The age-herald., 1901-04-18
Resolutions Passed Giving the President Entire Control HE WILL ADDRESS LETTERS Heads of Concerns Must Force Settlement
 DAY FOR STRIKE TO BE NAMED
 
DAY FOR STRIKE TO BE NAMED
Unless Sheet Steel Company Comes To Terms By That Time All the Men Will Quit-Workmen
 Brought to Pittsburg.

E. men of the Amalgamated Association em- ployed in the organized mills of the Amer ican Sheet Steel Company, and subse- quently of all the organized men of the association in mills of the United States Steel Corporation tremble in the balance tonight. On the one hand President J. T. Shaffer is backed up in his determin- ation to call general strike by ma Jority of the members of his advisory board and the district vice president and trustees who were in session all day to- day. On the other hand there is new move toward conciliation and arbitration which may end the entire controversy in Pittsburg tomorrow, or may be carried to New York to be adjusted by higher powers.
 President Shaffer said tonight that the outlook for a settlement Is better than at any time since the McKeesport trouble started.
 It was explained in the meeting, as soon as the resolution was passed giving Mir. Shaffer all power in the matter, that he would address to the heads of all the con- stituent concerns of the United States Corporation letter advising them of the authority vested in him. and fixing a date when all these men would be called to strike in the event that the sheet steel company has not been forced to settle either through the crippling of their own operations or by the organization of high CT power.
 A canvass of all parties to the dispute indicates that the declaration of a strike will not take place for several days. The effort at conciliation to be made tomor-. row will be followed by others that will take the committees some time to formu- late. Nothing resembling disorder has occurred The crucial test of the mems determination to continue allegiance to the Amalgamated Association will come in the morning at 2 o'clock, when em- ployes of the concern have been notified to report or consider themselves dis charged. Some of the men in attend ance at the strike meeting at McKesport today rported that Assistant Superin- tendent Harrison of the w. Deeswood mill made them an offer of increased pay to return to work. They refused to go back. and he informed them that he would put other men in their places to-
 
 workmen were brought to Pittsburg last night from different points. The entire gang was in charge of the officers of local detective agency. It Is said all are now within the grounds of the works. where they are employed. and If the strike is not settled at once will be quar- tered in the vicinity
 The members of the national advisory board and vice presidents of the Amal- gamated Association, who had been call ed together by President Shaffer to con slider measures in connection with the strike, were slow In assembling Previous to the meeting Mr. Shaffer said he would ask for power to call out. at his discre- tion. the employees of the American Steel Sheet Company, and then as a last resort to extend the strike order to all the plants of the United States Steel Corpor- ation.
 He did not hesitate to declare his inten- tion of carrying out his prerogative of calling out the employees. of the great combine. if the resolutions were adopted by the board. He said:
 "I could not yield the point demanded of me at McKeesport. The issue has been drawn: there can be no backing down.
 We have received telegrams from our members in different sections of the country indorsing the stand we have taken and saying they will stand by us if 1t comes to general strike'
 President Shaffer also wired President Samuel Gompers of the American Feder- ation of Labor, explaining the situation at length, and asking for any assistance the Federation could give if the conflict came.
 Fifty thousand men is considered by la- Dor authorities to be a fair estimate of the membership of the Amalgamated As sociation. The Association Is according to the statement of Secretary John VII Hams. in a more prosperous condition financially than ever before in it's history. Of the total membership. 15.O00 are em- ployed by the Republic Iron and Steel Company which is not member of the Morgan combine and by the independent mill plants here and elsewhere. Of the American Sheet Steel Companys plants, 65 per cent of the total capacity is in organized mills. The company operates eighteen large plants and a number of small ones, some six of the thirty plants owned by the combine being shut down and partially dismantled. Twelve of the plants are union mills The most impor- tant of the non-union plants are the Van dergrift Pa.. works, the Apollo, Pa, works, and the mills at Wellsville, O.. and Leechburg, Pa.