The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-06

PHILADELPHIA Aug. 6-AHhougb
various estimates have been made as 20
the probable cost Of the great steel strike
now on. it is difficult TO tell if any Of them
VIII prove "a hav, been anything like cor
rect when the conflict is over and the act
UaI losses ON the side of labor aud that of
capital have been footed up
Experience Of the past show that
strikes always cost a great deal of money
They frequently cost money and blood
shed, it makes no difference who wins or
loses incidentally. 10 may be said in this
connection that there is "a report current
that the American Federation of Labor
alone has assured IN, steel strikers Of s.
oo1.01o month as long as the fight lasts.
The figures on The Homestead strike have
never been made public. That strike, as
Is wen known, was disastrous 90 the
Amalgarlated Association. and FASTENED
the decline of an labor unions. The work
ingmcu almost learned in that dispute the
1utility Of attempting 10 settle disputes by
force. The lesson was not a thorough
one. however, although il cost over a nil
lion and quarter Of dollars
When the Homestead strike began in
1892 the AmalEamatgd Association had a
strike fund Of Sla.oo. The money was on
interest in the Lincoln National Bank Of
Pittshurg- II had been heapCd together
out OF tho contributions OF the worlmen
in the shape of lodge dues. and had been
accommodating for several years
When the Homestead strike began the
Amal-aClatod Association had 5000 mem
beers. About 600 of them became mixed
up i'm that trouble. and the other $1,000 re
main,d at work in a vain end-avor 70
support the strikers. The first few weeks
OF the strike there were no hardshiDs and
no trouble. Credit was good i'm the gro
ccrios- and as il was summer time the
children did not need many shoes nor
much clothing. During the first Sow
weeks the fight was ON the men carried
themselves along. Then the strike benc-
fits" began
It does not take long to use UP $4,000
when there are 500 men drawing a week
~ sum from il 20 support themselves and
families. The money lasted only a little
while and then the assessments began 10
fall on the working members Of the asso-
citation The money poured in through
the headquarters of the AmaIGamatod
and when the trouble ended the books
Of the association showed that S1.a2j .033
had been distributed among the strikers
in Homestead OF for their benefit. The
strike practically lasted about three
months. The average wages Of an iron
men. on most conservative estimate.
lost during the continuance Of that strug-
gle S1.#o"-e
But the expense Of the strikers was the
little end of the real expense attached to
thar great dispute. Ii is bU, little OF a
secret where the strikers spent their
money. Ii went for the support Of the
men, and the trials Of the Homestead
alleged prisoners, Hugh Dempsey and
others. and the murder trials Of Hugh
ODOnnel. Jack CritChlow. and the rest
OF the leaders in the strike cost hundreds
OF thousands OF dollars cyclone VIII
liam Erwin. the Minneapolis LAWYER.
whose fervid speech about following Pink
ertOn detectives 10 the burning bosom Of
the Prince OF HeI and shooting them
ihtEe- cost N-,i.N was one of the most
expensive luNurisS. There was a bright
galaxy Of lawyers there-ErWiu and Mon
tooth and Porter and other men whose
names are known wherever criminal UrO-
ceedngs are trisd-and they all cost
money IL was a most expensive days
amusement. that 5th day OF July. lSSZ
But nobody knows. nor viii the,- ever
know, what the strike cost thC Carnegie
Steel company II Is safe To say that the
cost 70 the men was as nothing compared
with the cost 10 the COMPANY The books
which contain the record of expenses sus-
tanned then are sealed. and Will never be
opened to the pryinE eyes OF the public
1t Is safe 10 assume that the strike cost
me company couple of millions Of dol
lars loss of profits.
mat was only the beginning however
me loss on broken machinery. broken
while training new and inexperienced men
70 take the places of the skilled strikers
Is claimed by The men TO have been as
much more when added to the loss on
material spoiled By the green hands. Then
No trials in the Allegheny county court
were ever fought more bitterly District
attorney Clarence Burleigh. who is now
CITY attorney Of PittsburE. handled his
side OF the case with vim and ,-ilo- thar
LETT no doubt that he was working 10
convict But Ia had able lawyers to as
slSt MN. and they were high-Driced ones
At that 2 he Carnegie Steel Comnauv had
Captain Brccht and William Patterson
anu many others who appeared in court
BESIDE many others who were never heard
Of IN connection with the case
Five hundred thousand dollars would
not more than pay the expense Of those
trials for the steel company. while the
expense To the taxpayers Of Allegheny
county would mount well mp into six fig
uItN- nero was an army OF detectives
on both sides. and never a dollar was
spared by either party IL il would do a
particle OF good.
Hugh Dempsey got seven years for the
Homestead poisoning. His colleagues got
Tour years. Beri<man. who shot IT, G.
Frick. got tweuty-ore years Bauer and
hnold. Two poor Germans from AIleghe-
ny. got four years for DISTRIBUTE inc c0~i4T-
istiC literature among the strikers at
Homestead Several others got "a few
months in the wDrkh0use for riotiuc Al
dozen convictions WIN secured and none
Of them We're for high crimes except
Berllmaus.
Tho present strike will cost more than
the one I'm Homestead. No person ont
side the national officers knows how
many men there are in the AuaIgau.atcd
Association today After the defeat al
Homestead the organization almost went
70 pieces il was bankrupt in its treas
Ory and lu its reputation The mrr de-
serted IL like rats fleeing from a founder
ing ship But the spirit was only bent a
little IL was not broken.
After SLaT'r was made president ne
started to build mp the wreck which had
been handed over TO him by Mahlon NJ
Garland. The membership is not half
what n was lu 1872. That is. 81 was NOT
when the present strike began. since tho
beginning OF the strik. % has been grow
ing rapidly Irru close observation az
the AllWa.[.- CONVEX t!au. however y Is
safe 10 sag fH.t the mcmBg rshID then did
not nun over 11.b4 Twelve thousand Of
these men a~a now on strike IN the three
departments OF the United States steel
Cooperation which have already been
called out
Most Of the balance OF the Amalga-
mated men are employed IN independent
concerns which are not affected by this
strike. Tho other departments Of the
steel company are being ORGANIZED. how
ever. with more or less success But e,--
cry one OF the new mills organized means
That many NOR To take care uT when
they STRIKE ll 1892 the Anna lEamatpd As
fociduon he'd 900 men ON strike aud so
uyl wof king 20 support them. Iu 1901 fha
AnaiE1mtt'u Association has l2.uB men
on strike and f+.pHH WORKING To- srrrDorr
them Ia lst2 the AuaIgarnat.-i As5Grf.f-
ton had SlbiugI IN bank. Today u has
SlJe""' yet the officials say they never