The age-herald., 1901-09-02
He Was Sent to Pittsburg to Investigate Situation and
 Make True Report UNION IS BADLY DAMAGED
Delegate Says It Will Take Years to Repair Ruin Wrought by Shaf- fer and Others-Morgan's
 Fair Proposition.

Milwaukee, September 1.-Charges that the national officers of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Tin Workers had misrepresented the attitude of the United States Steel Corporation toward organied labor in order to get the mem- bers of the association out on strike, were made by former Vice President J. D. Hickey at the meeting of the Bay View lodge today In a cool, unimpas- stoned manner, Mir Hickey gave the members of the lodge the result of his recent trip ito Pittsburg, where he went for the purpose of Investigating the sit uation in regard to the steel strike and the situation as summed up by MT. Hickey was that the strike appears to be lost, and 1t may take years to repair the damage to the association, which has already been done.
 Mr. Hickey's report was listened to by all the men with respectful attention though no vote upon the question Of the returning to work was taken.
 Mir Hickey made no recommendation to the lodge as to their future action, but 1t is believed that his speech may cause a change in sentiment not only in Bay View but in other places in the Fourth district.
 Among those present was Correspond ang Secretary Dooley, who had been working for the Republic Iron and Steel Company in East Chicago President Redfern of the local lodge, presided at the meeting and when 1t had concluded he stated that there had been no vote taken although no one had questioned Hhe accuracy of any of MT. Hickey's statements.
 Win Cause Commotion.
 That his remarks will be reported In full to the general officers of the organi- zation and that it may result in bringing Assistant Secretary Tighe here again, or some other representative of the Grade Lodge, was the belief of many of the members of the organization. President Redfern stated that so far 1t appeared to be the opinion of the majority that the men should not return to work until they had been ordered back by the national officers.
 MT. Hickey had little to, say of the con- ference in Pittsburg with President Shaf- fer and other national officers. The con-
  in which President Shaffer was charged with violating the constitution in ordering the strike. Many other matters dealing with the past history of the association also came up for discussion. MT Hickey's s mission in the east was mainly to ascer- tain the exact situation of the strike and to learn every detail of the New York meeting.
 ''The object of the meeting" said Presi- dent Redfern, twas not to vote upon the question of returning to work, but to lis ten to the report of Messrs. Hickey and Cooper, who have been in the east to see what is the real situation. The strike has now been on here for two weeks, and dur ing that time the members of the lodge here have heard absolutely nothing about the real situation from national officers. All that we know is what we see in the newspapers, and last week a number of the members held a meeting and decided to send Messrs. Hickey and Cooper back east to find out these things. Their re- port was absolutely satisfactory and was well received, but have no idea what the action of the lodge will be or If any action will be taken"
 Reviewed the Conferences.
 MT. Hickey opened his remarks with a review of the conferences with the United States Steel Corporation preceding ths strike, In which he declared that Messrs Morgan and Schwab outlined their policy toward organized labor. MT Hickey went into these details for the purpose of show ing that Secretary Tighe and President Shaffer had misrepresented the facts when they appealed to the members of the association in their recent strike con- ference, and would ruin the 'Amalga- mated Association. In his opinion, the strike Is practically lost.
 T obtained facts from a man high in office in the east" said Mir Hickey, ''who was present at the conference, and I aft erwards confirmed the statements from members of the executive board. Mir Morgan at one time offered Presiden, shaffer four additional mills for which he was willing to sign the scale as an experiment, and then he told MT. shae- fer if the organization kept faith in these four mills and lived up to the agree ment, he would pledge his word that in two years every mill in the combine would be included In the contract with the Amalgamated.
 This was the most reasonable proposi- tion which has ever been made to the association. and 1t was clearly the duty of President Shaffer to have accepted it then and there. But instead of doing this he turned 1t down fiatly in speech. in which he declared that all must be sign- cd or none. He apparently wished to i'm press the steel officials with the belief that the association would compel them to sign for all whether they wished to do so or not. The representatives of the cor poration. however. would not be dictated to in this manner, and they broke off the conference. Since that time there has been no conference or offer of oompro-