The record-union., 1899-09-24

the Workers Could Not Get JUS
tice From State or Government
Board.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23.-Theodore
Schaffer of Pittsburg, President of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron and
Steel Workers., was the first witness
before the Industrial Commission to-
day. He said that about 20 per cent
of the iron, steel and tin workers were
organized. After 1892 the iron workers
suffered 80 per cent. reduction of
wages, the steel workers 10 per cent,
and the tin workers % per cent, but
since the recent prosperity began the
wages have been almost leveled up by
advances. The trade was now more
| prosperous than it had ever been, but
the wages were not quite as high as in
1877. The workers in iron, steel and tin
We're not getting the advantage under
the sliding scale of the recent increase
in prices. This was due to the fact
that mills were filling contracts made
some months and in some cases a year
ago.
Many of the mills were non-union,
owing to personal difficulties which
arose between employers and employed,
rather than to direct hostility of the
employer toward organized labor or
the union scale
| Mr.. Schaffer said his association had
never called upon State Boards of Ar
bitration in cases of strike. The incor-
poration of labor organizations would
! be advantageous. The obstacle to in
corporation at present was that the
| workers We're not yet educated up to
and prepared for it. He was opposed
/ to compulsory arbitration. He felt that
| the workers could not get justice from
State or Government boards. This
opinion was based upon the interpre-
tation placed by the courts upon laws
| passed by the interest of labor
He protested against the employ
ment of women in mills, declaring it to
be injurious, morally and physically.
He also expressed the opinion that the
sanitary conditions in the mills was
not good.
He explained the campaign against
Sunday work, and said that much pro-
gress had been made in the steel mills,
tin mills and finishing mills. He fav-
ored restriction of emigration. The
Huns, Polanders, Russians and Italians
were the most Objectionable
Asked about trusts Mr.. Schaffer said
he had much respect for them. He
would not call them trusts" Their
effect thus far had been beneficial to
the iron, steel and tin workers. As a
/ general rule, he said he believed the
members of his organization would pre-
fer to deal with combinations and large
| corporations than with smaller inde-
| pendent mills. He believed if the big
/ combinations could be regulated by
/ Congressional enactment, strikes could
be avoided. In his experience he had
always had fair treatment in negotiat-
ing with these combinations. He did
not believe they prevented competition.
us not a labor organization as much
of trust as one of these combinations
of capitaI?'' asked Mr.. Kennedy.
Il would delegate the answer to that
question to the late civic federation con-
ference at Chicago" replied Mr.. Schaf-
| fer. after reading the proceedings
there, don't know what 1 believe"
do you not attempt to control the
labor market?"
NO." he replied "That may ulti-
mately be the result. We ask only for
a fair share of that which we create.
1 have never known of a case where
the price of a commodity was raised as
a result of our demands"
In concluding his statement, Mr..
! Schaffer said that the Amalgamated
Association proposed to start a news
paper devoted to the education of it's
members, and teach them that employ
ers have interests in common with
them, which entitle them to as much
respect as investors of capital, as they
are entitled to as investors of skill and
muscle.
The Industrial Commission has de-
| cided upon quite an extensive inquiry
into the subject of the railroad finance,
rates. discrimination, etc, and has
summoned for examination before the
commission, early in October, Inter
state Commerce Commissioners Martin
Knapp and Charles A. Prouty and Sen
ator Reagan of Texas, together with
A. J. Van Landingham of St. Louis.
David Bingham of New York, Frank
Neal and n. b. Kelly of Philadelphia,
representative shippers and business
men and the following railroad Presi-
| dents: j. 3. Cowen, Baltimore and
Ohio; NJ. e. ingalls,, Big Four; A. 8.
Stickney, Chicago and Great Western,
etilu -. H. SdLiOWdyS NEW IOAh NSh-
| trail.
The commission has appointed
number of experts and assistants. Pro-
fessor Edward Dana Durand of the Le-
| land Stanford Jr. University was Sc
lected to collect and prepare the data
! forming the basis of the commissions
final report to Congress- Professor >.
M Lindsey of the University of Penn
| sylvania was appointed to investigate
| and report on the subject of railway
labor and Professor Joseph French
Johnson of zLandsdowne, Pa. was
named to investigate and report ON the
subject of construction and financiering
of American railroads. Thomas F.
Turner of Canton, Ohio, was named as
a special agent to investigate the sub
/ ject of alien labor His work will be
/ especially to ascertain the effect of
| Chinese labor upon labor and industry
| in the West.
Te o,,,e tJ,ntro1fS c01l1d only no arrap NO.