Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-14
THE BURGESS TESTIFIES.
HE BELIEVES IN A FAR-REACHING
CONSPIRACY.

| CONSPkhACts
How It Affected the Price of Billets-De-
scribing the Effect Of the Carnegie
scale-Colonel Hay Describes tho Bat
| tie of the Barres
Burgess McLuckie, who has figured ex
tensively in the newspapers in the last few
days, was the first witness called in the aft
ernoon. He was very severe on the Pink.
ertons. His testimony in detail follows
| here:
Oates-Do you hold any official position in
| Homestead7
McLuckie-I am Burgess.
Oates-How long have you lived theref
A. Five years.
| Oates-What business are you engaged int
A. am steel worker
| Oates-What kind of work do you dot
A. Employed in converting department..
| Oates-How long have you worked in the
| Homestead mill7
| A. For five years. Went there in May.
| oates-Do you belong to the Amalgamated
| Association
| A. Yes, sir.
| Oates-What wages do you receivef -
| A. 81 % per day.
Oates-How much per month";
|
| Oates-Do you know anything about the
| contest between the men and the firm?
| A. Yes, little. Our wages are based on q
| sliding scale.
Oates-Do you know of the company pre-
| senting new scale?
A. Not of my own knowledge.
Oates-Did you hear the testimony Of Mr..
Frickf
A. did not, but these points were in
valued a change in time of the expiration
of the scale and a reduction of wages.
Oates-When were the mills shut DOWN
A. June 90
Oates-Was it in consequence OF the disa-
greement between company and menF
A. 1t is SO understood.
The Fight With the PInkertons.
Oates-Do you know Of trouble that oc.
CURED as q result of putting in Pinkerton
guards?
A. heard of some. Didn't see it.
Oates-Were you in the town when the
fight occurred?
A. Yes; saw the men in town rushing to
the river. didn't see the conflict.
Gates-Anything else you can say in con-
nection with the trouble?
A. can only say it was gigantic conspir-
acy on the part of the company to aid and
abet in depriving the workmen of their just
rights.
}
A. Yes, based on my observation and the
preparations made by H. C. Frick and
others. Three years ago we had little
trouble. One hundred and fifty to $50
deputies came there to take possession of
the property. The management claimed
they were afraid their property would be
destroyed. Deputies came on one train and
went back to Pittsbnrg on the next one.
Oates-What do you mean by q gigantic
conspiracy:
A. After going to work fully assured that
lo1 oof fo hoo
pend, the Mckinley bill came in reducing
as you will see by examination, the tariff
upon that identical article upon which our
con COMPENSATION pc isd .h was based namely, biliets
beams and structural iron, and that is
why say gigantic conspiracy, assisted by
vicious legislation, to rob the workman OF
what they are justly entitled to, Il fair days
pay for fair days work. What the depu-
ties failed to accomplish, this conspiracy
did.
Many of tbs Homes Morteaged.
Boatner-One witness said to-day that
most of the men at Homestead own their
homes?
A. That is not true. Many are mortgaged.
Boatner-Who holds the mortgages on
their homes?
A. couldn't say; am not in that bust
ness; but 1 understand the Frick company
holds many. I don't know much about
mortgages or the deposits of the men in
DanK. am q lOW-pc1Ceu man.
Boatner-Why do the men hate the Pink
ertonS so?
A. Can't speak from personal experience.
Our people think they are a horde of cut
throats thieves and murderers in the en-
ploy of unscrupulous capitalists.
Boatner-Do you think no resistance
would have been made by the Homesteaders
to lawful authority?
A. don't believe our people would have
resisted officers of the law.
Boatner-Do you know OF any other cases
where the use OF Pinkertons caused mur-
der
A. 1 heard they caused murder in the
Taylor-The witness doesn't know per.
sonallv.
Boatner-Does the Duquesne mill produce
billets.
A. Yes, exclusively almost. When the
tariff on billets was cut this plant was
and reduce the price.
Boatner-Is this company the largest pro.
ducfng billets in the country.
A. couldn't say.
Had Read the Mckinley Bill,
Taylor-You have been speaking about
the tariff largely from information received
from others. Have you stated fact of your
own knowledge2
A. have read the Mckinley bill.
Taylor-You think the reduction on your
line of work was due to a conspiracy Does
the reduction of the tariff reduce wagesf
A. 1 don't know.
Taylor-The higher the tariff the better
your wages?
A. Not always. Our wages are based on
a sliding scale, regulated by the selling
price of billets.
Taylor-If all iron articles had been re.
duced, then it would have been a more ex- |
tended conspiracy? |
A. don't know about that. |
OateS-YOu mean that by reducing the |
tariff on billets and increasing the produc- |
tion, the prices dropped.
A. Yes, that is the idea.
Taylor-How would the Duquesne mill |
make any money by selling for less than the
market price?
"A. The mill is non-union, and the wages
of the men can be cut when the firm pleases.
There is nothing to prevent it.
Taylor-How can the firm, for example
make money selling for $40 instead OF s25.
Y ou say that they could make the price of |
billets low, as it would be a small matter in
with other products the COM
pany makes?
A. II they could get the scale low enough,
they could take all the tariff of. The differ
ence in price between England and America
Is 81 per ton. This was conspiracy of this
company to do by legislation what it failed |
with deputies three years ago.
Taylor-Who was in the conspiracyf
A. H. c. Frick and Carnegie, I suppose,
and some others.
Taylor-Congress must have been in It
too, ut least the majority OF the last House?
Boatner-No doubt about that. fLaugnter.l
Conspiracy That Involves Congress.
Taylor-That is according to your side Of
The case, Mr.. Boatner.
Oates-Well, guess the views of thiscom-
nittee on the tariff can't be made to agree.
that is evident from this little controversy
Taylor, little nettled, and turning again
10 McLuckfe-Then this conspiracy you
speak Of would involve Congress, would it?
A. didn't say SO. I am not here to insult
this committee?