The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-08-18
MUSCLE AND MONEY.
THE IRON STRIKE IN srArv QUO.
Tho Objectionable MIL Csmmittes-Iatsst From
the Situation in PIttbursh-rhs AIu-rs Rs.
sumins-Presldent Jarrett Heiie.nt.
News From All Points.

News From All POlnt,.
PIrrsnunGn, August l7.-If the question
is asked OF a'pittsbugh, or any other iror
manufacturer, "What Is tho most objec
tionable feature in the Analeamated As
sociation," the gentleman so addressed vii
reply: a9;g.f .gf,r.y ;'l,5t5
at is the part taken by the mill commit
tee. II wc can't have the privilege OF dis
charging MI incompetent or Objectionable
workman without having to endure the in.
restigations and rulings Of mill commit.
tee, we shall close our mills and eventually
have to quit our business or run wholly
Independent Of the Amalgamated Union y
The head Of one OF the Oldest and best
known iron mills in the city was asked to
give more specifically his objections 10 the
mill committe. Said he:
f"It is easily done. Suppose you are a
workman, n roller for instance in our mill.
You get drunk or careless and break roll
or spoil lot Of valuable iron. I discharge
you. That ought to be the prerogative of
the proprietor OF that mill, whose capital,
life's labor and reputation are all embodied
in the mill and in its product; but the trou-
bic begins at this point. The mill COM
mittee comes to the office to investigate the
cause Of that workman's discharge. fhe
is useful man in the Union, il he has in
tluence therein, the discharge is annuled
and we have TO take that man back or our
mill is closed by strike. That is the
whole thing in NUTSHELL" ~ J.. T.
With this MS a starting point President
Jarrett was hunted up. He had Just left
his office for Alckeesport and Secretary
Martin was presented with the facts set
forth above, and asked for the Union side
Of the mill committee and its operations.
Said this official: EI.Il
while do not care to give expression
on the denuDciation Of the mill commit.
tee you refer to, l will say this: The mill
committee is M absolute necessity in the
conduct OF the Union; to do away with it,
as is doubtless proposed by some manutac.
tnrers, is out OF the question. To abolish
it means to abolish the Union and the nro.
lection il throws abou. labor. But will
say. further that during the Chicago con.
vention special attention was paid TO this
subject, and certain changes were made in
the appointment and duties OF the mill
committee. Its number was increased
from three to FIVE men in each mill, to
three from each department. Its scope OF
operations was modified and changed in
other ways. More than this | am not at
liberty to state ut present.
"The action Of the mill comnittce eyi.
IDENTIFY closed the. Helmbachet Forge
and Iron Company's works at St. Louis
Can You give me the details OF the troubleoo"
Mr.. Martin thought he could, but on
looking over apple OF freshly arrived re-
ports failed to find the proper one. He
was asked whethera report OF their Chi.
cago doings or copy OF the revised con.
stltut!oa bad been given to any iron man
ufacturer.
NO, there was not" was the reply.
All these courtesies cannot come from our
slde.~ The manufacturers promised TO
send us q copy OF the bylaws and consti.
tuition OF their new association, They
have never done SO. Had this been done
We should have been glad to reciprocate. I"
Two iron men were found in comtorta-
bic Office, few minutes after Mr.. Martins
presence was quilted. The question was
asked 5s.Fz S7-i; "a
"Can You tell me what part the mill
committee played in the lIelmbacher
trouble 2" 5-.s 40, 20: !.
1--WE. can. Here is copy OF le,tor
read at the meeting yesterday by Mr.. Weeke,
who received il from the firm in question. :"
Sr. Louis, August 10, 1882.
~. d., Weeks, Esq, Pittsburgh, Pa:
."DEAR SIR-ln relation to our trouble we
have this 10 say: When our puddlers re-
fused TO sign the Cincinnati agreement.
as our rollers and heaters had already done,
we, were obliged to buy. muck iron. The
puddlers refused to work this, and were
discharged. The mill committee asked us
to reinstate them, and we refused, closing
our mil! and, putting up the, following
These notices have, already been made
public. They virtually declared the firm
arrayed against the Union in every par,ic.
ular.
The other gentleman, one OF the oldest
manufactures in the city, had this 10 say:
81 do not wish 10 be regarded as opposed
TO the Union, for | believe that il vote
was TO be taken in this city, two.thirds OF
the iron manufacturers in this city would
decide in favor OF the yAmalgama,ed
Union.. But | wish to give You some in.
stances OF the evils OF the mill committee y
The speaker continued at length, hold.
ing that i, was impossible for the committee
as at present constituted and empowered
10 decide fairly and impartially the merits
or demerits Of a case Of summary discharge.
In his experience, in one year eighteen
rolls had been broken, and as each break
meant $3.50 loss, the matter conld no, be
borne. 1t was clearly provable that drunk.
enness on the part OF the boss roller was
the cause, but the difficulty in getting
Union witnesses to tell what they knew OF
OF the shortcomings OF n fellow workman,
proved an obstacle that was well nigh in.
surmountable, and that led to such con.
ditlon OF affairs that eventually the firm
came out against the. union, and today is
running with non:union hbor. FF'f I
The second gentleman had another point
to advance against the rulings OF the mill
committee 1t was in respect to their
power to limit the product Of the furnaces.
He quoted the case oi an Ohio mill now
running non.union men, in which the pro.
duct.-with the same force same material and
same number OF furnaces in one year
. per cent greater than when operated by
Union lnen.g 5 !, Es5
Other cases We're cited, golnv to show to
the unbiased mind: that il tho Chicago
Convention has done anything calculated
TO limit the powers OF the Mill Committee,
a long step has been taken in the right
direction, and which must lead to the
greatest good-sood feeling. where now
much bitterness exists. 9 III.
At Mr.. Weeks Office that gentleman was
asked regarding the un!ulflled promise re-
ferred to by; Mr.; Martin.
"Mr. Martin is mistaken" said Mr.
Weeks; "no promise was made binding
our Association to forward the Amaea,
knI nfs .