The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-08-21
STATUS OF STEEL STRIKE
Conference Between Morgan and Shat
fer Ends in a Disagreement.
1T IS A FIGHT TO A FINISH

EmplOyee OF tno blllOn.DOllaf Steoi
Trust Placed in Amalgamated Presi-
dents Hands-All Negotiations Broken
or and Both Sides Defiant.
New York City.-Negotiations for
the settlement of the steel strike
came to an end in this city when
leaders of the strike refused to &C.
cept the terms offered by J. Pierpont
Morgan. President Shaffer and
fourteen other members Of the Execu.
tive Board Of the Amalgamated AS.
sociation met Mr.. Morgan and other
representatives of the United States
Steel Corporation in the Office of G.
M. Schwab, at No. II Broadway.
about noon. The conference ended
abruptly in IN hour.
The Executive Board, after failing
to get any concessions at the meet
.ng, announced through SecretaryW'l-
liams that the strike would be con-
tinued and that orders would be given
to the union men employed by the Ma
tional Steel Company, the Federal
Steel Company and the National Tube
Company to 60 on strike. On the
other hand, the mill owners will seek
to open their mills as opportunity
offers and to keep them open with
out the assistance Of the union.
Not q man on either side doubts
that the conflict will be long and
bitterly fought, and all because neither
side would recede enc iota from the
position it had assumed.
1t was Mr.. Morgan who laid the
ultimatum before the associations
men. It was he who told them that
they must accept, his proposition, or
else fight to the end. Not only did the
men reject these propositions, but
they submitted counter ultimatum,
the terms Of which are so sweeping
that they must have known from the
outset that they never would be &C.
cepted by the other side.
In Pittsburg and throughout the
great steel making region Of the Mid.
die West the failure Of the confer
ence was not unexpected. One steel
man waited in Pittsburg at the tele.
phone until he got news Of the break
ing of the armistice, with the addi.
tional information that the United
States Steel Corporation would de-
vote it's time and money to driving
the Amalgamated Association out Of
all it's mills. "Goodv' he calculated.
That was all. He started out with
a smiling face to prepare for the fray
This feeling was general among all
the steel managers in Pittsburg. They
welcomed the conflict. The workmen
were equally ready. Meetings were
held in all the strike centres, ana
there were rallies at two score other
places in Pennsylvania, Ohio. West
Virginia and Illinois.
According to Vice-President of the
Amalgamated Association who attend
ed the New York conference, Presl-
dent Schwab alone prevented SET
tlement Of the differences. Seven
mills divide the union and the Trust
According to the President of the
Executive Committee, In whose hands
the whole matter has been placed,
every man within the influence OF
the organization will have to quit his
place and everything that can be done
will be done 20 prevent the Irust
from running its mills.
In the meeting that followed the
rejection of the Associations propo-
sition by J. Pierpont Morgan, Presi-
dent Shaffer was made dictator; his
Is the power and his the RESPONSE
bility to make the war, and ne mas
declared himself.
Shaher reiterated confidentally his
oft-made prediction that the Steel
Trust could not secure non-union men
in sufficient numbers to operate any
of its mills in which a strike Is de-
clared. When the possible importa-
ton of negroes from the South was
suggested he said the negro steel
workers down there were we'll or
ganized.
President Shaffer. in an interview,
said: "The time has come when we
must decide whether unionism Is to
stand or fall. Peace negotiations with
Mr.. John Plerpont Morgan are OF for
good. We have no further engage
ment to meet with the United States
Steel Corporation. We will not try to
secure another peace conference. We
are through with the negotiations and
any future attempt to secure set
tlement of the strike will have to
come from the Steel Trust. We are
satisfied with the progress of the
strike up to date. We have not lost
q bit of ground. and there have been
many gains which do not show on
the surface"
In it's inception the struggle between
the Billion Dollar Steel Trust and the
Amalgamated Association exactly
parallels the preliminaries for national
war. Diplomatic relations have been
broken off and obvious preparations
for the economic struggle are under
way.