Bisbee daily review., 1919-10-02
RIGHT Of OPEN
SHOP ISSUE Of
STRIKE, GARY
TELLS SENATE
No Reason for Walkout, Chair
man of U. S. Steel Corpor-
alton Asserts; Says Major
ity Men Not In Favor of It

the right of men to work irrespective
of whether he was a member OF q
labor union-was the sole issue in
the nationwide steel strike, Judge
Ebert H. Gary, chairman of the
board of United States Steel corpora
zion, told the senate investigating
committee today that his corporation
would never yield. Even now, he
said, the strike is failing.
There was no reason for this
strike" said Judge Gary. 1.-The men
did not want it 1t was forced on
them from the outside, by the organi-
GERS Of labor unions. The open shop
is the question here-the right ~
bring about fullest production with
only the interests of the employe, the
employer and the public in sight"
Labor leaders, he told the commit
tee, were seeking to unionize all in
dustry in the country. Should their
efforts be successful, he asserted, in
dustrial decay would follow.
1T means the condition fear Eng
land is in today" he added, though
i
Judge Gary had not concluded his
testimony tonight and will be exam
ined again tomorrow. He gave way
for an hour today to several employees
of the corporations mills, who told
the committee they knew of no reason
for the strike. All agreed that the
men who voluntarily responded to the
strike call were mostly foreigners,
and one Of them, John J. Martin, D
Youngstown machinist, attacked the
leaders Of the national steel workers
committee.
II think John Fitzpatrick (chair-
man of the workers committee), with
VIM. z. Foster (secretary of the COM
mittee), his ablest assistant, heads a
band of buccaneers who will over
throw this government If they are not
stopped" said Martin, who explained
that he himself formerly was a union
man. They were engaged, he said,
in "scuttling the American Fedora
ton of Labor"
Martin testified that the steel en-
ployes at Youngstown, American anu
foreigners alike" had been terror
ICED by threats to burn houses and
kill children. Judge Gary also said
in the course of his testimony that
the company had much "hearsay evil
dence" that such threats had been
made against men who would not join
in the strike. In the course Of his
.oo+{,,o1r Tudoa Haru roufauyod CON-
ditions leading up to the strike, ana
discussed at length his refusal to
meet the workers national commit
tee To have negotiated with the
committee, he said, would have been
a departure from the company's pol
icy to treat directly with its employees
and would have damaged the prestige
OF the open shop policy.
Discussing this point with Senator
Borah, Republican, of Idaho, he said
conditions might arise under which
he might talk with union leaders not
employed by the company.
Provided they said fairly that
they represented Is per cent OF the
men employed, for instance" he said
81 might discuss the wishes OF thai
Is per cent with them
Mr.. Gary brushed aside the charges
of union leaders that the corporation
had mistreated its men with the state
ment that in no basic industry in the
world were the men better treated
or paid better wages. Later he went
into welfare work Of the company
among its employees and presented
figures to show that employees gener-
ally received approximately three
times as much now as they did In
1914.
Although pressed by Senator Ken
yon, chairman o fthe investigating
committee, Mr.. Gary refused to dis
cuss the efforts by, President Wilson
to bring about an understanding be-
tween the corporation officials and
the union leaders and avert the
strike.
"When the president communicates
with private citizen" he said, at
isn't courtesy for the person so APP
preached to say what the communion
ton was"
Reverting at the end of the day to
his view of the situation, Judge Gary
said:
"The general public now require
increased production. That may even
necessitate increased hours, up to the
limit set by the willingness OF work
ers and theor health. But there is no
use of talking about increased wages
and decreased production and at the
same time roaring about rising prices,
I'm in favor Of high wages but there
comes a time when there is limit.
ain my view prices are too high
right now. The right way to do is TO
lower, them first, and decrease wages
last That is the policy Of the steel
industry"
DAnnunEio continues. whatever
happens, to be the champioA word
AI;oOav. ~ 1falv