The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-25
Summary of
Strike Situation
(Associated Press

Interest in the great struggle in
the steel industry shifted today to
Washington. where the labor
committee of the senate opened
an investigation with the avowed
intention of discovering "if the
situation in any way can be re-
lieved by federal action" Mean
while no radical change was re-
ported in the actual strike CEN
ters. 1t was labor's day in court,
for the first witness called was
John Fitzpatrick, chairman of
the national steel workers COM
mittee. The employers turn will
come next Wednesday when Ell
bert H. Gary. chairman of the
board of directors of the United
States Steel corporation, pre-
sents the case for capital.
1t is the expressed hope of the
committee that the Investigation
will lay bare the underlying
causes Of the struggle which is
threatening the economic inter-
ests of abe nation. The commit
tee also is expected to investi
gate charges made on the floor of
the senate and elsewhere that
more sinister motives are in
volved than the ostensible one of
the right of the workers to or
ganize.
Mr.. Fitzpatrick declared early
in his testimony that even the
consent of the corporation Of
ficials to meet the union officials
would not now end the strike.
He asserted the strikers intended
to demand decent justice from
the United States government"
So far as actual conditions of
the battle line were concerned,
the most important definite news
came from the Chicago district
where both sides claimed spe-
citic and significant advantages.
Steel corporation officials an
nounced the steel and slab mills
of the corporation at Gary, Ind,
would resume part operation to-
day, the most extensive resump-
ton claimed in the district since
the strike was declared. Off
setting this, 1875 steam engineers
employed in the Illinois Steel
company's plant in the same
town were called out by their
local, raising again the possi-
bility of q general walk out by
this most important branch of
the workers.
In the Mahoning valley dis
triaf Of Ohio ha r,1a
ralysis of the industry achieved
by the strikers continued and
the success on the Ohio sector
was emphasized by the closing of
the plant of the bar mill of the
Empire Rolling company, with
the exception of the sheet mill
department. which employees only
500 men. This department is the
only mill now operating in
Cleveland
But the issue in the great Pitts
burg area where both sides con-
cede the struggle. must be won
or lost, remains uncertain. Cor
poration officials again asserted
today that strikers were return
ing to work, admitting the num-
Der was not large, but terming it
STEADY" These claims were as
usual. disputed by the strike
leaders. W. z. Foster, secretary
of the strike committee, called
the situation better than ever
and predicted interesting de-
velopments within a few days.
He declined to be more specific.
Farrell, Pa, where the first
bloodshed occurred in the spo-
radio rioting which marked the
beginning of the strike. was again
the scene of a fatality today. A
Serbian was shot and killed by
state trooper during the search
of house suspected of being a
sniping post. from which shots
had been fired - = stoel nlant.