Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-22
Reports of WaIkout Con
fiict-Chiefs Claim Re
sponse Is General.

Pittsburgh, Pa, Sept. r.
! Several men mad their heads
dubbed and 20 arrests were
made today i'm the borough Of
Clarion when the Pennsylva-
MIA state police had another
| brush with crowds that refused
10 disperse. Several shots
were fired by each side. accord
ing 10 Clarion police head
quarters.
The preliminary skirmish in the
great industrial struggle which
J opened today between the labor
! unions and the United States Steel
corporation which directly or indi-
/ rectly affects a half million wage
earners, produced the usual con-
+ fiicting claims by the generals on
both sides.
Many Thousands Out.
In the great strategic centers of
the struggle, the Chicago and
! Pittsburgh districts, many thou
sands of workers obeyed the strike
( order, but early reports stated that
| comparatively few plants had been
! compelled TO close. At a large
number Of the outlying points Off
/ cials of smaller plants reported
they were operating as usual
Elbert II. Gary, chairman OF the
/ board OF directors Of the steel cor
poration, refused 10 make any COM
ment on the situation.
! Secretary Foster OF the steel
workers union issued a statement
expressing satisfaction with the
outlook and claiming that reports
from outside the Pittsburgh district
showed that the shutdown was
general.
Bethlehem Men Stay.
An important feature OF the sit
uation was the announcement by
representative of the $4,000 work
ers employed by the Bethlehem
Steel company that these men
would not join the strike pending
an attempt % obtain a conference
with the company officials.
Some of the blast furnaces in the
Pittsburgh district were banked,
but the majority Of the plants were
in operation although admittedly
with forces reduced from IS per
cent TO &c per cent. In the Chi
cago district, including Gary and
Hammond. where 10000 steel
workers are employed, similar con
ditions were reported. At Cleve-
land. the union leaders claiAaed
that $4,000 men were out and that
l6 mills of the American Steel and
Wire company, employing 5000
men, were closed down.
Strike at Youngstown.
At Ohio's second greatest steer
center, Youngstown. the strike
leaders also claimed that the great
majority OF the workers had struck
and at Steubenville, where three
plants of the Carnegie Steel com
pany are located. it was asserted
that all three had been forced TO
suspend operations.
At the less important points iu
Ohio and Pennsylvania, including
Portsmouth. Warren. Canton To-
ledo, Columbus, Lorraine. Potts
Vile. Reading and Harrisburg. Of
ficials Of the various plants an
nounced that their men bad ro-
maired loyal and operations In full
swing
One notable exception was Johns
town, Pa. where 1900 men were
reported TO have struck
Normal Conditions Reported.
Outside the great pivotal states
of Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
conditions were reported nearly
normal with n few important cT-
ceptions. At Buffalo, where the
great independent plants Of tho
Lackawanna Steel c,bnpauy are To-
Gated the union chiefs claimed that
20 per cent Of the workers had
obeyed the strike call. At Wheel
ing. W Va, II was asserted that
5000 men were idle and the Colo
RADIO Fuel and Iron company's
plant at Pueblo, Colo. was closed
down when its 5000 employees
walked out
The mills Of the Illinois steel
company at South Chicago were
closed. the unions estimating that
80 per cent OF the 1000 men on
the day shift had struck.
Pittsburgh, Pa, Sept 22-The
struggle between organized labor
and the employers In the steel In
dustry was in full swing today. In
the Pittsburgh and nearby districts
many AHuuadlA4H VI AIltil ObEyNA hiI..
orders of their leaders and failed
TO report when the whistles blew
for the day shifts to go 70 work.
How many Joined in the walk-out
and with what degree of effective
ness the strike was initiated was
not known definitely by either side
in the contest in the early hours
of the day.
Ready for Emergency.
Dawn found mRl guards,
borough and city police. the mount
ed Pennsylvania state police. vol
unteer guards. deputy sheriffs. de-
tectives and other guardians of the
law on duty for any emergency.
Likewise the strike leaders IN
every steel mill community was
abroad instructing strikers and
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