The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-24
STEEL LEADERS
TRYING To HAVE
TROOPS REMOVED
Union Executive Council Meet
ing at Pittsburgh Today.
Charge State COnstabulary Bru-
tai to Strikers.
OHIO DISTRICT is PARALY LYzED
Four Dead in Pennsylvania
RiOts-DisOrder in Indiana.
Steel Unions Plan To Ask Aid
of Rail Workers.
Four Dead in Pennsylvania
RiOts-DisOrder in Indiana.
MEANS NOTHING TO HIM
Foster Not Concerned With Steel
Industry's Future-He's Just a
Labor Organizer.

u. Foster, secretary of the steel work
ers' committee. is not concerned as to
how the steel industry is run after the
present strike is over. Asked today if
he favored naturalization of such in
dustries. Foster said it was not up to
him to bother with such theories
I'm just an organizer" said Fos-
ter. I'm not a steel man. I'm an
organizer. 1 organized the packing
industry and then moved on. After L
get thru with this strike, I'll take up
something else"
Strike leaders, meeting in Pitts
burgh today, were to take action seek
ing removal of state constabulary
from the steel centers. They take the
attitude that the troopers have ex-
| ceeded their authority.
Reports from all steel centers today
recorded little change in the align
ment of the opposing forces of the Ia
Dor unions and the steel companies.
In the Mahoning valley of Ohio. the
strikers success is complete. The in
dustry, which is the backbone of
Youngstown and a score of neighbor-
ing villages, is paralyzed and all its
forty-four thousand wage earners idle.
Elsewhere the struggle is being car
ried on with varying success, the issue
still being doubtful on the great
strategic sectors radiating from Pitts
burgh and Chicago.
Looks Good''-Carnegfe Co.
In the Pittsburgh district. the
Carnegie Steel company announced to-
day that the situation looks good"
and backed up its optimism with
claims that men were returning to
work in considerable numbers. As
usual these claims were stoutly de-
MED by VIM. Z. Foster, chief of staff
for the unions, who reiterated his as
I .F not h. fril a
was spreading, claiming that. two ad-
ditional large plants had been closed
today and that Homestead would be
idle at the end of the week. The
strikers placed pickets around various
plants today for the first time.
The situation around Chicago Is
more definite than that in the Penn
sylvania region. A majority of the
mills are closed and those which are
still opening are doing so with re-
duced forces. The threatened sympa-
thetic strike of the lake seamen
seemed nearer as the result of the re-
fusal of the crews of eleven ore
freighterS to dock their vessels. I'M
portant decisions affecting the spread
| of the strike to allied industries are
| expected to be the outcome of the
| meeting today in Pittsburgh of the
| National steel workers committee of
which Mr.. Foster is secretary. The
| question of summoning not only the
! the assistance of .he steel strikers, will
\ be discussed at this meeting.
! Look Into Fosters Pedigree.
| In the meantime the United States
senate committee which will investi-
| gate the strike is preparing for it's
first meeting tomorrow when John
| Fitzpatrick commander in chief of
| the strikers, will be the principal wit
ness. 1t was reported from Washing
| ton today that this committee would
also investigate charges that Secretary
| Foster has I. w. W. affiliations and
| that there are more sinister motives
| involved in the strike than the ques-
! ton of labor unionism.
Rioting and disorder still mark the
| progress of the struggle, but so far
break occurred today at Cleveland.
where four men were stabbed in a
| battle btween strikers and non-strik-
ers, two probably fatally. At Farrell,
! where the gravest disturbance to date
/ has been reported-the death toll be-
ing four-the town executive. Burgess
! Moody, is under special guard as the
result of numerous threats against his
life, and the streets are patrolled by
large forces of state troopers and
deputy sheriffs Strikers and state
constabulary clashed early today in
Buffalo, n. Y.
Tense at Farrell.
Farrell, Pa. Sept. 24.-Altho all
was quiet here today following last
nights outbreak in which one man
| was killed and several persons were
wounded, the situation was tense.
State police and a large number of
deputies were patrolling the streets
within the riot zone. Thirty more of
the constabulary arrived late last
night to aid the detachment of state
troopers already stationed here.
Race RiOting Feared.
Among the armed deputy sheriffs
put on the streets were about fifty
negroes. Their presence has araused
the feeling of the foreign element and
race rioting is now feared.
Two men were arrested early today
at the home of Burgess J. H. Moody
in Shenango street. One of the men
had a pistol, the police said. The po-
lice believe they were planning to
make an attempt on Mr.. Moody's life
Burgess Moody has received many
anonymous letters threatening him for
his activities in stopping strike dis
order and lawlessness the police said
| Pittsburgh. Pa. Sept. 24.-Action
/ toward endeavoring to bring about the
removal of state constabulary from
the strike scene was scheduled to be