The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-09-22
The SternneSS Of
Military Demands
The Story Of Sad Occurrence Oc.
casioned by Military Duty
At a Strike.

We had known for a long time of
the discomfort prevalent among the
employees at the Emerald Steel
Works and had predicted in the full
ness Of our wisdom that the day was
not far distant when the disaffection
would find vent in action of a Vesu-
Wan character. Our prediction was
correct. On May 1, 1905, general
strike was declared and within four
hours after the resolution was acted
upon there was tumult. The Emerald
Steel Works are situated in the SUBJ
urbs OF large American metropolis
and employ on an average between
seventeen and eighteen hundred men
and boys. A large number of them
are natives of Northern Europe and
it was believed that the mixture of
nationalities would make impossible
the unanimity of sentiment necessary
to concerted action. This supposi
ton proved to be without foundation.
The sentiments and opinions of men
are not always based upon individual
deductions, but are frequently in
spired by associates. Where there
is a cause for discomfort amongst a
body of men it will speedily be de-
tected by the more intelligent, who
Ill turn will introduce it to the notice
OF their less alert companions. Diff
ference of nationality or breeding
counts for little in time of rebellion
for the herd follows whithersoever
it is led. And the ignorance which
it is thought must act as check up
on hostile demonstration, once be-
ing aroused to action, becomes the
most deadly factor of the movement.
This is precisely what occurred at
the Emerald Steel Works. When
certain of the most intelligent of the
employees demonstrated against ex-
listing conditions, they were prompt
ly discharged and their places filled
by foreigners, usually at a lower
scale of wages. The policy was one
OF intimidation policy seldom sat-
isfactory for long and never wholly
successful. Nothing so quickly
breeds sense of levity among work
men as a too-frequent change of su-
periors. The foreman, or other Of
ficial, with ten or fifteen years. stand
ing as such, is power to be obeyed,
whilst the one of recent promotion
is an upstart to be criticised or over
thrown.
SO it happened that when eventu-
ally the climax was reached, there
was nobody with sufficient authority
to check the vehemence and impet-
uosity of the crowd. The riot was
of an unusual kind. Hundreds of
the strikers were possessed of fire.
arms, sabres and other implements
of warfare, with which they proceed
ed to manifest their dislike of harsh
and unjust measures. The police
were totally inadequate to cope with
such horde, and after several inef-
fectual attempts to do so, they issued
a call for assistance. In answer. the
State Militia, under Colonel Brydon,
were hurried to the scene and ar
rived at the crucial moment when
the mob, at the height of it's frenzy.
was indulging in the pleasant pas
time of incendiarism.
The Colonel was a veteran and
took in the situation at a glance. The
Riot Act was read, the regiment di-
vided into three sections and detailed
to different parts deemed strategical-
y valuable. The section appointed
10 guard the company's buildings
was under the command of Captain
Norton, an excellent soldier and a
stern dlciplinarian. 1t was at this
point that the mob was strongest and
with the courage of
numbers, most pugnacious. As the
Captains section advanced at a dou-