Evening star., 1912-01-30
SCORES THE TRUST kANALLy IS LOCATED
Steel Corporation Criticised important Lorimer Witness
by Louis D. Brandes Found After Long Search.
LONG HOURS At SMALL PAY IsENAT0R CONTINUES STORY
Declares Workers Earn Less Than Why He Was Only Republican
Bare Cost Of Living Who Could Win.
MILLIONS IN COMPANY PROFIT WHY TRIBUNE FOUGHT HIM
Says seRespecting Opposition
Condition. in Says Grew out of Political
Pittsburgh Mills Differences
Steel Corporation Criticised
by Louis D. BrandeiS.
LONG HOURS At SMALL PAY
Declares Workers Earn Less Than
Y Bare Cost Of Living.
MILLIONS IN COMPANY PROFIT
Says self-Respecting Americans
Will Not Endure Conditions in
Pittsburgh District Mills.

slxty-fiye per cent of the employees OF
the United States Steel Corporation in
the Pfttsburg district earn less than
the actual cost of subsistence of the
average American family in Pittsburgh.
This calculation was made at the steel
trust hearing today by Louis D. Bran
| deis.
| The average wage of 65 per cent of
the employees of the steel corporation
Is lI1s cents an hour" he said. 'The
Associated Charities of Pittsburgh has
computed the cost of bare existence Of
IL family of a husband. a wife and three
children in that city at $76S year.
BY working twelve hours a day. 365
days year. 65 per cent of the steel
mill workers earn $50 less than the
amount actually required as the bare
cost of living"
| 'How about. other industries which
| pay an average of Is cents an hour?'
asked Attorney d. A. Reed. for the
| We are not here. to extol your
| neighbors," answered Mr.. Brandeis.
They are not under investigation; you
| are.'
Result Of Abolishing Unionism.
| 1HeSc uOTTlOle COuOltlOuS III Luc StccI
industry are the result Of the use of the
great power and wealth of this great
combination to prevent its employees
forming any combination. The condition
OF labor employed by the steel corpora
tion, nothing less than slavery, is due to
the stamping out Of unionism," said Mr..
| Brandeis
Mr.. Brandeis declared that in ten years
the steel corporation has taken from the
American people JO.OO0, 900 in excess Of
s. liberal profit on its Investment; and
this enormous profit, he said. has been
| used to grind down its employees to the
misery OF their present condition.
Representative Young Of Michigan
sought more figures from Mr.. Brandeis
and asked the condition Of skilled labor.
| Mr.. Brandeis replied by saying that the
number Of skilled laborers had diminished
and their wages are relatively smaller.
Mr.. Brandeis cited the report of the COM
missioner of labor on the steel industry
| and, speaking sarcastically Of the protec-
| tive tariff levied for the American work.
tngman. said 60 per cent Of the employees
| CT the steel corporation are foreign born,
| while but Il per cent of the population Of
the United States is foreign born.
Too Much for Americans.
Americans cannot live under the labor
conditions Of the steel corporation-no
self-respecting American would care to
live as do these employees he said
He referred to the importation of
laborers
You do not mean to say that the steel
corporation is violating the contract labor
| law. do your asked Mr.. Young.
| = do not know that they are." answer
ed Mr.. Brandeis You know, Mr.. Young,
and / know. and every American knows
how an employer can make It attractive
to these Slavs, Roumanians. Syrians and
others to flock to his shops. They are
creating a system OF feudalism there. 1t
Is un-American. undemocratic-it is an
outrage on American citizenship
Mr.. Brandeis quoted freely from the
Russell Sage survey of. the Pittsburgh
field by John A. Fitch. Mr.. Reeds ques-
ton OF the authority for statements
prompted Chairman Stanley to announce
| that Mr.. Fitch will be called to testify
before the committee.
Mr.. Brandeis quoted from Mr.. Fitch's
book on the interference OF the steel
corporation in politics One of Mr.. Fitch s
informants told him that on one occasion
instructions came from New York to have
the mill employees vote for Senator Pen
roses candidate for the legislature.
Liberty Of the American citizen cam
not endure under such conditions de-
| clared Mr.. Brandeis 1--WE must MAIN
tain liberty in spite of its abuses. The
right OF workingmen to organize for
their collective welfare must be main
/
and condemn acts of violence and
abuses of labor unionism, but those
| abuses are incidental evils of the lib
| erty Of thought our democratic govern
ment Is based upon"
Calls It "Pensioned Peonage."
Mr.. Brandeis took UP the steel cor
poration's pension plan. Pensions for
old age and for invalidity are COM
mendable." he said, but the pension
system should be one in which the
| employe and employer contributed, and
1T should be dispensed by them. not as
a discriminating and interested char
ity. but as a matter of right and JUS
| tice'
Instead Of anything commendable in
| that pension scheme 1 would call 1t PEN
| stoned peonage."
The profit-sharing scheme Of the steel
| trust, Mr.. Brandeis said. was another
| incentive to the managers, superintend-
ents and foremen to drive the men, He
analysed the plan and characterized it
as gambling scheme
Mr.. Brandeis gave the corporation
| credit for minimizing accidents and for
It's commendable liberality Of treatment
of victims of accidents He gave no
credit to the steel trust for kindness
| forced by the reports OF social workers
and the publicity given the terrible condi-
tions and loss; Of life and limb in the
steel mills.
Power Should Be Curbed.
THE power of this corporation must
be curbed and the power Of the working
men must be restored to encourage them
to collective effort for their own well
fare" concluded Mr.. Brandeis.
In reply to Mr.. Young, Mr.. Brandeis
/ said he appeared before the committee on
the invitation of the chairman.
Mr.. Reed asked that the testimony of
President James A. Farrell of the steel
said that there had been no sales to the
International Harvester Company for five
years. Mr.. Reed said that Mr.. Farrell had
| found that there had been a sale to the
Harvester company last year.
/ After Mr.. Brandeis had finished. Mr..