On Sep 1, 2:47 pm, "curmudgeon" bresnan.net> wrote:

Completely ignoring what prompted the National Guard to be there in
the first place - as it has been historically ignored why the
Pinkertons were called into the Homestead Strike.

In this era workers were heavily influenced by socialists and
anarchists, such as the IWW - the so-called Wobblies - and they were
committed to using armed struggle to get what they wanted. Strikes
often involved destruction of property as well as the physical
intimidation and actual harm of anyone who opposed them, esp. of
course anyone who choose to cross their picket lines.

"The working class and the employing class have nothing in common.
There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among
millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing
class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a
struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a
class, take possession of the means of production, abolish the wage
system, ... Instead of the conservative motto, 'A fair day's wage for
a fair day's work', we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary
watchword, 'Abolition of the wage system.' It is the historic mission
of the working class to do away with capitalism." - from the Preamble
to the IWW Constitution.

Let's not forget that 10's of millions of people were coming to this
country - as they still do - to escape impoverishment and to take
advantage of the significantly greater opportunities and standard of
living offered here. It was these very workers who were writing back
to their relatives and friends urging them to come here. How many of
them chose to go back? How many of the Irish, for example, despite
their hardships here, decided to go back to starve in Ireland? How
many Jews, despite living in tenements and experiencing prejudice
choose to return to their impoverished villages or the pogroms of
Europe? Their lives were hard of course but for the first time they
had the opportunity to improve their lot - and if not for themselves,
then for their children. It was not labor unions which accomplished
that. It was the enormous wealth being produced by capitalism.

Fred Weiss