The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-10-13
Here IS MILlTARIS|ll |:
4 GOOD EXAMPLE OF MIL1TARIssi
IN PENNSYLVANIA:

lis Press Writes of the Outraxes
Committed BY Soldiers i'm the Coal
Fields of Pennsylvania-Their
Presence Incites RtOt-Many Are
Drunk and Women Are Insulted.
The militiamen who form the Ma
tional Guard Of the State of Pennsyl-
vania, are not as a class, nice young
men fond of gentle society, says Otto
Carmichael, in the Indianapolis Press.
They are husky youths. They are rug
ged and ready for mud and nasty
work. They swagger and swear,
smoke black pipes and go unshave d.
Their faces are tanned, their han ds
ARE hard, they march up and down
these hills with unflinching steadiness.
stand guard with a growl, sleep on
brick sidewalks CT the raw ground
with composure, swear at and for their
colonel, and generally speaking are
not soft, city-bred youths. Where they
come from I do not know, but their
hardening process is more severe than
given by the drill of militia companies.
Pennsylvania has a reputation of fur
nishing good soldiers.
When one sizes up these lusty, reck-
less chaps he can we'll believe it. They
are from eighteen to thirty years OF
age, and run to about $50 to 16C
pounds. They have lean faces, good
eyes, sinewy arms and legs, thin bod
les and are built for endurance They
like green whiskey and noisy trouble
and are sorry every minute they are
not in fight. If the great State of
Pennsylvania should declare wal
against the great State of Ohio these
lads would be tickled to cheers and
never ask what the trouble is about.
Here and there is the grizzled old SER
geant who has plainly served through
two or three wars, and he is the most
at home of any one in the camp. The
| officers are study looking lot. The
| line officers are gray, evidently with
[ service in\ war to their credit. Gen.
Goblin is never happier than when SOL
diering, and would not become Lieu
tenant Governor Of the State until he
could be sure that he need not give up
his place as Brigadier General, COM
manding the Third Brigade.
And yet, with all this gray and gay
and devilisl, gallantry, the people of
Shenandoah are wondering which is
worse, riots or military occupation. /
was in Tampa shortly after the close
lot the Spanish war, and one of the res.
Iidents said "a spea King 3of theE lime XIV
laptaa y M
wheli bf yvliat VIZ had to e,,.
Idure I almost wish 4 the Spanish 5yyal
had never taken place. That arm, r.r,1i,
was something awful here
This was recalled to me when I saw
the streets of Shenandoah filled with
drunken, almost riotous soldiers. They
were infinitely worse than the strik.
|ers. The military occupation of a city
is not a pleasant sight. Many of the
soldiers arrive in the city drunk from
whiskey carried from homes in thei,
TASKS and the officers are fresh and
almost unbearable in their pompous
importance. In this case it was all sc
ridiculous, for the cause of this vas,
|array of military force was so utterly
insignificant. A group of excited min.
lers were. arguing about the question o1
Igoing to work. The coal company Off.
lcials rushed in and butted their heads
together. There was a scrimmage.
lively bar-room row is infinitely worse
The deputy sheriffs rush in and Kill
children and innocent outsiders. A
number of strikers are wounded, but
not an officer is touched. With others
I have put in much time investigating
this. 1t is of more than a little impor.
tance. Riots are made the excuse O,
forming military dictorships in 'grea,
countries sometimes. In this case al
invented riot was made the excuse fo]
suspending civil law in this rich anc
populous county and substituting mil.
Iitary government.
When I arrived in Shenandoah late
lat night, the report had already gone
Iaround that the soldiers We're coming
Every one was excited, and the Off.
GERS were telling of their gallant deeds
of the day and drinking much raw
whisky. This took place in a crowded
Icafe:
us any further trouble expected p
"Expecting another outbreak every
minute"
"Are you prepared?"
| You bet, and there was such q
pulling of guns as I had never seen
before. Each man had two-two guns
land many more than two drinks. II
Iany one had shouted, There they
come now," there would have been fif.
ty shots before any one knew what
Twas coming. The deputies and the coal
and iron police officers were in a mur-
derous and vicious state. If cannon
cracker had exploded in the streets
the business men would probably have
petitioned the president to send fed
|eral troops.
The murdered Russian lay in an al
ley near where he fell. His country
men shrugged their shoulders and
said: Dead man, no good!'' These
foreign miners notoriously care moth
ing for their dead. He is from Russia
mo one knows what place.
One morning the sheriff and num-
ber of us were having breakfast in the
dining room. There was a shot, and
some one shouted: Here they are
We were expecting soldiers, but this
sounded like rioters. There was a
drawing of guns and rushing for the
doors. = was quick and got out first.
but I was nearly killed in the crush in
the hall. It was nothing.