The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-16

ing such pettifogging excuses as dema-
goglcal poltroons are wont 10 give when
they wish to evade responsibility for do
ing their plain duty. Tuesday, the day
before the battle, Michael Hickey, presi-
dent of the Western Branch Of the Anal
gamated Association, said:
The rnsn viii die IN their tracks before 4 y
will submit either 10 work for the Carnegie scale
or 70 ALTO. non-unioa men - come in
The mill owners, despairing OF protec-
ton from the sheriff or the governor, at
tempted 10 land on their own premises an
armed force of hired employees. The
strikers tore down the company's fence,
broke into il. premises and in the atfray
which followed killed number Of these
guards. After the bloody work Of
Wednesday closed with the surrender Of
the legal representatives OF the COM
pany 10 the rioters. Governor Pattison
received this dispatch from a member OF
his staff:
Pinker.oa men have surrendered and strikers
have allowed them TO land. Everything is
quiet, and no trouble appreaeuded tonight
Your course meets general approval
This dispatch was sent after the sheriff
had attempted to regain possession OF the
WORKS in behalf OF the owners and had
faiied; after he had sen. requests to the
governor for assistance and had failed;
and after the company had tried TO take
its own men in during the night and had
failed, the works remaining in the hands
of the rioters. Three days elapsed. dur
ing which the governor left the rioting
workmen in possession Of the company's
property. During this time Mr.. Weihe,
Of the amaIgamated men, offered to turn
over the works to any representatives
other than Pinkerton men whom the
sheriff might choose.
''That Is all very WELL" said the sheriff. "but
will yon permit me to turn over the plant TO
the company, and let them bring whom they
please there 20 work?" That we certainly will
not do" answered Mr.. weihe. "the men would
not permit thst" Then said the sher.f Fl, Il
cannot accept your offer to take the works Ny
duty is not only TO protect the property itself,
ba; IL is TO protect tile men whom the company
wants TO employ there
I'VE want peace said Mr.. weihe. "hut the
men would not permit non-uaion men to come
10 Homestead and operate the mills. II we give
you possession OF the mills now. you must agree.
non-uuiua men TO come.
Finally on Sunday Governor Pattison
ordered the militia to Homestead As to
what the representative men of Pittsburg
think of Governor Pattison. the New York
Sun correspondent writes that the people
of Pittsburg, Democrats as well as Repub-
licans, condemn Governor Pattison for
-
duty TO call ont the militia before the
Pinkerton men were permitted to go to
Homestead, and that had he done this
the trouble by this time would have been
over, and that, too, without bloodshed
The Philadelphia Press says of Governor
Pattison:
He pleads that the sheriff has not exhausted
his power: that he should compel citizens to
come to his support: that he should go through
the muster roll of the county. All this, we are
sorry to say il. is pitiful trihing. How Is the
sheriff to compel citiZensg What weapon of
force lies in his srsenal7 And suppose he did
muster q thousand or two thousand men, what
could they do? Where are their arms, their
discipline. their organization? What would
their participation accomplish beyond involving
further needless blooished? And even IL they
were all ready, why should they be invoked
when the state has sedu,ously created a great
organism of law and OF power for just such
emergencies9
No. the governor cannot escape his high duty
under any such feeble and evasive excuse. The
old rule OF the posse comisatus was made for
common brawl.
Charles O'Brlen. q prominent Demo-
cratic lawyer of Pittsburg. denounces Gov
ernor Pattison's conduct, saying that the
governor knew perfectly well that the
sheriff's posse comitatus is thing
of the past, and is net recog-
nlzed today as a power in the
event of riots. 1t had its origin in Eng
land, where the sheriff could call upon the
landowners to Quell insignificant upris-
ings. Today it is looked upon as a mere
formality 10 be observed in case of riot.
These are the facts concerning Governor
Pattison and they speak for themselves
The sheriff, who was on the ground and q
fair judge OF the situation. warned Governor
Pattison gifts extreme peril and asked for
help. The governor, who was not on the
ground and not fair judge of the situa-
ton, refused help. A bloody riot followed
and for four days after the riot Governor
Pattlson left the property OF the company.
illegally captured by rioters, in the undis-
turbed possession OF the rioters. There
would be no need of pinkertons in this
country if there were no such governors as
| Pattison of Pennsylvania.