The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-08-12
The Republic Bureau.

iftH St anu TtnnSyANdulA AVE-
Washington. Aug. u-Although varyins
estimates have been made as to the prob
able cost of the great steel strike. 1t is
difficult to tell if any Of them will prove
to be anything near correct when the con-
fiict is over and the actual losses are foot
ed UP.
cost a great deal of money. and often cost
bloodshed. also. incidentally. II may be
said that there is a report current that the
American Federation of Labor has prom
ised tho steel strikers 100000 a month as
long the fight lasts.
Cost I'm Cash and Prestige.
The figures OF the Homestead strike have
never been made public.
That strike. is well known. was disas-
trous to the Amaigamated Association and
hastened the decline Of all labor unions
rhe workingmen almost learned in that dis
Dute the futility Of trying to settle disputes
by force. The lesson. however. was not a
thorough one. although it cost S.ooo,ooo
When the Homestead strike began In
1892 the Amalgamated Association had
strike fund of $is4.0O0. The money was on
interest In the Lincoln National Bank OF
Pittsburg. When the strike began the
Amalyamated Association had 52.vUO MEM
bers. About 500 OF them became mixed
up in that trouble and the other i6.ov re-
mained at work. In a vain endeavor to sup
port the strikers. Tie first few weeks OF
the strike brought out no hardship or
trouble. Credit was good. and II was sum-
mer time. During the nrst few weeks the
fixht was on the men carried themselves
along. Then the strike benefits began. .o
IL docs not take long TO use up xiot;NV
when there are 900 men drawing u weekly
sum irvm 1t to support themselves lne
money lasted only a lItie While. ana then
the assessments began TO iaii on tne w0rk-
Of /.
money poured In through the headquarters
OF the Amal4 smated. and wnen the trouble
ended the books showed that >i.sZS.eo nad
been distributed among the strikers. or Tor
their benefit. The strike lasted about tnree
months. The average wages OF an iron
worker Is So per month. SIX thousand men
lost during that struggle at least $l.4oovo-
But the expense of the strikers was the
little end Of the real expense Attached To
that great dispute 1t Is but little OF
secret where the strikers spent their money.
II went for the support OF the men. and
also the trials of the Homestead alleged
poisoners and the murder tr.ais OF the men
implicated in the riots. But nobody knows.
nor will ever know. what the strike cost
the Carnegie Steel Company. 1t Is safe TO
say the cost to the men was as nothing
compared to the cost To the company. The
books which contain the record Of ex-
penses sustained then are seaied and Will
not be opened to the eyes Of the public. 1t
Ia safe TO assume that the strike cost the
company a couple of millions at least.
The present stIike will cost more than the
one in Homestead. NO one OUTSIDE the ma
tional officers knows how many men there
are in the Amalgamated Association to-day.
AFTER the deieat Of the Homestead the or
ganization almost went to pieces II was
bankrupt In its treasury and In Its reputa-
tion The men deserted II like rats fleeing
from a fouEdering ship. But the spirit was
not broken. President Shaffer was made
president and started to build up the wreck
which had been handed over to him. The
membership Is not ha.f what II was In 1Se2.
That Is, il was not when the present strike
began. Since the beginning of the strike 1t
has been growing rapidly. From close OBJ
servation at the Milwaukee convention. how
ever, II ID safe to say that the membership
then did not run over $500. Twelve thou
sand Of these men are now on strike In the
three departments of the United States Steel
Corporation which have already been called
out Most of the balance Of the Amalga-
mated men are employed In independent
concerns which are not affected by this
strike The other departments oe the steel
company are being organized. however. with
more or less success. But every one Of the
new mills organized means that many more
to take care Of when they strike.
In lsse the Amalgamated Association had
e000 men on strike and 1900 WORKING to
support them. In lSo1 the AmaIeHmstsd A..
n6e1ntoo 1as 11eoe N % eoGe sno ~
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