The sun., 1919-09-19
STEEL WORKERS
REFUSE TO DELAY


committee or deal with any one Of them.
The committee, still DESTROYS Of avoiding
the conflict, laid the entire matter be-
fore the executive council Of the Ameri-
can Federation OF Labor. Mr.. Gompers
and the executive council endorsed the
actions of the men. Nevertheless, in the
hope of averting q conflict. an appeal
was made to Your Honor.
MI. Gary, obstinate In his denial TO
grant relief. caueed such n great unrest
as 10 necessftate calling a meeting OF
the presidents Of twenty-four crafts In
volved. After O thorough, calm and de-
liberate review and study Of the entire
situation, taking into consideration all
the consequences that would naturally
flow therefrom. these twenty pres.-
dents, representing over 100000 or
ganized men, Endorsed the strike and set
September % as the date therefor. The
date was deferred to September %
against the best interests Of the strike
solely in the hope that Mr.. Gary and
his associates might in the meanwhile
reconsider their position, so as to avoid
the otherwise inevitable conflict
Presidents Letter Considered.
"In n meeting called on September IT
at Pittsburg Of the representatives OF
the aforesaid crafts for the purpose OF
devising ways and means Of conduct
ing the strike, your communicati ton
through Mr.. Gompers requesting that
the date of the strike be postponed was
received. Two days of consideration
were given to the same. Every one
present desired, II II were possible, TO
comply with your request. Your re-
quest for postponement would have been
gladly granted were It not for the fol-
lowing facts:
"1.-Mr. Gary has asserted that his
men need no trained representation in
their behalf in presenting their griev-
ances, Notwithstanding that they can
neither economically nor intelligently
by lack Of schooling. cope with him or
his representatives.
'2.-That ever since the men started
to organize a systematic persecution
was instituted, beginning with discharge
and winding up with murder. recalling
to US wildly the days of Homestead and
the reign Of despotism In Russia
"3.-Through the efforts. of the repre-
sentatives OF the steel Industry officials
in various localities have denied the men
free assembly and free speech. In
stances are too numerous where meet
ings have been suppressed. men ar
rested, tried on various unfounded
charges, excessive bail required and
warrant in law and justice.
AS one Of many examples, in the
city Of McKeesport a meeting held by
the men within their constitutional rights
was broken up and men arrested and
thrown into jail. charged with riot and
held in the excessive bail of $1,000 each,
while one of the hirelings of the steel
industry arrested for the murder of a
woman speaker at Breckenridge, Pa, is
being held under bail OF but $4,000. An
other patent example is Hammond, Ind,
whore four defenceless union men were
charged upon and killed by hired de-
tectives Of the steel industry. and wit
nesses In behalf of their survivors have
been 80 intimidated and maltreated that
the truth of the killing was suppressed.
"5.-Guns and cannon have been
planted In mills. highly charged electric
wires have been strung around their
premises.
"6.-Armed men in large numbers are
going about intimidating not only the
workers but everybody In many COM
munities who show the slightest indi-
cation of sympathy with the men.
"T.-Men have been discharged in in