist By violence the transportation OF nom
union men 20 the premises OF the employ
ers.
Mr.. O'Donuell is entirely silent concern
ing the fact that before the armed watch
| men Of the company were landed upon the
property Of the company the workmen
held possession OF the property of the
| company by unlawful force; they refused
to yield 20 the sheriff or allow him 20 take
possession, and they persisted in holding
this possession until the troops sent by
the governor arrived. The property OF the
company was ten days in possession Of the
strikers before the company attempted to
repossess their works, and il was tour days
in the hands Of the rioters after the riot
before the troops were ordered TO the scene.
Mr.. O'Donneli and his friends were two
weeks in forcible possession OF private
property before the troops arrived to re-
store IL TO its lawful owners. When the
troops arrived the leaders of the strikers
called on General Snowden TO assure him
that the Amaigamated Association would
cooperate with him in maintaining order.
and he answered that he knew no authority
except that of the governor of Pennsyl-
vanis and the sheriff OF Allegheny county,
and could deal with no other. The only
cooperation he asked from citizens and
associations was lawful behavior. The in
teryiev continued as follows:
Hugh oiDounelI stepped forward st this point
and satd that in the name OF the people of
Homestead and OF the AnalgaInaiai Association
the delegation wished 20 submit TO the legal
authority OF the state after having refused to
submit 70 the Illegal authority Ineaning the
| Pinksrtonsl
"fhe gentleman behind you Is the one to
whom you should submit" said General Snow.
den, indicating Sheriff McCleary.
ave have always submitted to his authority"
said Mr.. o Donnen
81 beg your pardon" said the general, "bu,
you did not do so at the mill"
Il leave il TO the sheriff IL we have not sub.
mitted," said Mr.. o DonnelL
mo, you didn't was Sheriff McClesry's
reply. "YoU did not allow my deputies to take
charge % the WORKS
Mr.. O'Donneil's review undertakes to
treat the Homestead outrage as if IL were
mere wage question. By the action of
Mr.. ODonnell and his confederates the
wage question has been forced out of
sight, Mr.. ODonneil and his posse de-
liberately for two weeks made the si;us-
ton one of anarchy and forced the state
to choose between anarchy or Law. Mr.
ODonnelFs forcible occupation of property
that he and his posse did not own has
compelled the state of Pennsylvania
TO send 5000 troops. at an ultimate cost
of at least $4,000, in order to
replace anarchy with law, and vet Mr..
ODonnell has the surprising assurance TO
treat the whole Homestead outrage as If
1t was mere question of wages rather
than question of an outrageous attempt
to replace the legal authority of Allegheny
county with government of anarchists.
And this is just where the American
people take issue with Mr. O'DonneiI at
Homestead and Mr.. Breen at Coeur d 'Alene
when they assert the right TO make the
question of wages justification for tres
pass, violence and murder The law has
no concern with the question whether Mr..
Prick acts with wisdom or unwisdom.
with politeness or impoliteness. so long as
he stands within his clear legal rights.
A mans property is his own. He hiss the
right 20 enter or leave 1t, or to take within
Its confines whomever he chooses. No
agency but the law has the right
TO invade his domain. Carnegie
& Co. had as clear a right to en-
ter or leave their property as a mill
hand had to enter or leave his own house.
When the owners of the mill property
tried to land upon their own grounds the
mill hands tore down the barriers, entered
and destroyed some of the property of the
owners and killed and wounded people
who attempted lawfully TO take possession
OF their own, for their right to take private
watchmen into their property was as clear
as the right of a mill hand 10 take private
Waterman into his own house.
The question that the American people
are trying is not question of wages at
all. bat whether the owner OF property has
right to use and occupy his property:
whether law or the mob shall rule this
country. Mr.. O'DonnelPs wages averaged
$li4 per month. eight hours day, under
the old scale. and the proposed new scale
did not affect them. O'Donnell was paid
s, 800 year: the scale he refused did not
cut him down, and yet he became chair
man of the advisory committee of the
strikers, and there was no act from the re-
lection Of the scale TO the bloody riot in
which he was not az their head. And
yet this man without a grievance.
who undertook 20 gag the press and
muzZle the law before and after the riot,
now seeks TO whitewssh the crime Tor
which he has been indicted by treating
II as mere question OF wages.
The law long ago ceased TO attempt TO
/ * the price of labor; the right of labor
/ 20 combine is everywhere recognized, but
employers IS well as laborers who do no:
happen TO choose to belong TO labor unions
/ are not without rights. and Mr.. Hugh
/ O'Donnell would do well for the future to
! paste the following. from the New York
/ SRn, n his hat for future instruction and
| guidance.
! Any person can hire or he hired by say
| ether person who : capable of consent
ANY wo-k Bsn or alton Of workrneu
! csl leaYe work tor any reason or no reason
az any tine, ualsss he : bound by contract
Any employer can pat ont such workman
CT wctkmsn as he chooses az any time, unless he
! is bound by contract
| 4 A uDn-Nnlgr r0aa IL tiS. -orai " "a ava