Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-25

| gathered from all sorts of places and OF M
| respectable standing.
Q. Are work people more respectful t.
United States troops than those o. the State
| A. No, think not. People respect any Kint
OF lawful authority.
The Object of Labor Organizations.
Q. Are there not few restless men in al
large manufactures who cause troublef A
| Sometimes there are such men, but the labol
organizations have tendency to keep Just
| such men in order, to restrain their radt
calism.
| @. Is it from native or unnaturalizec
workmen that most trouble emanates? A
| There is a class of foreigners who don't un
| derstand English who feel like doing as II
| they were in the foreign countries from
| which they come, and not in accordance
| with American principles. These are the
| Slavs, Hungarians and Poles. have always
/ found Americans ready to be JUST and to
| discuss matters fairly with employers, and
| to make concessions when needed. Dut
| many OF the foregn-born workmen are not.
@. Do you think the detective agencies
sending out of uniformed men is a necessity
or good thingf A. No, usually productive
| of bad results.
Mr. Weihe then described the origin and
growth, the objects and attainments of the
Amalgamated Association, which he said
had always thrown its influence against
strikes, the first long or important strike in
its history being that at Homestead. He
gave in detail the wages usually earned in
the iron and steel trade by skilled mechan-
les. A fair average wage was s. 90 day.
Mr. PETER betrayed great Gag erness to COM
prehend the entire field in his questions
His last question was:
Q. What is the best way OF settling dis
putes between employers and employed.
Mr.. Weihe? A. By both parties getting, to-
gether and talking matters over. The con-
ference committee is the best peace engine
1 know.
William T. Roberts Testihes.
When Mr.. Weihe had accepted his 50
witness fee, somewhat larger pay for an
hours talk than the average mechanic
makes in the same time with muscle and
brain, his place was taken by William Z
Roberts, who had come in with the big
chiettain of the Amalgamated-a stout,
brawny head, whose head hardly came up to
Mr.. Weihe's chest. Mr. Roberts is q Vice
President of the Amalgamated and one of
the Homestead leaders, whose name prob
ably is to be found ON the little list which
Mr.. Frick says does not exist.
Mr.. Roberts said he worked in the Car
negie mills at Homestead till the men
went out in June last. hi is wages averaged
S3 so to S4 90 day as heater. He gave an
account of the dispute about the scale
which led to the lockout. About the mid
die OF February Superintendent Potter had
said to him: "Billy, some of you heaters
have drawn enormous wages, and the firm
means 20 cut you down." Roberts replied
that he did not see why men who had been
averaging 81 day should be cut down.
Mr.. Childs, who was present, said he didn't
think any man in the mill got so poorly
paid as that That was the first warning of
the intended cut in wages.
Relieves There Is a Blacklist.
Examined by Senator Gallinger:
Q. Are the Carnegies rehiring their old
men without reference to any list? A. I
would not like to swear that there is black
list in the Carnegie office, but am sure that
there is. They are discriminating against
former employees who had influence among
their fellows.
O. Were the men at Homestead ready to
submit to lawful authority: A. Yes: but
there has Deer. a growing feeling of unrest
among workingmen all over the land, and
when the Pinkertons, whom they know well,
came they were provoked beyond endur.
ance.
O. What do you mean by the restless feel
ing? A. The workingmen ale beginning to
think that their rights are being taken away
when these large concerns deny their en-
ployes the right to organize, and this makes
them discontented. Men in the lower paid
departments commence to think that they
don't get their proper proportion of the
profits.
Q. May not the men make a mistake about
the amount of the profits? A. Yes, guess
they do sometimes.
Q. Where firm ails do the laboring men
ever come to their employers assstancef
A. Yes. In the case OF oliver Bros. IN this
city; and other cases have occurred else
where. The unrest is not with the unthink-
ing and ignorant, but with the more intelli-
gent mostly.
All Men Very Much Alike.
Q. Do the native or foreign workmen
cause the most troubies A. Well, am not
prepared to say. The foreign and native
elements are about equal in the Amalga-
mated. II isn't the common laborer Who
makes trouble ever. You won't find Eng
disappearing men among the common 10 bor-
ers nowadays to any extent.
Q. Have you any remedy for troubles be-
tween employ ers and employedf A. Yes.
believe in arbitra arbitra.
tion, binding employer and emp Dyed alike.
They must both be compelled to abide by
the arbitrator's decision. WoTkingmen
generally are beginning to see that arbitra-
tion il some Iorm is the only remedy.
Q. Do you think that the National Govern
ment has the constitutional power to come
into State and settle labor disputes? A.
Yes The Government ought TO protect its
people: it should find out what manufacture
ers' profits are and see to it.that the laborer
gets mis- fair share.
Q. Have you ever heard of workingmen
breaking their agreements, and resisting
the decision of arbitrators of their own
choice A. No. sir. l know the Amalga-
mated has never done so. ! know what is
referred to, but the employers in the coke
country were responsible for what hap
pened there, not the American workmen.
The Right of Organized Labor.
@. Would you claim the right of orzanized
labor to keep out men who came to take
their places, in case of a strike, peaceably or
right to persuade. At Homestead the men
the reduction in wages unjust, that
their right to organize was threatened, that
their little homes, some half paid for, were
in danger, and when q gang o! cuttnroats
had a right to go down to the rivers bank
and resist They never intended to injure
the Carnegie Works The Advisory Board
offered the Sheriff to supply deputies and
under heavy bonds.
Q. Did they not turn the Sheriff's DEPUTIES
ont OF Homestead? A. You must remember
there were 700 or 500 foreigners and some
whom properly understood what the depu-
ties were there for, andI believe they did es-
cort them out of town. i realize that il was
an unfortunate occurrence.
Examined by Senator PETER. the witness
said that the employment of Pinkertons
was one of the causes of workingmen's un-
rest. He explained what the search lights
in the Homestead mill yards were for, and
related the remarks of mill bosses and su-
which led the men to believe
the firm was looking for trouble with its
employees
National Board of Arbitrati on.
Q. How would you suggest the board of |
arbitration should be constituted? A.
think 1t should be appointed by the Ma |
tional Government, and have the power to |
EN- iorce its decisions upon all parties; upon |