Middletown transcript., 1894-07-21
THE GOspLE THE STRIKE.

THE GOSPLE OF THE STRIK E.
In the early part of July '92,a trout
lie arose between the proprietors and
employees of the Iron and Steel works
at Homestead, Pa. las result of which
the employees of the Carnagie works
went on strike, ,tookpossession of the
pro perty of their employers and insti-
tuted reign of terror in the neighbor-
hood. In order to protect their prop
erty from total destruction, the pro-
prietors of the iron works undertook
to place watchmen in the buildings,
and chose the early hours, before day,
for the carrying into effect this pur-
pose, thinking that the rioting strik-
ers would not be abroad at SO early
an hour; but, in this they were disap-
pointed, for the mob met them at the
portals Of their own property, ,andshot
down and murdered, in cold blood, a
large portion of the watchmen whom
it was proposed to put in possession of
it, and for many days thereafter riot,
bloodshed and murder were rampant
at Homestead, to such an extent as to
shock and alarm thoughtful and law
abiding people, and more SO, because
of the apparent unwillingness of the
Governor of Pennsylvania to send the
State militia to the scene of blood
shed, or in fact to do anything to-
wards stopping the destructian of life
and property till public sentiment
drove him to it.
In the face of this condition of
things it is a notorious fact that
throughout the whole length and
breadth of this land the Democratic
press, with one, perhaps two, notable
exceptions, did all in its power to JUS
tify, inf1ame and lead on the impas-
stoned mob in its work of dest1 uction.
On the United States Senate, the Hon.
d. w. Voorhees,, with other leaders of
the Democrat party, made speeches
which might well have been accredited
to Johan Most. But this was not
enough; Grover Cleveland, standing
then as the candidate of theDemocrat
party, for President of the United
States, in his opening speech of the
campaign in Madison Square Garden,
referred to the doings of this modern
Jacobin club as a "scene in the very
abiding place of high protection, that
mocks the hopes of toll, and attests
the tender mercy the working man re-
ceives of those made selfish and sor-
did by unjust governmental favorite-
ISM" What sane man, for one minute,
can doubt the appalling influence of
an utterance like that at such time,
and from such source? In the light
of subsequent events, no thoughtful
man can doubt but that that speech,
together with party press in support
of it, accomplished the end for which
it was sent, and secured for Mr. Cleve-
land the vote of every anarchist in
this country, and the support of every
disciple of the gospel of discomfort.
But in accomplishing this end, evil of
a much more reaching character
was set in motion. Mr.. Cleveland and
his party press were playing politics,
but the deluded men whom they
sought to win, took them at their
word and the Debs insurrection fol-
lowed. The city of Chicago was well
chosen as the scene for this plot, being
within the domain of governor who
is recognized as the friend and COM
panion of anarchists and upon whom
they relied for support; and when the
President promptly sent troops from
the regular army to Chicago, and that
in the face of the protests from the
Governor of Illinois, no more sur
prised and disappointed people could
be found than those promoters of an
archism, and we have on our desk re-
ports of public meetings at which
their leaders denounce the President
in the most violent terms, saying they
would never have voted for him if
they had known he would have ex-
tended the strong arm Of the govern
ment to the protection of capital"
By the prompt action of the President
this insurrection was stamped out and
the turbul mob has retired to its
lair to come forth again at an oppor-
tune time. We are now at liberty
totake retrospect of all that ledup to
those acts of lawlessness, and to draw
well in time to come. When we come
to rightly understand that greed for
office is not patriotism, and that love of
power is not love Of country; when we
come to discern the danger that turks
in the creed Of the beggar for office,
when we learn as people, TO put the
right estimate upon leaders and parties
who seek political gain in an attempt
to divide the people of this couatry
into classes and array one against the
other, We will have gone a long way
towards making impossible such
scenes of turbulence and blood shed
as have disgraced our land in the last
two years.
Notwithstanding the fact that, prac
tically, the whole press and people
were with the President IN the late
riots, yet, if it had been so that a
President chosen from the Republican
party had been in the White House at
that time, and that President had
sent United States troop.to Illiouis in
the face OF Democrat governor, !
howl OF execration would have gone
up from the Democratic press and peo-
Pile such as would have rent the
Heavens.