Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-07-14
THE SWORD or DAMocLEs.

a friend taxes exception - one
line item in our last issue Men like
Pullman breed Anarchy
Ordinarily the sentiment would
have passed nnnoticed. At this time,
when Anarchy is rampant in the land
such an expression attracts attention.
It was our intention that it should.
We conceive it to be the highest duty
Of the press to warn the people of i'm
pending danger. That this country.
with its free institutions, is in great
danger cannot be denied. Let us ex-
anime the cause. knowing the cause
a remedy may be found.
While strikes have frequently occur
red, until recently they have attracted
but slight attention for the reason
that they have not been formidable,
except in very few instances. With
out entering into details, we shall
FIRST refer to the Homestead strike.
That was much like the present trou-
bic. 1t was sympathetic. Mr.. Car
uegie decided to reduce the wages Of
certain employees who were among
those receiving the least compensa-
ton for their labor. He started to
Europe and his manager, Frick, exc
cuted the order. Everybody knows
the result.
Recently Mr.. Carnegie practically
Endorsed the Wilson bill, as is conf
IDENTIFY believed for the purpose of re-
ducing the fine which President Cleve-
land, by agreement, was to impose be-
cause of defective armor plates furnish
ed the government, when he had
agreed, under penalty, to make them
up to certain standard and which he
had wilfully failed to do. The fine
was about one-third what Secretary
Herbert supposed it would be.
The Pullman Car Company is one
of the richest of corporations. 1t owns
not only the town of Pullman, but
shops scattered all over the country,
and manufactures great variety of
cars. The plea is made that the exist
ing business depression forced the
company to not only reduce wages but
to very largely reduce its force Of
workingmen; that contracts were en-.
tered into, which involved considera-
BILE loss, in order to furnish work. land
that to restore the wages paid in 1898
meantserious loss and ultimately finan-
cial embarrassment.
On its face, this plea appears to be
good. Were it not that the stock of
the company is watered to large ex-
tent, that that stock is quoted at 81. 81
to SI.s6, at this time, and that the
company positively refuses to arbi-
trate, the argument presented would
be received by the public as justifying
the conduct of the company. Again,
were Mr.. Pullman sincere, he would
not have refused in the first place te
submit the matter to arbitration, Meth
er would he now refuse, when request
ed by disinterested parties SO to do. II
has been apparent for several days
that he holds the key to the situation
and that he could end the trouble any
moment.
On the other hand, the strikers are
at fault. They have no grievance
against the railroads. They we'll know
that many roads, owing to the bust
ness depression, are on the verge o
bankruptcy, and that they are i'll able
to bear the present strain. Charity il
well enough, and properly bestowed i.
God-like. But that charity which i.
accompanied by wrong doing is no
commendable. The destruction O
property is wrong to say the least
1t may be said the strikers did not de
stroy the property of the railroad com
panies. Whether they did or not,
they unlocked the forces which die
and are thus far responsible. 1t viii
not do to plead inability on their par
to control the mobs; they in the same
breath agree that delegates to the
Christian Endeavor Convention al
Cleveland shall not be molested.
The laws OF the land are disregard
ed. Officers, whose duty it is to pre-
serve the peace, are openly defied and
the President of the country denounc.
ed as tyrant because he performs his
sworn duty. These are some of the
dangers which confront us and unless
the people regain their reason, unless
corporate greed is satiated and mob
violence checked, the time will come
and that quite speedily when Liberty
will depart from the land.