The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-02
CALLS STRIKE A FAILURE.
Ez-Vice President Hici1ey's Report to
Milwaukee, Strikers


association had misrepresented the at
titude OF the United States Steel cor
poraton toward organized labor in or
der to get the members of the assocfa-
Ton out OF strike were made by for
mer Vice President j. N Hickey at
the meeting of the Bayview lodge to-
night.
In cool, unimpassioned manner. Mr..
Hickey gave the members tbe result of
his trip TO Pittsburg, where he went for
the purpose Of investigating the situa-
ton in regard to the steel strike and
me situation as summed uD by Mr..
Hickey was that the strike appears to
be lost and il may take years to repair
the damage to the association which
has already been done
Mr. Htckey's report was listened to
by al the men with respectful atten-
ton. He made no recommendations to
the lodge as to their future action, but
u Is believed that his speech NAV
cause a change in sentiment. not only
in Bayview. but in other places ir the
Fourth district.
Nearly all the members of the lodge
We're present when the meeting was
called TO order. and a number that
were reported to be away working in
other plants turned I'D in time to at
tend the meeting. Among these was
Corresponding Secretary Valentine
Dooley. who haG been working for the
Republic Iron g. Steel company in East
Chicago.
President Joseph Redfern Of the local
lodge presided at the meeting. and when
II had concluded he stated that there
mad been no vote taken, although TO
one had questioned the accuracy of any
OF Mr.. Hickey's statements. That his
remarks viii be reported in full to the
general officers of the organization and
that IL may result in bringing Assist
ant Secretary Tighe here again or
some other representative of the grand
lodge ia the ha1iaG of ms "a
bers of the organization. President Red
fern stated that so far ii appeared to
be the opinion OF the majority that
the men should not return to work I'M
I'll they had been ordered back by the
national officers.
MIR. Hickey had little to say of the
conference in Pittsburg with President
Shaffer and other national officers.
The address was mainly of a personal
nature. in which President Shaffer was
charged with violating the constitution
in ordering the strike. Many other
matters dealing with the history of the
association also came up for discussion
Object Of Hickey's Mission.
Mr.. Hickey-s mission in the east was
mainly to ascertain the exact situation
cf the strike and learn every detail of
the New York meeting. '"The object of
the meeting" said Mr.. Redfern, was
not TO vote upon the question of re-
turning to work. but to listen to the re-
port of Messrs. Hickey and Cooper, who
have been in the east to see what is
the real situation The strike has now
been on here for two weeks. and dur
ing that time the members of the lodge
have heard absolutely nothing about
the real situation from the national Of
hcers. All that we have known we have
Seen in the papers. ana last week q
number of the members had a meeting
and decided to send Cooper and Hickey
back last TO find out these things. Their
report was absolutely SATISFACTORY and
was we'll received, but ! have no idea
what the action of the lodge will be,
or whether there will be any action
taken.
Mr.. Hickey opened his remarks with
a review Of the conferences with the
Tesentativcs of the United States
Steel corporation preceding the strike
in which he declared that Messrs. Nor
gan and SChWab outlined their policy
towards organized labor. Mr.. Hickey
went into these details for the pur-
pose OF showing that Secretary Tighe
and President Shaffer had misrepre-
scented the facts when they appealed to
the members OF the association to
strike on the ground that the steel cor
DOratiOn was determined to crush or
Eauized labor and ruin the Amalga-
mated association.
He maintained that the proposition
offered by Mr. Morgan had been fat;
and should have been accepted right
there by President Shaffer il he had
had the interests OF mis- fellow work
erS at heart. Mr.. Hickey reported that
- per cent of the mills are now work
inG and that in his opinion the strike
is practically lost.
Il obtained the facts from a man
high in office in the east" said Mr.
Hickey. who was present at the con-
ference. and afterwards confirmed the
statements from members Of the exec
utive board. Judge Gary. former pres
ident OF the Federal Steel company.
was present at the conference. and ne
= now a high official OF the United
states steel corporation. He. { am in
formed. was in favor OF signing the
scale for all the mills In the combine.
but this did not meet with the ap-
prevail of Mr. Schwab. who thought il
too radical u move Mr.. Morgan then
offered Shaffer four additional mills. for
which he was willing &c sign the scale
~ an experiment. and then he told Mr.
Sbaifer that If the organization kept
faith IN these four mills and lived up
10 the agreement he would pledge his
word thai III two years every mill in
the combine would DE included in the
contract with the Amalgamated asso-
ciatiOn- This was the most reasonable
proposition which has ever been made
to the association. erd it was clearly
the duty OF President Shaffer to have
accepted it then and there.
Attempted to Dictate.
But instead Of doing this. he turned
it down fatty in a speech in which he
declared that all must be signed or
none Ne apparently wished to impress
the steel officials with the belief that
the association would compel them to
sign Tor All whether they wished to or
not. The representatives OF the corpo-
ration. however. would not be forced or
dictated to in this rnapuer. and they
broke of the conference. Since that
time there has been no conference or
oIier OF compromise. and the nearest
anyone representing the association has
been able TO get To Mr.. Morgan or Mr.
SchWab was by long distance teIe
phone TO their private secretaries.
Mr. Hickey accused President Shat
fer OF having printed a constitution of
the ArnalgaTnated association, in which
three important clauses were elimin-
ated- IIe said Mr.. Shaffer assumed ar
attitude OF defiance during the Pitts
burg conference last week. AMI had lit
tie TO say in, answer to questions put
10 him. The other members OF the ex-