Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-08-15

%AleG - 10
almost impossible to put them before
you. This is a great meeting-a good
gathering-but it is noticeable for the
absence of good fresh water. Laugh
ter, and a glass Of erangeade was
quickly passed to the President and
the contents promptly d~isappeared.)
There is one question which ought to
be placed before you, If nothing else
be said, and that Is the charge made
against us by the other side that we
have not kept faith, that we have vio-
lated agreements and broken con-
tracts. (Another glass of ~orangeade.
n the remark; In Wheeling they
can't keep color out of the water.
L~aughter.) Now. let us look - that
point for a moment. In our conference
with the manufacturers, held in the
Lincoln Hotel, in Pittsburg, the Of
ficials of the American Tin Plate Com
pany said to us: Our scale was sign
ed; you have called men from the
mills and violated a contract In re-
ply we said in the city of Cleveland.
when We met the representatives of
the Tin Company, when the conditions
had been. agreed upon. the officials of
the Tin Company said: What about
Monessa? That is the only non-union
tin plate mill in the Company We
said the scale must be signed for all
the tin mills, and told them so plain
ly, and that was the way it was final
ly agreed to, but Ii was to be deferred
until the scale had been signed for all
the sheet mills, and if it was not sign
ed for all the sheet mills, then it was
not to be signed for all the tin mills.
Consequently that contract was o
completed. When we met the sheet
men they refused to sign for anything
except for a reduced number. | told
them they had stole two mile from US
last year. and now wanted to sign for
some more. (Applause.)
when the Wilson-Gorman bill was
passed the manufacturers wanted a
reduction of thirty per cent, and they
compelled us to take some reductions.
We went into the Courts, and were
told we had no legal standing in law.
IF you will examine any of III
scale books you will find in the adj
denda a clause referring to article 10
of the Constitution, and that article
tells how grievances and strikes shall
be settled. 1t also refers to article
49,"
After explaining the intent and
meaning of these constitutional sec
lions AS has been done before, Presi-
dent Shaffer said:
THAT is all We are doing to-day. We
have a grievance. We want to be or
ganized, and the trust says: You must
not; We don't want dt. and we must
prevent it, We are only putting into
operation our law. They themselves
have agreed that article 10 may be en-
forced. and that Is what we are trying
to do. Let US go on trying until we
have organized every mill controlled by
the United States Steel trust. ZAP
plause.)
when we held Jul first conference
with the United States Steel Company
officials they said: We won't sign the
scale for all the mills We said: why
not2 You have organized. They ans
wered: II we sign tie scale and you Or
ganize the mills the Amalgamated AS
ISOLATION will become too strong. We
want some ~unorganized mills to hold
the balance of power
why should they fear the Amalga-
mated Association Have we ever invad-
ed the church and laid hands upon her
sacred vessels? Organized labor never
did that. Have we ever threatened So
ciety? Organized labor never did that,
Have we ever threatened the country or
its institutions? Organized labor never
did that. Organized labor has never done
any of those things. If you want to
know what organized labor has done
read the story of every bloody battle
field. where workingmen fought and dice
for their country. (Applause.)
Eve are satisfied to earn enough
money to dress decently. and go to
cnurch-if they don't run their mills on
Sunday and keep our wives at home TO
cook for us while we work. The Anal
gamated Association cannot be too
strong. What do they mean by balance
of power?' We know what that term
means in diplomacy or in controversies
rbetween nations. But what does 1t
mean now? Don't you know? They
want a balance of power SO more OF
this illustrating by making a grab with
| one hand and thrusting it into his peck
ct. Applause.)
at is principle with us; with them II
is a matter of wages. Organizaton
means less money for them and more
for the workingman."