Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-22

Quoted a vigorous campaign to push
its organization in the steel towns.
To oppose this tendency the Beth
lehem, MidVale and Cambria COM
panies have instituted II scheme of
plant organization and are conduct
ing a vigorous campaign to enlist
their employees in this movement,
which involves outright reputation
of the American Federation of
Labor.
7. T., Conboy, chief organizer of
the American Federation of Labor.
at Johnstown, says that officials of
the Cambria company have time and
again Coerced and intimidated their
ignorant and foreign employees into
signing up with the company or
ganization. David Williams, an or
ganizer at Allentown. brings the
same charges against the Bethlehem
officials.
This policy" Mr. Morrison said
to-day, lis one that could not be
more effective in sowing the seeds
of Bolshevism if it were coldly call
culated for that purpose. The most
dangerous /. w. w. and Bolsheviki
in this country are the reactionary
employers who, as in n number OF
Pennsylvania steel mills, are denying
their employees the right to organ
iZe."
Secretary Morrison made a hurry
trip to Johnstown Sunday and ad-
dressed three mass meetings of the
Cambria workmen, urging them to
keep their heads in a trying situa-
ton and not to attempt a strike at
this time. 1t is known that requests
from the Department of Labor were
partly responsible for his visit.
pAf1 lob, n-N to iFNn nI
among the workers by the failure of
the Bethlehem Steel Company to
Mve up to the award of increased
wages for machine shop workers
made last summer by the War Labor
Board. The company has taken the
stand that the signing of the armis-
tice abrogated its responsibility, al
though the award was made some
months before the conclusion of hos
tilties. A section of the War Labor
Board is still working on the in
creased wage issue, and other points
at issue between the company and
the men.
Charges that employees dropped
by the Midvale plant at Coatesville
are now being deported from that
city have caused the Department of
Labor to dispatch a conciliator to
the scene with orders to collect full
evidence of what is being done.
Labor Accepts Challenge
The sympathies of the Department
of Labor are entirely with organ
lied labor in it's fight in Pennsylva-
mia. Assistant Secretar' of Labor
Louis Post regards unionization as
the most effective bar against the
spread of radical propaganda and
agrees with Morrison that the seeds
of Bolshevism are being scattered
right and left by those employers
who have set their faces against
organized labor.
In the meantime organized labor
in the steel towns has accepted the
challenge of the employers. The
first step in it's program is to link
the organized employees of every
plant together. The machinists have
already coalesced into one head
quarters their organizations in Har-
risburg, Steelton. Reading and Potts
town, and plans for similar CEN
traliZation are being formulated by
members of the Amalgamated AS
sociation of Iron. Steel and Tin
Workers in Pennsylvania.
In Johnstown orders have been
given to take test vote on the
question of a general strike, and 1t
is reported that the Cambria COM
pany is arming its guards in prep
aration for trouble. Indications are,
however, that a strike will not he
called at one plant until all are
in n position to support such a
move. -.