The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-09-22
STEEL STRUGGLE
IN FULL SWING
OVER COUNTRY
Eighty-five Per Cent of the
$4,000 in Chicago Quit
TOMORROW is PAY DAY
A Company Official In Pittsburg Says
the Situation Might be
Much Worse

me Struggle between ORGANIZED ia
Dor and employers in the steel indus
try was in full swing today. Reports
from various affected districts said (:
In Pittsburgh and the surrounding dis
tricts thousands failed to report for
work 1t was claimed that eighty-fye
per cent Of the ninety thousand in the
Chicago district had quit.
officials at Iorrain and ElyTia,
Ohio, announced their mills were
opened as usual Cleveland reported
at least fifteen thousand out. The
plant of the Colorado fuel and iron
Co, at Pueblo is closed Not enough
men reported to operate the plant.
From Birmingham it was stated
every plant in the district was oper-
ating Labor officials attributed the
small response to the strike order to
the fact that tomorrow is pay day
All mills in the district of aGry, Ind,
were operating with reduced forces, it
was stated. II was said that virtual
ly all American born workers had re-
ported here. No signs of strike
We're apparent in Reading, Pottsyille
and Harrisburg, Pa.
The market at the opening of to-
days trading, summing up the com
pany official, in Pittsburg, said The
situation might have been worse
a representative of the men said We
got away in good shape this morn
ing No disorders anywhere were
reported up to noon.
Pittburgh, Sept 21.-Clashes be
tween Pennsylvania State police and
crowds bent on holding labor mass
meeting in the Pittsburgh district to-
day ushered in the strike in the iron
and steel industry. The most serious
disturbance occurred at North Clair
ton, twenty miles from Pittsburgh.
late in the afternoon, where the State
troopers charged a crowd of union
men holding a mass meeting and
broke it up. Resistance was offered
and it is charged by union leaders
that the mounted policemen used
their clubs vigorously and injured a
number in the crowd
Nineteen men were arrested, includ
ing two American Federation of La
Dor organizers, Joe EthisOn, who
. |.
Brogan, an old mill hand. They were
refused bail and held for hearing lat
er. The meeting was brokenup at the
request of the local authorities.
According to eyewitnesses the meet
ing was proceeding quietly when the
State police appeared The crowd
scattered, and some ran up a railroad
and threw stones and
other missiles at the troopers Dur
ing the melee several in the crowd
were struck on the head by the police
men, it was said The crowd soon
scattered, and as far as can be learn
ed no one was seriously injured Dur
ing the melee the horse of one of the
troopers suffered a broken leg. II is
alleged that several shots were fired
by some one in the crowd
William u. Foster, Secretary of the
National Committee for Organizing
Iron and Steel Workers, tonight said
that a vigorous protest would be
lodged with the State Government
against what he termed a 'murderous
attack upon law-abiding people
Chicago, Sept. 2L-On the eve of
the official beginning Of the steel
strike John Fitzpatrick, Chairman of
the national committee for organizing
the iron and steel workers. declared
tonight that r. H. Gary, Chairman of
the United States Steel Corporation
had refused President Wilson's re-
quest that he meet representatives of
the workers in conference.
His statement read:
THE men are going on strike to-
morrow in an effort to make Il. I'LL
Gary listen to the request of Presi-
ient Wilson, who asked the head of
The Steel Trust to meet the represen-
.atives of the men and discuss their
grievances
The whole thing SINNERS down to
The question, is r. II. Gary bigger
han the Chief Executive of this coun-
Try? Representatives of the men
have tried to see Mr.. Gary and dis
Gus the differences of the workers
with him h,tt /,