Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-13
REARS NINE AND
BUYS A HOME ON
VERY Low WAGES
Old Employees Of Steel Mills
Testify Before Senators
Investigating Pres
ent Strike.

Pittsburgh, Pa, Oct. 12.-Senator.
investigating the steel strike situa
tion spent all of Sunday afternoon
and most of Sunday night listening
to evidence. A big crowd, filling
the United States court room in the
federal building, had to be disci.
plined several times by Chairman
Kenyon for laughing at some of the
answers made by witnesses. Repre-,
sentatives of the strikers devoted
their efforts to maintaining the
charge that civil authorities. state
troopers and other law officers were
misusing their power to break down
the strike. They conferred most OF
the testimony around incidents in
the town of Monessen, Westmore-
land county, and officials of the
place, demanded and obtained from
the committee, permission to be
heard in defense.
The United States Steel corpora
ton was allowed to put on before
the committee group of old, but
lower-paid employees, who declared
their satisfaction with conditions,
hours and wages.
Arthur Raymond, the first of
these, said he had worked SO years
in the mills, reared a family of nine
children, bought a home and was
now drawing the highest pay he
had ever received, 43 cents an hour.
Don't Work As Hard Now.
"You're a good manager Sena-
tor, Mcclellan of Tennessee told him.
swell. we haven't gone hungry
yet Raymond said, "and men don't
work near so hard as they did when
! started"
James Lloyd, another veteran Of
as many years of service, said he
saw "no reason why good sensible
men should be striking now" c. A.
Lighthill, also a man of long serv-
ice, echoed his remarks and ex-
planned that he considered the 10
and l2-hour day good thing.
Especially for young men," he
said. u sew that Samue! Gompers
told this committee in Washington
that the steel company's hospitals
were like prisons. where they held
men incommunicado. l. think he
said. He's been badly informed, be-
cause | spent some time in the hos
pitfalls last fall, and my wife was al
lowed to come and even eat dinner
with me once or twice"
August Mann. superintendent of a
wire plant at Donora, followed the
employees and said the strike was
rapidly failing.
"Out of 1890 men in the MILL
$500 stayed out the first day it was
called" Mann declared. Since then
1854 have come back and more re-
turn every day.
First Striker Called.
Gus Kristvich, formerly en-
ployed in the National Tube COM
pany mil! at McKeesport, was the
FIRST striker called, and asserted he
had been discharged for Joining the
Union. He was examined for some
time by the committee on the point,
his charge having been denied by
steel company representatives on
several occasions, but he stuck to
his assei ton, saying that the fore
man had given him the reason.
George F. Colson, an ex-soldier
and an American. followed him with
whole broad side of complaint to
make against the company.
Il pretty nearly had to go on my
knees to the company to get a job
back, though was one of the first
SO men in France" he said. Then
they put me to work in a place
whereta man has hardly any chance
for his life, and where the grease
and the heat ruin your shoes every
week. They kept me loahng five
months before they gave me that.
Now I'm on strike for eight hours,
more wages and safety-hrst condi-
TONS"
Then Attorney w. B. Ruben,
representing the strike committee,
centered his fire on Monessen and
brought in a battery of witnesses,
nearly all of whom used interpreters
in part or in whole. Mrs. Andrew
Banks. with her husband, was first
called. She weighed ll8 pounds,
and had been charged, the pair said,
with defying a policeman with
club" Released on $50 bond, after
being taken to Jail, when they ap-
peared for trial the next day they
were told that their money was for
feited. The woman said she had
her baby on her arm when arrested
and had no club and had said moth
ing to the special policeman.
Should Be Strengthened Out.
"Now Mr.. Ruben" Senator Walsh
interrupted, "this case ought to be
followed and if the abuse of these
foreigners is found to be what they
say it is, the community ought to
straighten it out. There may be an
other explanation, but the impress
sion ought not to go out among
these foreigners that our laws do not
give them justice"
Six men, all Austrians. testified
that they-had been arrested in Mon
essen between 6 and $50 o'clock IN
the morning by state policemen and
taken to jail; that while there they
had been asked if they were going
back to work, had refused, and then
had been held under $500 bail to ap-
pear before a grand jury. In the
lookup, policeman told them they
were to be hanged at 8 o'clock. All
professed they had done nothing:
THAT'S common up in Monessen,"
William Penney. a strike organizer,
broke in, throwing men in Jail ev-
cry day for mere pittance.'
The committee adjourned at ii p.