The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1894-10-20
NEIHART. MONTANA, OCTOBER 20 1894
HUGH O'DONNELL'S LETTER.
The Homestead Labor Leader Writes
an Interesting Letter to His Fell
low Workingmen.


an interesting Letter to His Fell
low Workingmen.
AS the democrats and populists,
in their attack upon the protective
principles, still continue to refer to
the troubles at Homestead two years
ago, we take this opportunity to re-
produce the letter of Hugh O'Don-
nell, the we'll known labor leader,
who was so conspicuous in that diff
ficulty. Every laboring man should
read this letter. 1t is just as applic-
able today--indeed more so-than
on the day it was written:
"Pittsburg, Pa, Nov. 3, 1S93-Al-
legheny county jail.-To John J.
Burke, Esq, No. 7 East Thirty first
street, New York.-My dear Mr..
Burke: Having met you at Home
stead during the late trouble, and
knowing you to be interested in my
case, as you were on the ground at
the time, and knowing you to be in
terested in the outcome of the pres
ent campaign, l beg to contradict
through you the number Of misstate-
ments that are going the rounds Of
the daily press regarding myself and
the Homestead troubles. l have
been employed for some years by
the Carnegie people and never had
cause to complain until an effort was
made to disrupt our organization by
H. G. Frick, the newly elected chair
man of the steel company. His
record in the coke regions as Gre
ator Of disturbances is known to al
laboring men throughout the country
While the head of the great coal anc
coke industries, which have no con.
nection with the tariff, he was the
cause of yearly strikes by reason Of
his arbitrary dealings with his en-
ployes.
"Never until he became prominent
ly connected with the Carnegie in,
terests had we cause to complain
To his management alone is due the
entire trouble that has blotted the
history of the Homestead valley
There is this about it.: A number
Of alleged champions of our cause
who have been the source Of constant
injury to US, have been playing
the part of a demagogue before the
people of the country, pretending
that the Homestead strike was caused
by the tariff. l was always repub
lican. l was always protectionist
I am republican and projections
today, stronger than ever, and, al
though l am in prison tonight be
cause of the outrageous conduct O
one man, for the sake of myself anc
my fellow workmen who are inter
ested in the cause of American labor
l beg of them not to think for
moment that protection is not th'
greatest blessing that can be bestow
ed upon them.
"The strike at Homestead was caus
ed by building tenacity of one man
1t rested with one man whether O
not there would be lockout.
have been a student of protection
and free trade, and if we had fire.
trade tomorrow we would have strike
every hour of the day in every mil
in the land, whether wanted them o
not, and our fellow workmen woult
be living in the same miserable con
dition as the starving Irishmen an
Englishmen are struggling with to
day. l know Ireland; l know Eng
land, and l know America and Co
forbid that the conditions which ex
listed in the two former countrie
should prevail in this country.
''The man who uses the name Q
the Homestead workmen to furthe
the interests of the democratic part
or to defeat President Harrison j
the deadliest foe to the America
labor. The friend of democracy
the friend of free trade, the friend c
free trade is the enemy of ever
workingman in the United States
This contradiction has been provoke
by the constant falsehoods that hav
been going the rounds of the pres
regarding the laboring men of Home
stead, and trust that you will max
this known to the public, as / hav
no means of doing so.
Very truly yours,
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