Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-26
VOICE INOWN
AFFAIRS aim
OF STEEL MEN
Gompers Tells the Senate
That Is Chief Issue of
Present Strike.

Washington, Sept 26.-The right
of the employees to have some voice
in determining the conditions under
which they work is the paramount
issue in the strike Of steel workers,
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation OF Labor told
b the senate investigating committee
Ncday. Appearing as the second
witness for labor, Mr.. GompeIs
was first asked by Chairman Ken
troversy.
THE right to be heard is what
the steel workers are asking above
all else" GOmpers said.
THE right to speak with their
employers through their own rep
resentatives, to have some voice
which they work
Right to Unite Denied.
The right of workers to associa-
ton has been denied-denied with
all the power and influence and
wealth of the steel corporation
denied by brutal and unwarrant-
able means.
1T has been said that most of
the men taking part in this strike
are of foreign birth and not natur
allied citizens. That may be and
no doubt is true. The largest pro-
portion of steel corporation en-
pIoyes are of foreign birth, but
these men were brought here by the
companies.
There was for years a sys-
tematic effort to bring in these
gangs from Europe There was a
systematic effort to eliminate
Americans.
Reaping the Harvest.
'They have a harvest to reap
now. These steel companies
hVsught about the state of which
l~fhey now complain.
Under the efforts of the steel
corporation the hours of labor were !
always abnormaIly long. They
never seemed satisfied until they
had their men work seven days a
week, 365 days a year. When the /
shifts changed from day to night, !
they got them working "a hours I
day
THE right of association, the at
tempt to organize met with the /
sternest opposition by the steel
corporation.
Fought by Private Agencies. /
The appeals coming to us from |
their employees were for help in or
ganizing. But most of the efforts |
were slaughtered by the detectives
and the agencies which the COM
pany employ. More than sixty of
the private agencies efforts in this
country have been devoted to spy
ing on employees. in mines and
mills. They have been used as
agent prOvocators to induce men to
some overt act. to get them to
strike too soon"
AS he described the "dogging" of
employees by detectives, Gompers
Emphasized his words by pounding
frequently on the table.
I'm the steel industry" he con-
tinued. ''men were discharged for
merely talking of organization or
for grumbling." /,
Barred from Buildings. !,
There have been numbers of L
men watched so closely that when
they rented a hall, the proprietor
was told to lock the doors against
them Their meetings on rented
grounds have been broken up. The /
men were run down, dispersed and
some assaulted"
Can you give instances of that
last practice - asked Senator Sterl-
ing. Republican, South Dakota. I
Yes, at McKeespOrt," Gompers
responded. Since this strike the {
off fces of the iron and steel workers s
there have been closed against !
them"
Il suppose that has been done on
the theory that collection of crowds {
would create disorder" Senator
Sterling remarked.
Knows the Purpose. If
"I don't know the theory" de- E
cIared Gompers, but / do know v
the purpose. 1t was to prevent the l
leaders from counseling with the S
men and making the strike eTec-
tive e
Only in the event of war, the a
labor leader declared. should the I
efghts of free speech and assembly Y
be restricted.
Il know that many of the public V
in district of Pennsyl- Il
vania are under the direct dOmina- p
ton Of the United States Steel cor a
poration,' the witness declared and l
pounded the table. Il
The senate committee investi- a
eating the steel strike today aban- t
doned its plans to examine tomor- V
row William z. Foster, secretary Of h
the steel workers committee. who
mas been attacked il the house of 4
as a radical and II
v. II. Ir;