Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-09-02
SITUATION # DUOUESNE
REPORTED CRITICAL
Continued From First Page.

Hickey and Cooper, who have been n
the East to see what is the rea. itua.
ton.
The strike has now been on hera
for two weeks, and, during that time
the members OF the lodge here have
heard absolutely nothing about the real
situation from the national officers. All
that we have known we have en- in
the newspapers and last week a num-
Der of the members had a meeting and
decided to send Messrs. Cooper and
Hickey east to find out these things.
Their report was satisfactory and was
well received but | have no idea what
the action of the lodge will be or
whether there will be any action
taken
Mr.. Hickey opened his remarks with
a review of the conferences with The
representatives of the United States
Steel Corporation preceding the strike
in which he declared that Messrs. Nor
gan and Schwab outlined their policy
toward organized labor. Mr., Hickey
went into these details to show that
Secretary Tighe and President Shaffer
had misrepresented the facts when
they appealed to the members Of The
association to strike on the ground that
the Steel Corporation was determined
to crush organization and ruin the
Amalgamated Association. He main
tanned that the proposition offered by
Mr.. Morgan mad been eminently fair
and should have been accepted right
there by President Shaffer if he had the
interests of his fellow workers at heart.
Mr.. Hickey reported that " per cent
Of the mills are new working, and that
in his opinion the strike is practically
lost.
Il obtained these facts from a man
high in office in the East said M.
| Hickey, who was present at the con-
ference, and | afterward confirmed the
| statements through members of tha eX
executive board. Judge Gary, fosnei
president of the Federal Steel Com
| pany, was present at the conference, ana
he is row a hisI official of the United
States Steel Corporation. He himselI,
am informed, was in favor OF signing
the scale for al the mills in the com
bine, but this did not meet with the
! approval of Mr.. Schwao, who thought
it too radical q move. Mr.. Morgan then
offered Shaffer four additional mills
for which he was wiling to sign the
scale as an experiment, and then ne
told Mr.. Shaffer .Aat if the organization
kept faith in those four mills and IlVed
up to the agreement, he would p.edge
his word that in two years every MN
in the combine would be included IN the
contract with the Analgamated Asso-
citation.
This was the most reasonable
proposition that has ever been mace lie
the association, and it was clearly the
duty Of President Shaffer to have ac-
cepted 1t then and there. But lnstesu
of doing this he turned it down AalIy
in a speech in which he declared th4t
all must be signed for, all or none ne
apparently wished to impress the steer
ofhcials with the belief that the asso-
citation would compel them to sign iol
all whether they wished to or not. me
representatives of the corporate
however, would not be forced or uio-
tated to in this matter and then bIoNo
of the matter. Since That time 'Hs'o
has been no conference or oHeI
compromise, and the nearest any oio
representing the association mas oeer
able to ge, to Morgan or Mr.. oen""o
has been by long distance eiephoN
their private secretaries. c,.t
Mr.. Hickey accused President ol1 ~
fer of having printed a consutuIlo" in
the Amalgamated Associatlo1' ara
which three important clauses W.
eliminated. He said Mr.. Shah5. ing
sumed an attitude of defiance 4ui ln9
the Pittsburg conference last WeeA =
had little to say in answer to quest'4 no
u to him. The other members o. ba
| executive board however, seenleu
in accord with MI. Skaters vle"9'