The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-09-22
THOUSANDS OBEY
WALKOUT ORDERS
IN BIG CENTERS

The preliminary skIrmIsh in the great
Industrial struggle Which opened today
between the labor unions and the U. S,
Steel corporation, which directly or In.
directly affects half a million wage
earnera, produced the usual conflicting
claims by the generals on both sides,
IN the great strategic eenterS OF the
struggle, the Chicago and plttsbura
districts, many thousands Of workers
obeyed the strike order, but early re.
ports stated that comparatively few
plants had been compelled to close. Al
a LARGE number Of the outlying points
officials OF the smaller plants reported
they were operating as usual.
Ebert H. Gary, chairman Of the
board Of directors OF the steel corpora.
ton, refused to make any comment on
the situation.
Secretary Foster, Of the steel work.
ers' union, Issued statement express
Ing satisfaction with the outlook and
Claiming that reports from outside the
| Pittsburgh district showed that the
shutdown was general.
An important feature Of the sltua.
tion was the announcement by repre-
sentatlves OF the $1,000 workers EN-
ployed at the Bethlehem Steel company,
that these men would not Join the
strike pending an attempt TO obtain a
| conference with the company officials.
Some Of the blast furnaces In the
Pittsburgh district were banked, but the
majority Of the plants were In opera.
tlon, although with forces reduced from
16 per cent to 66 per cent,
In the Chicago district, Including
Gary and Hammond, where 10000 steel
workers are employed, similar eondl.
tIons were reported. Al Cleveland the
Anl l. III. "a
out and that IS mills OF the American
Steel and Wire company, employing
5000 men, were closed down. At ohlo's
second greatest steel center, Younas.
town, the strike leaders also claimed
that the great majority Of the workers
had struck and at Steubenvllle, twhere
three plants Of the Carnegie Steel com
pany are located, II was asserted that
all three had been forced to suspend
1 operations.
Al the less Important points In Ohio
and Pennsylvania, including Ports
mouth, Warren, Canton, Toledo, Co
lumbue, Lorraine, PottsvIIle, Reading
| and Harrisburg, officials o. the va
rlous plants announced that their men
had remained loyal and that opera.
tons were In full swing. One notable
eNcaptlon Was JohnatoWn, Pa, WhNre
ts,ia,0co mon were reported 70 have
struck.
|
| PITTSBURGH, Pa, sept. 22,--sev.
eral men had their heads dubbed and
borough OF clalrton, when the Penn.
sylvanla state police had another brush
with crowds that refused to dlsperse.
| Several shots were fired by each side,
according to Clarion police headquar.
ters.
/
sisted In gathering on Second street
during the morning and were broken
up, Finally large crowd resisted the
efforts OF the state and local police to
| dispense aAd many missiles were thrown
at the police, The state troopers charged
the crowd and welded their clubs Wig
orously with the result that about a
dozen were injured. Someone In the
crowd fired shots and the police re-
turned the fire. shooting In the air. No
one was hit.
Twenty arrests were made and the
prisoners were sent to the county Jail
here charged with melting to riot The
police say the foreign born element was
responsible for the disorder, AT noon
the borough was quiet
| Yesterdays clash with the state no
lice occurred In North Clarion, nearby
We got away in good shape at most
OF our plants In and about Pittsburgh
|
the Carnegie Steel company, when
asked for a statement on the effect OF
the steel workers strike which went
into effect today.
We are agreeably surprised at the
showing made" was the announcement
by william Y. Foster. secretary OF the
national committee for organizing iron
and steel workers, who Is In charge OF
the Pittsburgh district,
The struggle between organized Ia
Dor and the employers In the steel in
dustry was In full swing today. In the
Pittsburgh and nearby districts many
thousands Of men obeyed orders of their
leaders and failed to report when the
whistles blew for the day shifts to &c
to work
Dawn found mill guards. borough ant
city police, the mounted Pennsylvania
state police, volunteer guards, deputy
sheriffs detectives and other guardians
of the laws on duty for any emergency
Likewise the strike leaders In every
steel mill community was abroad IN
structing strikers and plckets In theil
duty and persuading men on their way
to work TO turn back and join in the
strike. Early reports Indicated that
hundreds Of men were turned back II
various communities.
| Full protection as far as could b'
made was given to men who determined
to 20 to work, the streets and roads
leading to the mills in every steel com
munity In Monongahela, Allengheny anC
Ohio valleys being patrolled by armed
guards.
The state police had their first clasl
with crowds Sunday afternoon in Nortl
Clarion and near McKeesport. wher'
they broke up mass meetings at the re
quest of local police officials. Strik'
leaders charge that number of persons
| In the North Clairton crowd were Sc
| verely hurt In the clash there,
EARLY reports from the populous cen
ters of Allegheny county showed tina
the strike went into effect without an
disturbances. At Mckeesport, wher'
strong efforts were made to bring on
the men, all streets leading to the stce
mills were heavily guarded, Rain fell III
the early hours which had the effec
Of keeping men frcm congregating.
At the N&1ional Tube company
works at McR6esport, one Of the larges
industries there, large numbers of mel
went to work without incident. Wha
| percentage OF the workers answered th'
whistle, officials OF the company woul'
not say. The chief of police OF the town
who IL in close touch with the official
of the works, said the majority Of TIL
| Americans employed there went to worl
| and that the strikers were largely for
elgners. Foremen in small department
| said the usual number OF men wen
to work
At Braddock, where the United State
| Steel corporation has extensive works
and also at Homestead, crowds of mel
walked the streets, but every one wa
kept moving. No early reports cam
| from steel corporation sources of tn
effect Of the strike.
|