The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-07-20

P1ttSburg, July 20.-The steel strike has
reached the critical stage and the de-
velopments of the next seventy-two hours
are expected to have an important bear
ing on the great struggle.
By Monday night, the results Of the
attempts of the combine officials to re-
sumo operations at Wellsvil1e and Nc
Keesport should be known and upon the
success or failure of this the outcome of
the struggle will greatly depend
So far the contending forces appear to
have been watching each other, but the
statement from ]. P Morgan has changed
the complexion of the situation. Every
body is talking about this now, and at
Amalgamated headquarters all is hustle
and activity. 1t is now realized that the
combines will not indulge in any further
temporiZing, and long struggle may be
looked for.
At Wellsville the company is straining
every point to get the plant into opera
tion and the latest dispatches from there
state that they claim this will have full
force at all furnaces by Monday morning.
It is said that they have the men i'm
ported from Pittsburg and will bring them
to the works by that time.
Resumption Monday.
Everything seems to depend for the
next development upon the outcome Of
the company's efforts at resumption on
Monday. A large number of railroad
tickets from here to WellsvilIe have been
purchased within the last few days, which
are reported to he for the new force. At
Wellsv1lle no men have as yet appeared,
but it is reported that they are quar-
tered at East Liverpool and will be moved
from there before Monday morning The
strikers at Wellsville are watching all
incoming trains and it is now hoped that
no trouble will take place when the new
men arrive. The strikers are said to be
restlve and what may happen when they
see the new men come in to take their
places 1t is impossible to predict. The
company is taking every precaution to
obvfate trouble. A high fence surrounds
the mill property and carloads of lumber
have been taken into the mill, presumably
for the purpose of housing the new men
within the mill.
A secret meeting of the strikers has
been called for this afternoon. which will
be presided over by Vice President Chap
pelle.
While it is not known positively that
the Devices Wood plant at McKeesport
will be started up on Monday, it is gen
orally believed that it is the intention
OF the management to do so. They have
quite number Of men as nucleus Of a
force, who were refused admission to the
Amalgamated Association because thew
worked dur1nb the strike last April, and
when start is made it will be with
these workmen. Manager Cooper refused
to say when the start would be made.
but added: when it does come. YOU
can bet the mill will be non-union."
Shaffer Continues Talking Large.
The Amalgamated Association officials
say they have little fear of the company
inducing their men to go back or to sue
cessfully resume operations. President
Shaffer says that the lodge is twice as
strong now as during the April strike,
and he feels confident that the men will
remain steadfast to the issue. This after
noon the Amalgamated Association will
hold large meeting at McKeesport to
forestall, If possible, the efforts expected
next week to start the works President
Shaffer, Secretary MeTighe and other Of
icials will address the strikers. Presi-
dent Shaffer says he will principally coun-
sci tolerance, sobriety and total absti-
nence from any acts tending to Violence.
The men of the plants of the National
Tube company, at McKeesport, have been
invited to attend the meeting and an eff
fort will be made to have them Join the
association. Even though the tube works
employees are organized, it is not prob
able they will be ordered out by the
Amalgamated Association until President
Shaffer is ready to issue his general strike
order, directed against all the COM
panies in the United States Steel corpor-
alton: President Shaffer will not discuss
the possibilities at the national plant
Neither will he say when he will be
ready with his general order to the other
companies. He said:
We have no desire to embarrass the busi-
ness interests Of the country unnecessarily
If we are forced to it we will go further even
than the members Of our own trade, but we
hope to be able to secure a settlement with
out resorting to those measures.
At the Pfttsburg Mills.
The situation in the closed Pittsburg
mills is practically unchanged. At the
Clark mills the 20-inch plate and the
billet mill are operating. The latter is to
be closed in few days. The Amalga-
mated organizers are not making any
special endeavor to enlist these men as
they do not come within their general
scale, which the present contest seeks
to protect.
Dispatches from outside points show no
material change. At Duncansville the
visit Of Vice President Pierce proved
fruitless At meeting of the employees
of the Portage Iron company last night
it was decided by large vote to con-
tinue at work. Mr.. Pierce says the leader
of the strike movement, Elmer Bucher,
was discharged shortly after his arrival,
and then Manager Davis addressed the
men and told them If they joined the
association the mill would shut down in
definitely. This disheartened the men
and they concluded not to strike.
In regard to the persistent reports that
the employees of Carnegie's upper and
lower mills are dissatisfied and probably
will strike in sympathy with the Anal
gamated Association. lodge, it was
claimed, having been recently formed in
those mills, Major L. T. Brown, general
superintendent, was emphatic in his
declaration to-day that there is no dis
satisfaction among the men. Permission
was given to go through the plants. A
number OF the men appointed were found
to be working in harmony, and no evidence
of dissatisfaction could be found.
Some uneasiness was felt at Amalga-
mated headquarters to-day over the in
his illness is not serious, it comes at
disposition Of President Shaffer. While
most inopportune time. Mr.. Shaffer was
at his Office this morning, but is feeling
very poorly. He attributes his indispo-