The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-10-25
STEEL STRIKE
over IN EAST
SAYS W. WHITE
Writer Sees Danger of Revo-
luton in Failure of Metal
Workers to Get What They
Want.
AMERICANISM NEEDED
BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE

BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE
Copyright 1919. by Tho Wheeler
Syndicate. 1nc)
PITTSBURGH. Oct. 25.-The steel
AS the children would say they are
letting the old cat diet"
The two strikes called the steel
strike differ so much that having writ
ten briefly of the strike In the west
something of the eastern phase should
be said. even II that phase Is a de-
clining phase. For 1t yet has life
enough in It to produce incipient revo-
luton.
Indeed. IN its present stage the steel
strike even in the East Is vastly more
dangerous than in its more lively and
active stage. For II the failure OF the
strike becomes acute, the men still
out will leave the conservative leader
ship of the American Federation Of
Labor, and being desperate the only
labor group that will take them In is
the I. w. w. group.
II 1t takes charge Of the steel strike,
even Of the fag end of the steel strike.
the I. W. w. will at once seek revolu-
ton. OF course revolution will not
come. Force will put 1t down. But
force is a dangerous medicine in a de-
mocracy. 1t Is a habit forming drug!
Sooner or later we shall get too much
Of 1t, and it will finally fail to work.
Insist on Americanism.
The reporters who talked with the
senators who visited the steel strike
feel that the senate committee divid-
ed upon certain things rather tempera-
mentally. Yet certain things they
agreed upon. The senate committee
seemed to feel that the first need of
the district was Americanization. And
that need means, OF course, the S-hour
day.
No American will work on 12-hour
shift. But If the shift is changed, If
the men are not paid for hours what
they are now getting for IA hours,
then indeed there will be a strike that
will be real strike. So in the pro-
gram of Americanization the first
thing needed is to convince the COM
panies that they must pay heartily for
the job.
Another need to make the district
American is beauty The American
will not live In squalid places. Beauty
costs money-company money. And
if the district is to be Americanized
the company must spend money for
flowers and trees and pleasant houses
In the west the company has done
this, and 1t has vastly more Americans
in Gary than in Mckee's Rock. And
also these Americans seem to be hard
er to handle than the foreigners in
Mckee's Rock.
Gary Is under martial law. The state
constabulary is sufficient in McKee's
Rock. So the business of making the
mill American is no simple matter. II
Is most expensive Schools In the
east are helping greatly.
The Little Poles and Let's and Firms
are coming out of the Pennsylvania
schools talking like Americans. look
ing like Americans-and voting like
wise. They fought like Americans In
Europe for the American flag and
some Of them who now are strikers
are asking curious straight American
questions, which the company mus
answer when this "cruel war is over
Skilled Men in West.
In the west the skilled men seemed
to be out in larger numbers than II
the east. In the east the day laborer!
form the bulk Of the strikers. Thi:
somewhat is due to heredity Sons O
the strike-breakers Of homestead IL
1892 are now in the eastern plants
and they have no use for unionism
and what is more they have stock il
the steel company. For nearly 81
years they have been accumulatin;
money. They live we'll and thes
skilled men are Americanized
There is question about the DUAL
ity of the men who do the skilled worl
of the mills-east or west. They ar
fine type Of men. Most of thes
skilled workers are at least secont
generation Americans, even thoug'
they have foreign names They hav
the American look. Our country ha
overcome their blood; America has b
its food and clothes and housing mad
men who have generations of Euro
pean blood in them cast their feature
and figures and very souls in tn
American mold
While the steel strike Is waning +
the east, it may hold out until the Goa
strike comes. and the two strikes re
inforced by the railroad strike. The
the steel strike even in Pennsylvani
would flare up beyond question.
There IS a curious psychology c
strikes. They beget one another. Th
strike feeling is something like tn
mob feeling. If coal and railroad
strike. steel will renew its strike Th
men will take courage and ioin. If i
that hour they have passed from tn
control Of conservative labor to radice
labor they will be hard TO handle wit
the winter deepening and food an
fuel hiCh.
We must not forget that in this con
ing conflict revolution has a tremenc
Gus ally in the calendar. January
February, and March are dangerous l;
Dor leaders. And unless the strike
checked in the east and checked /
the west. and unless some agency {
arbitration is found the dyi0g stri.l
of the steel men may become a seriou
menace to peace and order.