Waterbury Democrat., 1901-08-05
NOW MIR SKATER
The Eyes of the Steel Workers
 Are on the President.
TO STRIKE OR NOT TO STRIKE

The Whole Question Is Now in the Hands of Shaffer-Morgan's No
 Has Based the Suspense in Pitts burg for the Time Being-What the
 Result Win Be When the Reaction
 Sets in Remains to Be Seen-An Lodges of the Union Will Receive
 Circular Letters Before a General
 Strike Is Ordered.
 Pittsburg, Aug 5.-Now that the sus- oense induced by the uncertainty or the outcome in the strike negotiations is over. there is less excitement here than there was last week.
 Everybody is watching President Shaffer. as it is recognized that rom him will emanate the next move ln tnls great struggle. Speculation is rite when he will issue the order for gen- eral strike of all the Amalgamated men employed in the mills or the United States Steel corporations s plants. Although President Shaffer did not say so today he explained not long ago that before an order Tor strike was issued a circular letter would be sent out from the general offices to all lodges of the organization explaining the situation.
 This circular will be read in lodge meetings in order that the men in the mills can act intelligently. The strike order will then follow. Doubt is ex- pressed in some quarters that the strike will spread further. It is sug- gested that the employees of the Fed eral Steel Go, National Steel Co and National Tube Co are at the present time the strikers main source of rev enue. and to call them out would weaken the association in it's fight by depriying it of the funds necessary to carry on the struggle. Another reason given was that the Amalgamated asso- ciatiOn having signed contracts with all these companies for one year begin ming with July 1. 1901, would, by vio- Iating these contracts. give MT Morgan and his associates trump cards they would not hesitate to use to the best effect
 An intimatiOn has been made that there is still one hope of ending the strike soon. and that is by the return to work of the men at the Painter. Lindsay and McCutcheOn X Clark mills. These mills were non-union last year. The men went out when the strike was ordered and they are now members of the Amalgamated as- sociation. In the efforts to secure an adjournment of the strike, however, their status has been an embarrassing factor. 1t is said that if the men in these mills desire to go to work there wilt be no objection by the association. The immediate effect would be to eliD mate them from consideration of any basis of settlement. Such a course would leave tsD Amalgamated officials in a position to accept Mir MOrgan's terms with honor. The steel strike. though but begun. is already being felt in Pittsburg. Many leading business houses have found business dropping off so as to make the removal of clerks imperative. One department store last Saturday laid off twenty-five girls and at the same time gave notice that if the strike was not settled by next Saturday it would be necessary to lay off more. Finances also suf- fered. On two days last week the clearing sOuse reports showed a de- crease compared with last year. These were the only two days of the year whose clearingS did not exceed figures of the corresponding days last year.
 The situation at the local mills in- v0Ived in the fight is without new fea- lures. Clark's mill. Thirty-fifth street, is in the same condition to-day as it was two weeks ago. The strikers are Keeping away from the place and ev- erything is orderly. This morning about 100 men applied at this mill and the upper and lower union mills for employment The management antici- pates no trouble and nothing will be done until the extensive repairs being made are completed. This will be in about ten days.
 The general appearance iE Law renceviiIe is that the men in the upper and lower union mills will not join the strikers.
 At the Lindsey & McCutcheon mill. Allegheny, everything is quiet All the work that is going on is some re- pairs Almost every man who left the milf at the opening of the strike has gone to work in independent mills. 4 Wellsville, O., dispatch says the whole sale arrest of the participants in the riot at the home of Harry Phillips on Saturday has dampened the ardor of the strikers and if the potters and other labor organizations would keep flleix hands off it is felt that the trou- bles so far as the WellSville mill is concerned would soon be thing of the past Seven more members of the as SOCIaflOn deserted this morning and re- turned to work. There are now about eighty men at the mill, and it is em- pliaticalIy stated that five of the six mills will be in full operation this af- ternoon- Engineer Harry Thompson of the Wellsville mill, who has been in Piltsburg for three weeks, is expected back this afternoon with a reinforce menf of men. The few remaining members of the Amalgamated associa- ton promise to give Thompson and his men a warm reception, but it is not thought they will be seriously inter fere1 with. Mayor Dennis has sworn in an extra lot of policemen and de clares emphatically that all men who cone to town for the purpose of going 10 work shall be protected.
 About twenty members of the Anal ocu.ated association left last night for other places in hopes of securing work Unless a general strike of labor organ izafions be ordered it is safe to predict that the Wellsville mill will be run ming full turn night and day before the end of the week
 A NcKeesp0rt dispatch says: The AmalEamated organizers are working hard to strengthen their lines for tho coming struggle Meetings were he'd hare yesterday of both union and na. tIonaI lodges. which are composed ol fiji mon in the National rolling mil nn.I 1Ue Boston Iron and Steel mill 1<<. E0llIno plants of the NationQ'