The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-04
McKinley's Men Trying to Buy
the Labor Vote.
THE RIOTS AT HOMESTEAD
1t Was McKinley's Tariff Bill
That Caused Them.
CONCESSIONS TO THE COMPANY
The Very Men Who Were Engaged in
the Armor Plate Frauds Are Now
Freighting Voting Cattle
to Canton.


whose connection with the great strike
of steel workers in 1892 made him
famous, and who for the last few years
has been engaged in compiling statis-
tics and other valuable information in
connection with the armour plate
frauds, was in town few days ago to
confer with the managers of the Demo
cratic National campaign relative to
labor matters. He brought with him
cheerful tidings from northern and
western New York and Massachusetts,,
where he has been working among the
labor organizations, says the New York
Journal.
Labor is a Nnit for Bryan and
Sewall in Massachusetts and New
York." said Mr.. McLuclxie. with pro-
per management the Bay State can,
without question, be carried for the
Democratic ticket. / have been in
every hole and corner of the State, and
the sentiment of the people, especially
the working classes, is against the
Hanna-McKinley syndicate. Have no
fear of New York. The laboring men
are thoroughly organized and will car
ry the State by larger majority than
the Republicans are now claiming.
But what / am most interested in
just now ON the deal that Major Me-
Kinley has just made with the men
who have been proved guilty of fraud
and treason against their country in
connection with the armour plate con-
spiracy. Two special trains have. with
in the last week, been run to Canton
carrying steel-workers from Home
stead, the men the Mckinley tariff bill
helped to crush. These trains were in
charge of Schawb, Carey and Cline,
the superintendent for the Carnegie
Company, the very persons who, it was
shown before the Congressional Inves-
tigation committee. were guilty of
conspiracy to defraud the United
States government by furnishing de-
fective armour plate. / want the pub
lie to now that these are the same
men, backed as they are by the Car
negie Company, which was directly
benefited in financial way by this
crime against their country and hui
manity, that are now engaged in
freighting to Canton what they believe
to be voting cattle,
"Let me give you a bit of history"
continued Mr.. McLuclSie. "In 1889 the
steel workers at Homestead signed a
three years scale of wages based on
the four by four inch billet. This was
one of the forty-one products of the
Homestead mill. The Mckinley bill
increased the tariff on twenty of these
products. The balance remained as
they were on the former tariff list.
But at the solicitation of the Carnegie
Company the tariff was changed on
this article-the four by four inch
billet-from a specific to an ad valorem
duty, making reduction on that arti-
Gle alone of from one and half to
one-half cent per pound. This was
done at the request of the Carnegie
Company, and against the protests of
the employees of the firm.
Now our wages were readiusted
every quarter on the basis of the
market price of the four by four inch
billet, as quoted in the Pittsburg Daily
Times, Leader and Dispatch, from day
to day. The effect of this change in
the tariff on this product of the mill
resulted in the reduction of it's selling
price from $34 per ton to S24 per ton.
And as the scale of wages was a sliding
scale our wages were reduced at the
same ratio. This is one instance of
what Mckinley has done for labor at
Homestead.
In 1892 was called upon quite fire.
quently to speak in many places in
Pennsylvania, in relation to the causes
that led up to the Homestead affair. In
telling the truth, was compelled to
refer quite frequently to the effect the
Mckinley bill had upon our wages, the
Intimate relations it had to William
Pinkerton, and that both had, with
Bill Rogers, captain of the steamer
Little Bill, which brought the invaders
to Homestead To be a little more
definite, let me explain that it was in
trying to adjust the labor troubles
that grew out of the Mckinley tariff
speculation that caused the misfor-
tunes and bloodshed at Homestead in
1892. 1t is, therefore, fitting that Mr..
Mckinley and the Carnegie Company
should keep company at his time, but
it is unfortunate for the people whom
they are trying to have vote their way.
During my campaigning four years
ago, these same men, through a second
party, tried TO buy me off. The Repub-
hcan National committee at that time
wanted to suppress the effect of the
Mckinley tariff upon labor, and the
JfuUlIS bHdb were DeIug disseminated
by the steel workers were greatly in
terfering with their canvass. Chris
Magee thought it advisable to have
the Homestead trouble adjusted, fear
ing the result on the election. He and
others conferred with the National
committee, and the result was that AN
attempt was made to have Carnegie
and Frick make some concessions to
the men, looking toward a final settle
ment.
"When it was discovered that an
agreement could not be reached, the
National committee, through John e.
Milholland, chairman of the Industrial
committee of the campaign, had
O'Donnell, my partner in the trouble
at Homestead, brought to New York.
This was during the time of O'Don-
nell's so-caIled mysterious disap-
pearance.' When he returned to Home
stead he knew better than to approach
me himself, so he sought the aid of
Hugh f. Dempsey, ex-District Master
Workman of District Assembly No. 5,