Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-08-23
Ohio POLITICIANS TRY
TO WORK STEEL STRIKE.
AN EFFORT TO INDUCE THE LEAD
ERs TO PLEDGE THE WORK.
MEN TO NASH.
THE IMMIGRATION BUREAU,
AT NAsH's SUGGESTION. SENT AN
EMIssART TO MAKE GOOD
WITH STRIKERS.

the Amslgamated Association of Iron,
Steel & Tin Workers became effective,
a deputy inspector Of the immigration
Bureau came to Bellaire with a great
flourish OF trumpets and announced
that he had been sent by Commissioner
4. V. Powderly to look into a report
that the National Steel Company, whose
plant is tied up by the strike. had
planned to resume operations with i'm
ported contract labor, and to prevent
1t. He stated that Mr. Powderly at the
suggestion OF Governor Nash Of Ohio,
had given his positive instructions to
see that no such labor was brought
here. and on the Whole made out that
Mr. powd.rly and other Republican
leaders were very much interested in
seeing that the strikers did not lose
their case through illegal acts Of the
employers. I
OF course, he found nothing to justify
his presence, and people generally won
dered what had caused him to come.
Yesterday, the cat escaped from the
sack, and now 1t is as clear as day why
there was such great interest. Gov
eruor Nash Is a candidate for re-elec-
ton. and sees that if the present strike
is lost. 1t will naturally tend to infiu-
ence the fall election in Ohio and else
where, especially in the States where
the strike is affecting the larger num-
bers OF men, Governor Nash appealed
TO Mckinley for aid and suggested
that now would be good time for the
Republican party to square itself with
the strikers who have multiplicity OF
votes. and pave the way for their good
will not only this fall. but in 1904
Accordingly. the President is said to
have gotten word to Powderly to send
his smartest immigration agents into
the strike centers to ostentatiously
look into any threats to import labor
and to at the same time give leaders
of the strike assurances that the Repub-
lican party has the strikers good at
heart. and is ready to give them moral
aid wherever it can be done without
openly offending the trust managers.
The gentleman who appeared at Bell
ARE approached several of the leaders
of the strike and made himself
obnoxiously busy with strike affairs,
assuring them that the Governor was
averse to calling out troops and that
he could be relied upon to do the
thing. ~ the strikers.
In return for this he did not openly
ask that the leaders promise to deliver
the steel workers votes next fail. but
he gave such strong limitations that
such was desired that it was easily un-
derstood.
One of the highest officials of the
Amalgamated Association when APP
preached by the immigration commits
soner, told him that politics could cut
no figure in the strike at this stage. He
said they were too busy now trying to
get the men organized TO undertake to
pledge them. and that il has been the
policy of the Amalgamated Association
to take no part in politics.
He further gave the rather discour-
aging information that while the Anal
gamated membership has always been
largely Republican, and favorable
to tariff for protection. still, the indi-
cations were very strong in the ranks
that hereafter, the suppression of trusts
would be of more interest to them than
the tariff. He stated that the trusts
bad grown stronger than the govern
.ment in the matter of controlling trade.
and that they were seeking to put
wages under such restrictions that
protective tariff would more than ever
be a failure in maintaining them.
Another leader gave the commits
sioner the same sort of talk, adding
that the Republican party had been in
power for several years since the
trust epidemic had broken out, but that
aside from passing meaningless resolu-
tons and starting valueless inyestiga-
tons, it had made no move toward
controlling the evil. His closing in
junction was:
you go tell Powderly to tell McKin-
ley that upon the way Attorney General
Knox behaves with regard to plans
now on foot for bringing the trusts to
the terms Of the law that exists, and
the way the Republican Congress acts
next winter with regard to making the
trust laws more effective to stop abuses,
will depend the way the working people
Of this country will vote next time
\ there is a Congress and President to
slect."
A private report from Columbus is to
he effect that when Nash heard what
has happened here, he was gfreatly dis
.ressed, and saw that mistake had
been made in trying to mix politics
with the strike at this stage.
C0Nc0T EFFECTEn