The St. Louis Republic., 1901-08-16
PEACE OVERTuRES
TO STEEL STRIKERS.
Former Mill Owner Said to Have
Opened Negotiations Look
ing to a Settlement.



STRIKE ON AT JOLIET.
. Joliet. ILL.,. Aug. 1s-The four lodges q
q Of the Amalgamated Association en- .
q ployes Of the Illinois Steel Company q
q at Joliet. Ill. by q unanimous vote. Q
q decided tonight to obey the strike q
. order Of President shaffer. The con- .
O ference was In session from O'Clock q
q this afternoon until O'Clock tonight .
q before the decision was reached .
O This action will close the entire .
q steel plant here. throwing out Of en- q
O ployment nearly 5000 men, ylrss Vim .
. be drawn tonight. -----------z---A
|0>>>><> <>> . >>>>.>>0
Pittsourg. Aug. lk-Oncs more there are
efforts afoot to settle the strike being
waged against the United States Steel Cor
poration by the AmalGamated Association
Of Iron. Steel and Tin Workers. but the'S
success 10 problematical Neither side VIII
admit that there has been q single step
toward bringing about . rapprochsmsnt o.
that there is any prospect Of an exchange
OF peace proposals.
b. NJ Caldwell. formsrly Q min owner Of
MinGo Junction. II known to havs conferred
with the strike leaders. with Q view %
sketchinG q basis Of settlement which ha
plans to place before the 0o1c1alD Of the ssssa
corporation. He IL believed to b tho myD.
txrious man who conferred with Prsstdens
shaffer for more than two hoWs at the
strike headquarters to-day. although Tie lat
ter said later tha. lie had Eot seen NJ.
Caldwell for months. Both sidss vigoFousiy
denied that they had either mads ovsstures
or received proposals.. but II u known pod
lively that the plan IL under eonsiderafion.
Mr.. Caldwell 10 acting tndscendently, and
does not represent either the manufaoswsrA
or the zen.
No expression from him was obennpa1jo,
and no lines on the terms that have bed
considered can be had It n believed here
that under certain circumstances the sou.
tending sides could be brought togeehse and
a settlement effected. but whether such VIII
come to pass remains to be seen.
Each Side Claims Gains.
Meantime the contest between the tWo
great interests Is being waged with vigor
and slightly varying fortune. The steel
corporation seeAtd to be somswhse
stronger at the lower union mill Of the
Carnegie company in this city. aithoush
the strikers are still working hard to Grip
pie or close IL. The corporation aloo addod
to the force at Wellsville: and announced
that at last 1t had the plant running to ita
full capacity.
Three hundred men employed at the
Seamless Tube Plant at McKeeaport. an
auxiliary OF the National Tube Company.
threw down their tools and Joined the
strikers. II Is said they quit because thsy
would not handle nonunion-made material
During the day the strikers kept . closo
watch on the plants that are being operated
with nonunion men. and also kept alert
pickets around the Carnegie plants and the
works that are completely closed down.
Another Purchase Reported.
II Is reported that the United States Steel
Corporation is negotiating for the absorp-
tion Of the Republic Iron and Steel Com
pany. There have. I Is said. been Q num-
ber of conferences between prominent
stockholders In the two companies, and
that the terms of purchase have been prac-
tically agreed upon The Republic plant n
large one. and its purchase would add
greatly to the commercial strength of the
steel corporation.
Steel Hoop situati0n.
Youngstown advices say that the omcials
of the American Steel Hoop Company have
asked the strikers to attend q meeting to-
morrow. at which they propose to lay be-
fore them the terms offered at the mama
The Amalgamated ofYlcials are opposed to
the meeting and will forbid the men to at
tend.
President George Powell of the lnterna-
tional Tin-Piate WofkerY Protective Asso-
alton was In conference with the Anal
Ramated officials to-day. II was stated that
they discussed the report that the Amer
lean Tfn-P1ate Company was to import black
tin plates from Wales. President Powell
declined to talk when he left the strike
headquarters.