Evening journal., 1892-07-09
olpoNNELL ANsWeRs ERIoK.
He Says the Carnegie Manager Has Do
slgns ON Organized labor.


signs on Organized Labor.
HOMESTEAD. July 0-The official utter
ances Of President Frick again aroused the
feeling Of every workman who has taken
part in the trouble His statements We're
attacked on every side, and should he ar
rive here and start to walk through the
principal streets his would not be an en-
joyahle position.
A reporter visited Hugh ODonnell. He
was almost exhausted for want of sleep.
but with all his sufferings, brought on by
the hardships Of the past forty eight hours,
he willingly, and in as calm a manner Us
possible dictated an interview.
After closely scanning the entire state
ments made by Mr.. Frick he said: Il don not
know what ! can say about the wage ques-
ton, but the statement made by Mr.. Frick
that at the Braddocz works the nonunion
men are satisfied with their wages is better
understood when you recall the strike OF
1883. The union men were offered a per
cent reduction They held out for months
and they were starved into submission.
Still this has nothing to do with the Home
stead situation.
Now about the changes in the expira-
tion of agreement from June 30 to Dec 81
the men will never yield on this point The
company could dictate its own terms in
midwinter, when starvation and freezing
united in forcing the men to submit to any
thing the company chose TO demand Mr.
Frick says the scale affects only 325 men
out Of the 8, 500 at these mills This is only
partly true II the scale proposed by the
Carnegie Steel company should be enforced
and the wages Of these 3a5 men cut down.
it is only matter Of a very short time
until there would be a general reduction all
along the line.
The Proposed Reductions.
'sYou must remember that in the 32-inch
33-inch, OF a structural mill, converting and
blooming mills, there are reductions offered
The company contemplate reorganization
of those mills in all the departments in the
near future. In consequence thereof, the
officials informed the men that their wages
should remain the same until such time as
certain Improvements should be completed
1t is very evident what this means.
Besides, the proposed reduction against
which the men have demonstrated is from
II per cent. to 60 per cent. outside of the
proposal to make the minimum basis TWEEN
/ ty-two dollars ton on steel billets II af-
/ fects more than 1926 men, but even if 1t af-
fected only one man, the principle Of our
organization is one for all and all for one
and the greatest good to the greatest mum.
ber.'
''Mr. Frick makes his statement in good
faith, but he has been misinformed He
/ has never had any experience IN the manu-.
facture Of STEEL Even if he had it would be
no evidence of his competency to act as
final Judge. Homestead mills are different
from any other in the world. They are a
revelation even to old millmen The work
is of such a character that even with the
| perfect machinery it requires handling by
men of skill gained only by long years OF
training in all its departments. The ma.
chinery used here is most complicated. The
ordinary days work Of twelve hours leaves
the men exhausted from the mental as well
as physical strain.
GAS to Mr. Frick's statement that when
Sheriff McCleary visited here the advisory
committee asked to have our own members
act as deputy sheriffs, it is not true. The
advisory committee, as its title suggests
only advised and did all in its power ia
frustrate any excitement or violent acts
II took no action without first consulting
with three Of the best attorneys before the
bar Of Allegheny county.
"When the sheriff came here we asked
him to make the citizens Of the town his
deputies. Further than this we offered To
furnish bonds of $4,000 for every mans
faithful discharge Of his duty, if the citizens
Of Homestead were sworn in as his depu.
ties. One reason for our desiring the depu
ties was that we have known for months Of
the preparations that were being made tc
send the Pinkerton force up here
"The attitude Of Mr. Frick toward organ.
lied labor was we known, and the
fact that he was to assume control at thi,
moment, when the old scale would expire
and a new one was supposed to take effect
led the Amalgamated association to expect
the worst. When the Amalgamated associa
tion met in convention in Pittsburg in june