The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-06
An IRRITATrNC REPORT.

AN IRRITATING REPORT.
The report of the conference on Sat
urday in New York, between the adj
visory board of the Amalgamated AS
ISOLATION and Mr.. Morgan, Mr.. Schwab
and other officials of the United States
Steel Corporation, that was printed by
the New York Journal was calculated
| to irritate the striking steel workers
and to encourage them to commit vi
oIence. In its report the Journal said
that Mr. Morgan spoke to the mem
bers of the advisory board, which in
cluded Mr.. Shaffer the president of the
| Amalgamated Association, as If they
had been children caught smoking He
scolded them, said the Journal, told
them they would never learn from ex-
perience, and by every means in his
power let them see that he regarded
them as so many billets in the great
steel structure. The Journals report
also said that Mr.. Morgan confronted
the advisory board with clenched fist,
that in addressing it his voice was rails
ed almost to a scream, and that he
closed his talk by saying: mo further
negotiations of any kind will be entered
into. No more Intermediates will be
received. You have your answer. You
may take it or leave it, and, further
more, you may have until o'clock to
decide. If you accept declare the strike
off, If you do not accept no answer
is necessary. This is positively my
final word on the subject"
Did Mr.. Morgan conduct himself in
any such manner during the confer
ence? If he did he is not the man to
deal with labor troubles. The advisory
board of the Amalgamated Association
was entitled to courteous treatment.
According to the Journals report it did
not get it. The report was calculated
to irritate the strikers. 1t, in fact, in
formed them that Mr.. Morgan and
other officials of the great steel trust
regarded them with contempt. Their
inclination under the circumstances
would be naturally to make Mr.. Nor
gan and the United States Steel Cor
poration feel their power-to manifest
their strength in every way open to
them, possibly in violence. But as
matter of fact did Mr.. Morgan con-
duct himself in any such way as the
Journal said he did? The only means
we have of knowing what actually
took place is by the testimony of those
present. The Journal does not give its
authority for its report. After the
advisory board reached Pittsburg, how
ever, President Shaffer took occasion
to deny the reports that Mr.. Morgan
had acted in a manner that was dis
courteous to the advisory board. He
said to an Associated Press reporter
that the stories that Mr.. Morgan had
been ugly during the conference on
Saturday were untrue. He declared
that Mr.. Morgan had been courteous
and business like throughout the entire
meeting. Indeed President Shaffer
seemed to feel very kindly towards Mr..
Morgan, saying that Mr.. Morgan was
not to be blamed for everything in con-
nection with the attitude assumed by
the United States Steel Corporation,
because he knew nothing about the
true condition of the mills, except as
ne was IOlQ Dy OIneTS. he IuTIneT Sdiu
that he believed that Mr.. Morgan was
fair-minded man. and was only act
ing on his judgment, based on informa-
ton furnished by others.
The outlook in the district covered
by the strike is alarming enough with
out trying to make it worse by irritat-
ing reports and stories. 1t is fair to
assume that President Shaffer stated
the truth respecting Mr.. Morgan's con-
duct at the conference. The Journal
ought to hasten to undo the incorrect
impression that it has spread abroad.
not in justice to Mr.. Morgan, because
it is probable that he does not care
anything about the Journals report,
except in so far as it tended to COM
plicate the strike situation by putting
the strikers in an ugly mood, but to
prevent the strikers from resorting to
violence because of the supposed in
dignity offered to their representatives.