The sun., 1919-10-13
SENATORS QUESTION
STEEL PLANT ALIENS
Walsh Favors Law Providing
for Deportation Unless
English Is Learned.
MANY OPPOSED STRIKE
One Witness Raised Family of
Nine and Bought q House on
Mill Workers Pay.
s,.e.al p.,psten 10 Tn. srs.

Special DespsfcA 10 TIE srs.
PrrrsBURo, Oct. IA law compelling
foreigners to learn the English language
within I've years after coming to this
country or else be deported was sug-
Eested by Senator David /. Walsh. DEM
ocrat, of Massachusetts. during to-day's
session o, the Senate committees in
vestisation here Of the steel strike.
The preponderance of foreign speaking
workers in the steel mills has given the
Senate committee much concern through
out its three days session here. This
was manifested ortspokenly to-day when
Superintendent August Mann OF the
Donora plant Of the American Steel and
Wire Company said that OF 5000 en-
ployecs of the plant 65 per cent. were
foreign speaking.
Before another crowd filling the Fed
eral court room the subcommittee OF the
Senate COMMITTEES on Education and
Labor, Senator William s. Ken
yon. Republican. Iowa, chairman,
and including, besides Mr. Walsh,
Senator'S Thomas Sterling. Republican,
South Dakota Lawrence c. Phipps. Re-
publican, Colorado, and K d. McKellar.
Democrat, Tennessee. continued taking
testimony. Witnesses for both the steel
companies and the strikers were heard.
Satisfied employees told OF long and
pleasant relations with the company. and
some were subjected TO stiff cross-exami-
nations by Chairman Kenyon and Sem
ators Mcclellan and walsh They were
called by j. Edward Ashmead, lawyer
for the steel companies
AssaiIs Omcials and Troopers.
Continuing his programme of yester-
day w. r. Rubin. New York lawyer,
counsel for the American Federation OF
Labor's national committee for organiz-
iAg iron and steel workers, focused SEN
atorIal attention upon the public officials
of steel towns around Pittsburg. the
state troopers. deputy sherifrs and police.
An afternoon session was followed by
an evening session. At midnight the
Senators started for Washington. to be
present IN the Senate for a vote on the
League of Nations.
Richard Raymont. 81. Of vandergrift.
WHO prefers the twelve hour TO the
eight hour day and who. as mill
worker and with the pay received. reared
nine children and bought his home. was
th@ first witness. He Is employed in
Elephant Of the American Sheet and Tin
Plate Company.
Ever belong to the uniony' Chair
nzn Kenyon asked.
yYes. but got out in 1893. I work
twelve hours day and find working
conditions perfectly satisfactory"
Have you family"
Il have nine children and own a good
woridngman's six room house. 1 get
ss.12 a day"
Senator Mcclellan asked: "Did you
DO this with savings out Of your wagesT
'sIes"
-Then you must be an unusually good
manager" observed Senator Mcclellan.
senator Phipps questioned: ANY re-
du6tion in wages since the war;
No" i
Can't See Living Costs Drop.
-Had you noticed" Chairman Kenyon
interjected. ANY reduction in the cost
OF Ifving?"
NO." the witness answered
do you think" the chairman con-
TIMED, that you would bring up your
family and own a home under the present
cost OF Ifving"
q think 1 could was his reply.
senator Mcclellan questioned: do you
want to work twelve hours?"
aYes. I can stand the work and like
to make the money"
Attorney Ashmead asked him II he
had ever had any trouble in placing
complaints before company officials and
having them considered. He replied that
he had not.
The next witness. James Lloyd. said
ha- worked in the storeroom OF the
American Sheet and Tinplate Company.
McKeesport earned ~ cents an hour,
worlxed ten hours day and made time
and half for overtime after eight
hours. He added that the work in the
stareroom was not hard and that he
worked only Ave and a half days
week
To questions put by Senator Nc
Keflar as to the reason for calling the
strike the witness replied:
"Gentlemen, / try to do what Is right.
A strike gets you nothing and money is
meyer regained by being on strike. /
doSnot see why good sensible men who
are treated right should do such things
I always do my part and likewise treat
the company right"
Fayors the Ten Hour Work Day.
g. A. LlghthiI told the committee
that he did not think less than ten hours
work a day for man, especially a
young man. was good for him. st keeps
young men away from places they should
not go to-" he said
The witness told the Senators that he
worked at more strenuous work and
twelve hours a day. On the ''roughing"
Jobs he said that when II was discovered
tho work was too much for him when
working thirty minutes at a stretch and
resting fifteen minutes an additional man
was placed with the gang" and the
period OF work was changed from thirty
20 ffteen minutes.
Ar. Llghthill was asked BY Senator
Kenyon: do you know OF any COM
plants az 20 working condirionsT'
No; the men are perfectly satisfied"
! rDo you want an eight hour day?'
I'VE could not live at the present wage
n We worked less. and We want to work
more to get more money. II man
wants to work only six hours he II lazy.
Eight hours a day would not be good for
a young man. and 7 can do my work
without any trouble"
Without any prompting or questioning
Mr.. Lighthill said that he took excep-
ton to the statements in newspapers at
tributed to Mr.. Gompers. who had
charged that men had been placed in
communicate in company hospitals He
declared that the attention he received
in one was ALI right" and that on more
than one occasion his wife had had din
neT with him.
The first unnaturalized foreigner called
Was Andy Bertillo. a Hungarian, who
said he had been in this country since
1891 and had taken out first citizenship