The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-10
President Gompers Declares That the
Steel Trust Shall Not Crush
the Association.
THE TRUST MAKES AN IMPORTANT MOVE
An Order issued For the Dismentng Of the
Great Devices Wood Plant at McKees-
port and its Removal 10 the
Kiskimenetas Valley.
tBy the Associated Press.)


Pittsburg, Pa, August 9.-There were
gravely important developments in the
strike situation today. The United States
Steel Corporation moved decisively in it's
strike campaign with a peremptory order
directing that the Great Dewes Wood
plant at McKeesport be dismantled and re-
moved to the Kiskimenetas Valley. Pres
ident Gompers, of the American Fedora
tion of Labor, after a two days conference
with President Shaffer and his associates,
issued a formal statement tonight specif-
cally pledging the Federation to the moral
and financial support of the Amalgamated.
His written review of the train of events
leading up to the industrial quarrels, sus-
tains the course of the Amalgamated AS
ISOLATION and declares that nothing re-
mains for labor but to battle for the
cause of unionism.
The official announcement of the order
to dismantle the Devices Wood plant came
this afternoon toward the close of an
otherwise unfruitful day and it's i'm
portance was such that it claimed the
serious consideration of the men on either
side of the great industrial conflict being
waged here. Persifer Smith, district
manager for the American Sheet Steel
Company made the formal announcement
In the following brief statement:
Il have orders from President McMurty,
of the American Sheet Steel Company, to
at once tear down the Devices Wood plant
at McKeesport and remove it to Kiski-
menetas Valley. This shall proceed to
do Immediately"
The publication of the order was
great surprise and Mckeesport received
it at first with doubt. Actual prepara-
tions were made later in the day for
dismantling the mill and there is lit
tie room for doubt that it will be torn
down and taken apart, piece by piece
The strikers heard the order in spirit
of defiance. They simply said that it
showed that the Steel Corporation was
convinced that it could not reopen the
plant in the face of the opposition of the
Amalgamated Association
The steel officials declined to give anv
reason for the order but it is openly
stated here that the pronounced sympathy
of citizens and city officials at McKeesport
with the strikers is responsible for it.
1t is also said that the plant of the Ma
tional Tube Company at McKeesport will
for a tube plant at Conneaut, Ohio, re-
vived
The Devices Wood plant was founded
about forty years ago and is one OF the
best known works in Pennsylvania. It's
yards and buildings cover between twelve
and fourteen acres; it has employed 1000
men at its busiest time, and it's cost
is placed at $4,000 900 by the officials OF
tho Steel Corporation
President Gompers, Of the American
Federation of Labor, was at the strike
headquarters again this afternoon with
Secretary Morrison and was closeted with
the adisory board of the Amalgamatcd
Association for more than two hours. Be
fore he left the meeting he gave his
promises to support the strike but It WAS
not until eight o'clock that he gave out
the following statement:
Since the arrival OF Secretary Morri-
son, OF the American Federation of La
bar, and myself, we have been i'm almost
continual conference with the alvisory
board or the Amalgamated Association
of 1ron Steel and Tin Workers. We made
thorough investigation of the present
strike, of it's members. formerly in the
employ of the United States Steel Com
pany and its constituents branches: It's
causes which led to the strike the pres
ent state of the controversy and we un-
hesitatingly declare our judgment that the
position of the Amalgamaed Association
is absolutely justified and essential to
it's continuance and effectiveness as a
union of the workers in the trade as well
as the protection of the rights aud inter-
ests of its members.
''It is true that the Amalg amated AS
sociation in the first conference asked the
United States Steel Corporation to sign
the union scale of wages for all the mills
operated owned and controlled by that
company, but it is also true that the re-
quest was withdrawn and one substituted
so that the union scale should apply to
those mills only in which the members of
the Amalgamated Association are en-
ployed in other words, where well known
to be union mills This, the United
States Steel Company refused to concede.
insisting that the scale should apply only
to those mills which were union last
year. even refusing to allow two mills TO
be included, which, BY a specie OF doctor