The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-23
THE CONVICTION OF DEMPSEY.

Inc conviction of dugh +. Dempsey,
local master workman of the knights
OF Labor in Pittsburg. as chief conspir-
ator in plot to disable or murder hun
dreds of workmen in the Homestead
mills. is calculated to attract attention.
Dempsey is a man who has borne good
character, but the evidence was such
that the jury brought in verdict of
guilty. When considered in its true
light the crime of which he has been
convicted is as atrocious as has been be-
fore the courts Of the country. 1t may
be urged that he did not intend to take
life, but simply to disable hundreds of
men by administering poison Gus drugs in
their food. so that they could not work.
This plea cannot mitigate the offense.
Poisons which so affect the system as to
disable men for labor and to make them
very i'll must undermine the constitu-
ton and make slow death certain. As
a matter of fact, numbers have died of
the drugs which Dempsey caused to be
administered. 1t is said by paper in
Pittsburg that the testimony of those
who were Dempsey's paid accomplices
would not have convicted him had not
ample corroborative evidence been pre-
scented to justify the verdict. Hundreds
of men were taken i'll after eating the
food, with the same symptoms. After
few days absence they would recover,
but on resuming work and partaking of
the food they were at once taken down
with the same symptoms. The Pitts
burg Post (Democratic), commenting
upon the result of the Dempsey trial,
says:
The lesson that labor hes learned in all
these Homestead complications IS III at the
very worst thing that can be done, ostensi-
bly, on it's behalf. is violence, crime of any
kind or intimidation, leading TO breaches
OF the peace. At the start the locked-out
men had the sympathles OF the public. and
stood fairly to win their battle. hut they
threw away all their chances when they
resorted to violence and crime. We sup.
pose, If the facts could be arrived at, the
mass of the workmen were Ruiltless in this
respect. or. If participating, were led to do
so by the advice of their leaders. who, of
all others. should have known the GRIM
inal FOLLY of such course. 1t will be
triumph of justice If the guilty principals
are the ones who will hereafter suffer in
getting their just deserts.
The series of tragedies attending the
Homestead strike should prove a salu
tary warning. There was little or no
ground for a contest over the difference
in the scale of wages, but both parties
were quite anxious to try titles-to see
who would be master. Mr.. Frick was
insolently autocratic at the outset, and
his company has realized the fact in
large loss and damaged reputation.
He is said to be paying higher wages
than one of his competitors, the divers,
who arranged new scales with the men.
Neither Mr.. Carnegie nor Mr.. Frick will
Outlive the censure their conduct has
brought upon them. On the other hand,
scores of families are beggared. hun
dreds of men have lost occupation and
savings, and a few have made them
selves criminals. Demagogues and agi-
tators have seized upon the deplorable
event to array employe against en-
ployer; to advocate dangerous and i'm
possible heresies. Neither element will
listen to them if they are wise, but try
to devise methods by which labor and
capital may settle differences without
resort to arbitrary and lawless meas
ures.