The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-15
AMERICAN LIBERTY OUTRAGED.

| on "Wednesday arrested" newspaper
reporter, United States naval inspector
and q commercial traveller on suspicion OF
! being non-union men, but released them
when they proved their identity. What q
spectacle N country Of free in
stitutIons that free American citizens
should be subject TO illegal ares.
b. a band OF rioters and compelled TO
satisfy these self-appointed constahies
that they were not non-union men. Sup
pose they had been non-union men. They
were, of course, no more legally subject TO
arrest by the agents of a trades union than
those agents were legally subject 10 arrest
by non-union men. This illegal attemp:
10 violate the primitive rights of American
freemen by trades union turned rioters
will be deeply resented by the American
people when they fully comprehend the
Infamous conduct and purpose of the law
breakers.
The C0sur d'Alene crime is domestic
case in point. The murderous action of
the strikers in the Cnur d'Alene mines is
not only without justification but has no
palliating circumstances. A number of
non-union men have been murdered by
dynamite or shot down in cold blood by
the strikers. These murdered men had
committed no crime, unless II be q crime
| 10 accept employment the strikers had re-
fused. There was no pretense that Pink
ertons" were 10 be summoned to
| the defense Of the mines: the
strikers murdered non-union men,
destroyed large and valuable property.
robbed the prisoners" illegally captured
and illegally detained, and murdered
some Of them in cold blood after they pre-
tended to release" them. All these
crimes were committed by the strikers in
vindication Of their anarchistic view that if
q striker cannot get his price for his labor
he has right by force of arms to prevent
any man accepting the wages the striker
has refused.
The strike OF the miners does not rest
on justice. The wages paid % miners
have been $3.50 day. This is the rate
paid in the mines OF Montana and other
states. The mine owners in the our
d'Alene country paid IL without objection.
and the miners protested TO be satisfied
with il. The wages OF shovelers and car
pushers were S. day, the usual rate paid
in similar mines. But at Ceur d Aiene
the shoveie7s. car-pushers and other labor
ers were taken into the miners union.
and an advance 10 $3.50 day was
demanded for them. This the mine own
ers refused.
The strike followed, snd after season
of many months enforced i1leness the
mine owners attempted TO work some of
the mines with non-union labor. To pre-.
vent this the strikers murderously at
tackled the non-union men. blew ~ the
works with dynamite, took possession of
the mines and expelled owners and en-
/ ployes. The union men have presented
the same question in Idaho that IS pre-
scented in Pennsylvania, VIZ: Whether
non-union men are 70 be protected ~ law
when they accept wages that union men
have refused. No state can afford
70 deny this protection; no STATE
/ can afford - support the Enieniable
right Of the owners q property.
! the employers OF labor 70 defend their
/ property; 10 possess il and 10 protect their
/ labor. Now that the smoke Of the conflict
| =; Homestead has blown away !: Is clear
! t. any candid, Just mind that the owners
| e the Carnegie property. after tie strikers
/ drore TIE sheriff dad hls posS< ous Of torn.
/ attempted 20 lawfully Land armed men.
/ headed by ; deputy sheriff. on their prop
( erty for is protection.
! They took every precausioa TO sccom-
! p,iSh their purpose without attracting at
/ tenuon. timing their arrival at the river ;
/ edge on ;he company's premises before
| daylight Itihey had not been interfered
| With. they would have landed quietly and
| would have created no disturbance.
/ Nevertheless, just before these Piuser-
/ ton men reached their destination, notice
| that they we're on their way VAS given 10
| the company's former wo-kmen by sooo,S
/ posted for the purpose. sa3 some tho0-
| sands Of these work0ea broke into the
company's premises by force. and, when
| the owners representatives snd employees
sought - land on the property. they :ho,
| a doxeu II them ana tried their hes. -
| burn the rest - death.
| When the workmen broke into the com
| ra0x's premises they were where they hs}
/ ne more right - be :ban they had - any
/ other private property not their own; they
Asd no more right ~ Invade the private
| property Q. Carnegie & %, than tAey had
| - inva!e the premises Of the mayor q.
I1t'so0ss. Tae company had q periec;
| right 10 eject them by force. since they
wers no' only '7eSpssss.s. bat we9e eGj.'y
q nl9r3eroGS assaults upon the lastul
armed employees u tie company, TAis
l Is :Ae vlsw sAAsa Ny the New Iosk >@a,