New Ulm review., 1901-07-17

TIE ORDER TO STRIKE IS SENT OUT,
Workers in the Three Branches OF
United States Steel Combination
Will Lay Down Their Tools
Thousands of Men Affected.

SeTlke OF union 1aDOr5 against the
United States Steel corporation has
| begun. The conference between the
| labor leaders and Representatives of
the corporations adjourned Saturday
| afternoon, admitting the impossible
ity of bringing about an agreement,
and an hour later President Shaffer,
| of the Amalgamated Association of
| Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, sent out
a telegram declaring the general
strike. The message went to all the
| subordinate lodges of the Amalga-
mated Association in the mills of the
| American Sheet Steel company, the
American Steel Hoop company and
the American Tin Plate company, and
said: Notify your men that the mill
is on a strike and will not work on
| Monday, July 15."
Vast Army Affected.
| Forty-fve thousand skilled work
men and 10000 unskilled men are di-
rectly affected by this order. The en-
| tire membership of the Amalgamated
association is understood to be about
10000, but many outsiders sympathize
with them and will cooperate, enforc-
| ing the closing Of the mills and the
| shutting out of still other workmen.
| If this does not bring the United
| States Steel corporation to terms the
| strike will be extended before long
| to the mills of number of others of
| its subordinate companies. The Fed
| eral Steel company, the National Steel
company and the National Tube com
| pany will all have their union work
men ordered out. Practically the
only company controlled by the
| United States corporation which will
| not be 'sstruck" will be the Carnegie
Steel company, in the mills of which
the Amalgamated Association is not
organized.
First Move in Great Struggle.
| While this order calls out only 49,
600 men, it is the first step in the
great test of strength between labor
and capital. Strikes will be ordered
| in other branches of the industry un-
| til not one union man remains in the
employ Of the United States steel cor
/ L
ganizations connected in any way
with the giant combine will give aid
and mines, docks, steamer lines, and
railroads controlled by the same in
| terests as the steel corporation will
be tied up.
May Involve 100000 Men.
This would involve in the strike and
| make idle 100000 men. In addition,
scores of other industries dependent
upon the product of the steel mills
| for working material soon would be
forced to close. With supplies shut
off few could continue operations
more than week or two. In the con-
| ference the representatives of the
workers refused any concessions and
the agents Of the steel companies re-
| fused to go the full length Of the
| unions demands. The unionizing of
all mills was the rock upon which
| the hope of settlement was wrecked.
Will Be Obeyed.
From present indications it looks
probable that President Shaffer's
| strike order issued to the Amalga
mated association members in the en-
ploy of the American Steel Hoop com
| pany, the American Sheet Steel com
| pany and the American Tin Plate COM
| pany will be obeyed and the great
! struggle between the Amalgamated
association and the steel companies
| will be on in earnest to-day. In the
union mills of the three companies
! against which strike has been de-
| clared it is predicted that not a wheel
| will turn to-day. An effort will be
| made also to close down some of the
nonunion mills of the companies and
| to cripple the rest. The heAmalgamated
people are very sanguine of success.
Reasons for the Strike.
President Shaffer made the follow
ing statement:
| son Monday all the men in the mills of
| the American Tin Plate company, Sheet
| Steel company, and the American Steel
| Hoop company will refuse to go to work,
| We will not at first extend the fight to the
| other plants in the United States Steel
| corporation. That will come later. But
| If necessary to win the strike all union.
| men employed in any mill of the under
| lying companies will be called out. This
| VIII lHCIuQS Lie eIHpiOSSS Ol& lle 1SdlloIidl
| Steel company and the Federal Steel COM
.pany, where we control every mill, and
! two rolling mills of the National Tube
| company in Pittsburgh.
Later still, If it be necessary, we Will
| adopt the tactics we formerly used, of re-
fusing to allow the operation of any inde-
4 pendent plants which sell finished or raw
product to any of the mills against which
the fight has been declared. This would
/ compel the closing down of such concerns
as the Sharon Steel company which sells
| its product to the American Tin Plate COM
| pany; the Keystone Rolling Mill COM
| pany, Pittsburgh, which sells to the Ma
| tional Tube company, and many other in
| dependent companies.
sI cannot state when these future meas
| ures will be taken. 1t will be within rea-
sonahle time, and we will not wait long
| None of the concessions we offered to-day
| will hold good now We are striking for
our original demand
| Employers Explain Their Stand.
After the end of the conference the
following statement was given out by
the officials of the three steel COM
| panies interested: