Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-21
OFFER TO ARBITRATE
Strikers Make Another Overture tc
the Steel Trust.
BEARER OF IT IN new YORK
PROPOSAL to Leave the Matter to
Three Arbitrators.
TJ-IT. TN CTPIKE EVENTS
IULL IN STRIKE EVENTS
Special From staff Correspondent.


and an important effort for settlement Of
the strike is now on. member of the
Ohio state board of arbitration has gone
to the steel trust officials in New York
with a proposition to leave the dispute to
a board of three arbitrators.
The arbitrator for the strikers would be
NJ. NJ. Garland, former president Of the
Amalgamated Association. Shaffer has
agreed to name him If arbitration is ac-
cepted.
1t is said that the first move of the arbi-
traitors would be to call off the general
strike ordered by Shaffer two weeks ago
and let the men who are under contract re-
turn to work. The arbitrators would then
proceed to consider the questions which
were at issue when the last conference
came to naught.
Confidence in Garland.
Garland has the complete confidence of
the men in the Amalgamated Association.
He also stands high with the manufac-
turers as a conservative and a who
always kept and enforced the contracts
made between the Amalgamated and the
manufacturers. If the steel trust agrees to
the plan of arbitration it is believed that
Garland can make terms for settlement Of
the strike.
Senator Hanna has declined to interfere
in the strike until the men who went out
in violation of their contract return to
work. He has always been friend Of the
Amalgamated Association, but did not in
dorse the striking of the men who had
signed the scale and were under contract
1t is said that the proposition to call off
the second strike condition precedent
to further negotiations Will be made as an
inducement to the steel trust officials to
agree to arbitration. 1t was considered
certain that the steel trust would not agree
to any compromise as long as the contracts
with the Amalgamated stood violated. II
arbitration is entered into it will take UP
the dispute where it was dropped at the
last conference. 1t will be remembered
that there were divisions in the executive
board of the strikers at that time. The
conservatives, If permitted to rule. could
have settled the strike. If arbitration Is
agreed to, the conservatives will be in the
ascendency.
1t is impossible to forecast from this end
the outcome of this latest effort. as It
will all depend upon Schwab's attitude.
Business Men Take a Hand.
The movement for arbitration organized
In business circles in Pittsburg and is in
dorsed by Shaffer. The bankers, manu-
facturers and merchants of the town, be-
of the strike, determined to take the af-
fair in hand The efforts at mediation are
being supplemented by pressure brought to
bear on President Schwab in New York
from his former associates here. The most
important business interests of the commu-
nifty are joining in advising him to accept
arbitration.
The movement now under way is regard
ed as the most important of the strike
thus far on account of the interests back
of it, and the concurrence Of the strike
leaders. There is ground for the state
ment that If arbitration can be brought
about according to the plans of the pro-
moters peace is nearer than at any time
since the men struck.
Up to a late hour this afternoon the pro-
moters of the arbitration plan were still
awaiting word from New York as to the
acceptability of the suggestion to the steel
trust.
LuII in the Strike.
Today shows a lull in strike events, the
two giants In the great wrestling match
pausing a moment in the struggle to set
wind and to wonder what hold the other
will try next No perceptible progress has
been made within twenty-four hours by
either side.
The steel trust has steam up in several
mills ready for returning workmen, and
offers alluring terms. but there Is nothing
doing" There Is notable scarcity Of
skilled men. The strikers. for their part,
are reaching out for more mills to make
idle but the morning turn failed to show
any shutdown.
In the meantime. while this big fight is
going on. somebody is holding the bag
namely, the Iaborers thrown out of work
by the strike of the skilled men. They are
the first and greatest sufferers In a strike
of this kind. There are already murmur-
ings among the unorganiZed labOrers, but
they cannot get into the mills until the
skilled workers start the machines. In
several of the mills started recently with
non-union men costly damage has been
wrought the machinery by the unskilled
workers, and the mills have been compelled
to stop. The Amagamated Association
claims to have all the skilled workmen in
its ranks.
Spirit of UniOnism Spreading.
The spirit of unionism is spreading rap
idly In this district, seemingly stimulated
by the efforts of the steel trust to crush ii.
Last night about 2.3OO former employees Of
the tube works who went out on SYM
pathy strike organized themselves into a
union and Joined the Federation Of Labor
q
separate branch OF the union for the
tube mill workers. similar to the Amalga-
mated Association. II this idea is carried
out the steel trust will have lot of trou-
BILE on its hands.
The strike leaders here are worried over
the situation at Wellsyille, where the
mayor appointed the union workmen
special officers on the police force thus
giving them the right to carry arms. Re-
ports to headquarters indicate that this
action has aroused strong feeling among
the strikers and that there is danger Of a
conflict at any moment.
In Duquesne, the seat of a number of
the Carnegie big non-union mills, upon
which the strikers working In hope of
efecting organization. several labor meet
tngs were held last night. They were os-
tensibly called by the railway switchmen,
but it is learned that other workmen were