Missouri Valley times., 1901-08-08
SnAFFER ISSUES A
DECLARATION OF War
General Strike Order Promulgated
by AmaIgamated Associa-
ton President.
WILL AFFECT OVER 100000 MEN
Call IL TO Take Eject snturday-Include,
Practically All Amalgamated
Men Not Already on
Strike.

| pittsburg, Pa, Aug. s.-The die is
cast. The battle of the giants is ON III
earnest, whether to ignominious defeat
OF one side or the other, or compromise
remains to be seen. Up to last evening
II had been merely a skirmish, each
side trying to find the vulnerable spot
IN the others armor. Now it is differ
ent. brought about by the actual is
suance by President Shaffer of the long
talked of general strike order. This
order was promulgated last evening, to
| take effect after the last turn of the
| mills on August 10. What the result
Will be no man can foretell but judg
4 ing by the expressed determination of
both parties to the controversy the bat
tie will be waged fast and furiousy.
| Much money will be lost, thousands up
on thousands of men will be idle, great
| suffering is looked for; even bloodshed
and death are possible and feared.
The strike call includes practically
all Amalagamated men in the United
States Steel corporations employ not
now on strike. 1t is issued from the
| Amalgamated association Headquarters
and mailed to all Amalgamated lodge
| officials. who are expected to call their
men into the strike.
| The text Of the call follows:
| Brethren: The officials of the Unit
ed States Steel trust have refused to
| recognize as union men those who arc
now striving for the right to organize
The executive board has authorized
\ me to issue I: call upon all .Amalga-
mated and other union men in name
and heart to join in the movement to
| fight for labor's rights.
We must fight or give up forever
our personal liberties.
/ Nsyi1 NO fol
signed contracts, but you never agreed
| tc surrender those contracts to the
4 United States Steel corporation. Its
officers think you We're sold to them
| Just as the mills We're, contracts and
| all.
Remember, before you agreed to any
contract you took an obligation to the
Amalgamated association. 1t now
calls you to help it in this hour of
| need.
"Unless the trouble is settled on or
before Saturday, August 10, 1901. the
mills will close when the last turn is
made on that day.
Brethren. this is the call to pre-
serve our organization. We trust You
and need you. Come and help, and
may right come to . just cause. Fra
| ternally yours, Il. j. Shaffer."
President Shaffer added this state
ment:
THE call goes to the vice presidents
of the districts In which there are mills
Steel, National Tube and Federal Steel
| companies, as we'll as to the officials
of the lodges in the mills.
No notice has been or is being sen;
to the managers of the mills. We think
their notice has come from the other
side, and that they have had warning
| of this ever since the Inauguration OF
| q a tn Ita ipi ont
Involves 100000 Men.
The order given above is expected to
swell the number of idle men to over
| 100000 men at the end of the week
President Shaffer was asked il the call
was not intended to go to the union
men in the Carnegie Steel company.
He said that he would answer no ques-
association has lodges in the upper
and lower union mills of the Carnegie
Steel company and a foothold in the
Homestead, Duquesne and Braddocls
mills of the great bulwark of non
unionisn. In conformity TO state
ments that have been made by Presi
dent Shaffer before. those men Will
be expected to join the strike, as will
all Arnalgamated men and sy,npa
/ thiZers in all plants of the United
| States Steel corporation. The other
companies of the steel corporation not
mentioned by the Amalgamated prcsi-
dent and whose operations the associ-
alton will seek to hamper are the Amer
lean Steel and Wire and the American
Bridge company. In the Wire company
the Amalgamated association has only
1 lodges in the Cleveland Rolling mill
Plant and the Joliet Rod mill plant of
the company. The former is now idle.
In the plants of the American bridge
| company there is no organization of
Il q 1fCtfJ MO n i11tr
and erecting the work OF the American
| Bridge company are organized as the
/ international Association of Bridge
and Structural Iron Workers. They
are. not affiliated with the American
1 Federation of Labor.
Trust Can Stand the Strike.
New York. Aug. 6.-The strength of
the United States Steel corporation in u
| labor fight can best be appreciated by
considering the enormous profit earn
ing power that is attributed to it. When
| the corporation was formed last March
the men who We're promoting it claimed
for it an ability to make more than
| SAC, ,0000 900 a year over and above the
amount needed to pay dividends on it's
stock. Thus far the strike is estimated
to have cost the corporation about
s21o,ooo day in lost profits. OF course,
| with the extent of the strike doubled,
| the losses will be vastly greater but at
the present figure the company could
stand the fight for 200 days and still
be IN a position to pay dividends in full,
\ if it's estimates of profits are borne out
by facts.
The expectation of profits for the
company is given as follows:
4 Net earnings of constituent COM
!, panies in 1900 Sll0, ,eOo,cO)
corporation ....................... 125, ,ooO, 900
Interest on bonds ................. 12,160,0 0tC
| Preferred stock dividend G per
cent? ......... .................... ss,50o,ONo
Common stock dividend t6 per
] cent? ..................... $4,000, O00
\ Profit and loss surplus ........... 41,340,GG
This latter figure is the big war fund
which, presumably. the corporation can
use in the fight before its troubles
| touch the incomes of it's stockholders.
Against this the resources of the
strikers are unknown. Their fund of
cash in the bank is kept a secret, for it
closely gauges their fighting power and
above all things must not be made
known to the enemy. 1t was thought
of the strike. 1t may be much larger
In addition to this come big contribu-
tons from the members of the associa-
tion who have not been called out
They pay from 10 to 12zs per cent of
their wages as benefit fund. Prob
ably 10000 men are paying this now,
but with the extension OF the Strike
there will not be more than 5000 left
in independent mills to help out in this
way.
The American Federation of Labor
has already voted benefit assessment
,1,orc hIIt