The sun., 1919-10-02
v. Z. FOSTER DENIES
STRIKE HAS FAILED
Workers Bulletin Declares
$4,000 Steel Company
Employees Are Out.
PRODUCTION CUT A THIRD
Officials Claim Mills That Are
Backbone of Industry Are
Running Full. !
., a STAFF Correspondent, o, THE sus.

ByG STAFF Correspondent Of THE Sun. \
PrrTsBURG. Oct. 1.-The testimony of
Judge Gary before the Senate committee
IN washington to-day was read in Pitts
burg tonight as a renewed expression
on the part of the Steel Corporation that
II has won the strike without outside in
\ reference.
The victory is by no means conceded
By the strike leaders. In the first num-
Der Of their bulletin issued to-day the
claim is made that the strike now en-
braces $40, 900 men.
At the same time William z. Foster,
the strikers secretary, issued a state
nent in which he replied to the general
assertion of the issues by Judge Gary.
Foster is preparing to go to Washing
ton tonight. and his statement may be
taken as forecast of that part of his
testimony before the committee which
does not put him on the defence with
regard to his own once expressed radical
beliefs.
Gary Pleases Foster.
Foster said tonight:
I'VE are pleased by Judge Gary's
statements before the Senate committee
Investigating the steel strike. They
bhow. more convincingly than anything
which we could say, that tine head of the,
United States Steel Corporation stands
stubbornly for autocratic control of in
dustry. He believes in the system I'M
der which a small board of directors
have absolute sway over the conditions
Of labor in an industry, while the great
army Of workers who are vitality con-
cerned have nothing to say.
THE Judges talk about the danger
Of domination of the steel industry by
trades unions Is just a smoke screen
thrown out to obscure the issues The
workers in the steel industry are de-
mandiAg the right Of collective bargain
Ing in the only practical way it can
be had-through the trades union move
ment.
Judge Gary is openly and positively
refusing them this right. His statement
that the Steel Corporation is willing to
deal with individual employees smacks
of the eighteenth century. In the first
place, how can his corporation make
even pretence of hearing complaints
from its $50, 600 employees individually?
In the second place, what chance has an
Individual employee when dealing with
this monster corporation? =
Discrimination Is Charged.
Judge Carey calls the union represen-
tatives of the employees rank outsiders
This is another frank admission of dis
elimination. The United States Steel
Corporation in its dealings secures what
ever experts 1t chooses to represent II,
but 1t refuses to grant its employees the
same right. 1t denies them the privilege
Of hiring skilled representatives who are
capable Of presenting the workers case
70 the management
Judge Gary says, the steel workers
did noe want a strike. We will let the
facts speak on that. We feel safe in
saying that had the rights of free speech
and peaceable assemblage not been de-
MED \the steel workers in the Pittsburg
district the steel strike all over the
United States would have been practi=
eslly 100 per cent. In every steel centre
where they were enabled to come to-
gtther and discuss their grievances the
steel workers struck to a man.
IF the Judge cares to delude himself
that the men are returning to work. well
and good. Statements won't produce
steel 1t takes workers to do that and
the workers are on strike and sticking"
Bulletin Makes Claims.
Detailing its claim to $4,000 men on
strike the Bulletin tonight says:
THE big mills at Gary, South Chi
cago, Indian Harbor. DeKalb, Milwau
kee, Pueblo, Cleveland, Buffalo, Lacka
wanna, Youngstown, Canton, Struthers,
Miles, Warren, Butler, Newcastle, Shar-
on, Farrell, Steubenvilie. Mingo, Weir
ton, Wheeling. Benwood, Bellaire. Mo
nessen, Donora Vandergrift Bracken-
ridge, Leechburg, New Kensington.
Johnstown, Coatesville, Bethlehem.
Clarion, Braddock, Rankin, &c, are
down fiat. Not a wheel is tuning in
any of them. Likewise the mills at
Homestead, Pittsburg, McKeesport, Du-
ouesne, Sparrows Point, Lebanon and
Steelton are badly crippled II not
closed down. It's the biggest strike ever
known in the history of America"
Despite the extravaganza of the terms
In which this claim is made Steel Of
hcials to-day admitted privately that
the production in the industry had been
frA nlo i'm N