The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-26
DEMAND A VOICE!
That Is Issue of Steel Strike,
Says GOmpers.
A. f. of l.. Head TeStifieS Be.
fore Senate Body.
SENATE SEES A SETTLEMENT
Won't Examine Foster, Alleged
L. w. W., Tomorrow.
GOmpers Charges U. S. Steel
Fought American Workers.

Washington, Sept 26.-After hear
ing Samuel Gompers, president of the |
American Federation of Labor. for
more than three hours, the senate
committee investigating the steel |
strike today abandoned its plans to !
| examine tomorrow William a. Foster |
secretary Of the steel workers COM |
mittee, who has been attacked in the
house of representatives as a radical I
and an I. w. w.
Chairman Kenyon announced the /
inquiry would not be resumed until
next wednesday when Judge Ebert |
II. Gary, chairman of the board of
J directors of the u. S. Steel Corpora !
ton, will be heard. He gave no rea- :
| son for not hearing Foster tomorrow /
but other members of the committee
said later that Foster would be called
! before the committee at some future
! time.
Men Demand a Voice.
The right of the employees to have
some voice in determining conditions
under which they work is the para
mount issue in the strike of steel
workers Gompers told the committee.
Gompers was the second witness in
the investigation ordered by the
senate.
The issue of this strike is the right
OF the employees to be heard thru their
own representatives, spokesmen of
their own choosinf; to have an. oppor-
tunity for their own day in court-the
employers office" Gompers said
In the hast twenty-five years steel
workers have repeatedly been denied
the right OF association, he added, and
said:
This was done with all the power.
wealth, influence and domination of
the steel corporation.
They We're denied this by Illegal,
| unwarrantable and brutal means"
f See n Settlement.
Committeeman believe they are on
the way to bringing together the em-
ployes and employers without execu-
tive aid.
Efforts are being made to get Judge
Gary. head of the steel corporation, to
agree to arbitration, which John Fitz-
patrick. strike head, told the commit
4 tee yesterday would bring the men
back into the plants.
The strike situation has reached a
white heat, members of the investi-
eating committee feel, and time has
arrived for a direct attempt at settle
ment.
Continuing his testimony, Gompers
charged that steel companies had been
guilty of a systematic effort" to elm
mate American workers from their
plants and substitute foreigners"
Charges Collusion.
To this end. he declared. the steel
corporation was in Combination and
collusion with shipping companies to
bring labor from southern Europe and
the Balkans"
Gompers said he had documents,
gathered by the American Federation
of Labor some years ago, to prove the
collusion between the steel corpora
tion and German-American and other
shipping companies. He promised to
lay these before the committee.
, "Gary Has Spotters."
Gompers declared the steel corpora
ton maintained an elaborate espion-
age system over its men as part of its
plan to prevent unionization.
They had detectives. spoilers.
agents, provocateous," said Gompers,
who dogged men, tagged them, fol-
lowed them to their homes, tried to
provoke them to commit overt acts.
, to strike prematurely or do something
because of which they could be dis
charged.
Men were discharged because they
grumbled about conditions or because
they dared express wish to be union
lied.
Men on their way to attend meet
ings to discuss union organization
have had to pass between lines of steel
company detectives and thugs. Halls
where they planned to hold meetings
have been locked and the meetings
jured.
One Death Resulted.
. "Since l came here today I've been
] informed that at Mckeesport, Pa. the
: workers have been denied the right to
= hold meetings"
; Senator Sterling asked whether the
: purpose of preventing meetings in the
strike district was not to prevent dis
! order.
"The purpose" said Gompers. 'is to
: prevent the men from furthering their
interests in this controversy.
= Private meeting rooms. some OF
: them capable Of holding amout ten
a men, have been invaded and meetings
9 prevented.
. MANY OF the authorities in the
! Pennsylvania steel district are directly
: under the domination of the steel cor
: poration. Whatever is to the interest
/ of the steel company is done"
Continuing his story Of the steel cor
lporaiion's efforts to prevent unioniza-
ton of the industry, Gompers said:
THE organizers we sent into the
steel districts were attacked, beaten
bounded, driven out Of town. One oi
them was so badly beaten that he died
= some months afterward."
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