The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-10-03
So Judge Ebert HI. Gary Tells
Senate Committee Inves-
tigating Steel Strike
STRIKE WITHOUT REASON
Head of United States Steel Cor
poratiOn Declares The Men
Didn't Want To Quit-Was
Forced on Them.

Washington, Oct 2-Declaring
that the question of the open shop
the right of man to work ire
Spective OF whether he was mem
Der of labor union-was the sole
issue in the nationwide steel strike.
Judge Ebert II. Gary, chairman OF
the board of the United States Steel
corporation, told the senate commit
tee investigating the strike that his
corporation would never yield. Even
now, he said, the strike is failing.
There was no reason for this
strike said Judge Gary. THE men
did not want it. 1t was forced on
them from the outside by the organ
izers of labor unions. The open shop
is the question here-the right to
bring about fullest production with
only the interests of the employe the
employer and the public in sight"
Labor leaders, he told the commit
tee. were seeking 10 unionize all in
dustry in the country. Should their
efforts be successful. he asserted, in
dustrial decay would follow.
1T means the condition fear Eng
land is in today" he added. though
have hopes She will come out of it,"
Judge Gary had not concluded his
testimony last night and will be ex-
amined again today He gave way for
an hour today to several employees of
the corporations mills who told the
committee they knew OF no reason for
the strike. All agreed that the men
who voluntarily responded to the
strike call were mostly foreigners.
and one of them. John j. Martin. a
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, machinist, attack
ed the leaders of the national steel
workers committee.
II think John Fitzpatrick Cchair-
man Of the workers committee). with
w. Z. Foster Csecretary of the COM
mi'tceD as an able assistant. is head
Ing band OF buccaneers who will
overthrow this government if they
are not stopped" said Martin. who
explained that he himself formerly
was a union man. They were engaged,
he said. in "scuttlng the American
Federation of Labor"
Martin testified that the steel EN-.
ployes at Youngst own. american
and foreigners alike" had been ter
rorized by threats to burn houses ana
Kill children" Judge Gary also said
in the course OF his testimony that
the company had much "hearsay evi.
dence" that such threats had been
made against men who would not
Join in the strike.
In the course of his testimony,
Judge Gary reviewed conditions lead
ing up to the strike and discussed
at length his refusal TO meet the steel
workers national committee, he said.
would have been departure from the
company's policy to treat tirectly
with its employees and would have
damaged the prestige of the open
shop policy
Mr. Gary brushed aside the charges
OF union leaders that the corporation
had mistreated its men with the state.
ment that in no basic industry in the
world were the men better treated or
paid higher wages
Although pressed by Senator Ken
yon, chairman of the investigating
committee, Mr. Gary refused to dis
cuss the efforts by President Wilson
10 bring about an understanding he-
tween the corporation officials and the
union leaders and avert the strike.
When the President communicates
with private citizen" he said, cit
isn't courtesy for the person ap-
preached to say what the communi-
cation was
Referring al the end of the day to
his general view OF the situation,
Judge Gary said
The general public now requires
increased production That may even
necessitate increased hours. up to the
limit set by the willingness of work
ers and their health But there is no
use of talking about increased wages
and decreased production and at tho
same time roaring about rising prices.
I'm in favor of high wages. but there
comes time when there is a limit.