Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-08-10
STEEL WAR GOES ON.
STRIKE TO SPREAD TO ALL THE
UNION MILLS.
Greatest Labor Con: est in the Worlds
History Between the Steel Trust and
Organized Work rnen-Both Sides Pre-
pared for Long Conflict.

The hope of a speedy settlement of the
steel strike, which was so strong, has
come to naught. A week Of conferences
and of suspense left the contending par
ties farther apart than they were at the
beginning. Mr. Morgan's ultimatum,
which was not so favorable to the Anal
gamated association as were the terms
offered by the officials of the tinplate
and sheet steel and steel hoop compa-
MES before the strike began, was reject
ed by the officers of the association.
There is to be no more negotiating. and
the dogs of war" are to be let loose.
The greatest labor war in the history
Of the nation was inaugurated when the
Amalgamated Association Of Iron, Steel
and Tin Workers decided to measure its
strength against the greatest combina-
ton of capital that the world ever saw
the $1,100,000000 steel trust. Tie up
every mill of the United States Steel Cor
poration" is the order that went forth
from the Advisory Committee, the work
ingmens organization. Every member
has been called upon to aid in the strug-
gle for the life Of the union.
It Is essential that some, at least, OF
the closed mills which are controlled by
the United States Steel corporation shall
be opened. The present state Of affairs
suits admirably the Independent concerns,
which are now rushed with orders. The
enforced holiday of their great competi-
tor is their time to make hay. That
competitor cannot afford to let this go on.
But when an attempt is made to open
T1r;l bo trouh1o q f.
ever efforts the officers Of the Amalga-
mated association may make to avert it.
Some Of the members Of that association
are getting in bad temper. What hap
pened at WellsviIle on Saturday is q
plain enough indication of that. They
have been idle now for a month and are
beginning to feel the lack of wages. They
will resent angrily the efforts which the
steel companies will make to resume OPP
erations, and the acute, violent phase Of
a labor war win be reached in many
places soon.
J. Pierpont Morgan is aware of this
and cannot take any pleasure in the
prospect of impending tumults and riots,
and possibly loss Of life. He is aware,
also, that the calling out of all the union
men in the steel mills which are con-
trolled by the United States Steel corpo-
ration will affect seriously it's earning ca
pacity for a time. 1t must earn a good
deal of money to take care of its securi-
ties. The Carnegie works alone will fall
far short of supplying the necessary
amount. 1t is possibly, therefore, that
Mr.. Morgan would have acceded to the
modified demand made by the Amalga-
mated association and given it some non
union mills but for the reasonable GER
tainty that next year the association
would ask for the unionizinS Of still more
mills. 1t may have been Mr.. Morgan's
conclusion that as there had to be con-
test some time over the question whether
the mills should be part union or all I'M
ion, it was better to have 1t now and be
done with it. If this is the case there Is
no reason to believe that he will yield, be
the consequences what they may.
The strike has already been costly to
the participants. One side has lost prof
its and the other wages. If the strike
had ended last week neither side would
have been seriously harmed. The con-
tinuance and the extension Of the strike
will entail heavy losses upon labor, while
capital will not escape unscathed. At
the same time the peace of many COM
munities will be endangered, and the ac-
tivity Of great industry and Of scores
of industries dependent upon it will be
checked