The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-10-20
3DDD STEEL STRIKERS HEAR : !.
ORATORS [AUD AN|ER|CAN|SN|
Peters, Roy, Hilton and Cannon Declare
| STRIKE Power Grows
Declare Strikers Are Only Fighting Tor
Justice and Democracy

Justice ana
The fourth vi the series Of labor mass
meetings was held yesterday at the Mar
J krt auditorium ut o'clock Jack PeterS
secretary of the steel workers Tor TINS
district, opened the meeting with rev
remarks as to the progress Of the strike.
According to the reports quoted by him
the movement IS gaining in power every
day.
".\ll through the country" said Mr..
| Peters. The movement Is gaining IN
! popularity. The public has awakened
! TO the fact that there is a steel strike
! on, and before long they arc going to
come to our aid with their influence:
! When VIC get public sentiment oehihd
! The first speaker called to the plat
form by Mr. Ictcrs. who acted as chair
, man. was William Roy, president OF the
United Mine Workers for Ohio district
| note Of the cnlIre meeting. American
| ism" lie said:
we are lighting as our fathers
! fought to obtain better conditions for
been throttlcd. and prevented from tell
ing the public what We want. We do
not want money. We do desire to give
/ our children a fair education and com.
picture or two in the little cottage We
! hope to own, a little music to listen to
! when the day is done, and few little
! luXures. These things we can only OBJ
tain BY getting more money from the
steel bosses it's true. But we can only
ask him for more money In a reason
/ able way, by first getting the right TO
! bargain collectively al American work.
| Ing men.
".rhc steel men are saying that We are
! not American. but let me say that no
y one intimatcd we were not Americans
! when We gave thousands OF dollars to
| the Red Cross and bought millions Of
! dollars worth Of Liberty Bonds. No
one said that the men from our class
! who went across the sea TO fight were
| not Americans. And now that that is
all over they call us all Of the hard
! names Known In the English language.
| orleans than ever before
| Americans have the reputation for
going out and fighting for justice. We
are lighting only to gain our inalienable
| rights under the constitution Of the
. country to which we owe our allegiance
Win We will or die in the attempt. Back
, in 1919. when the miners were out on
, strike, we had a slogan, ~ cents or die
| Of our union or die then fight Til He'll
| freezes over and nothing can stop YOU"
! Following Mr.. Roy's address. Walter
r. Hilton. editor Of the Wheeling Major
movement, was called 10 the platform.
Sir. llilton's speech radiatcd patriotism
and right thinking. He denounced radi-
calism and socialism in fiery language.
1--WE sent our armies and our millions
TO France 20 kill the kaiser's power:
That was war. Today the armies Of
est industrial tyrant Of all time. the L.
$. Steel trust. AS the armies Of the
nation crushed the Kaiser in his orgy
Of war. SO we will crush Judge Gary
! and his cohorts in this war of industry.
/ Every tyrant must at some time fall.
! Democracy is on its grand march to
) complete power. -Four years ago the
' sia. In little while there was no Car,
and ir a little while longer. no Nick.
Once Franz Joseph ruled the empire Of
Austria-HunEary. but as we looked thS
! empire crumbled, and passed away. Tho
Now we are looking at a much greater
empire. the industrial autocracy of Am
erica, ruled by King Gary. Now while
you gaze it is falling to dust, before
America must have. and will have
first democracy OF all time. Our fathers
rans. hsely WEE haVs
fought to prevent political nutocrscy
from over-running the world. and now
we arc engaged In gigantic strugEl
TO down industrial autocracy and &c
own fair land. Do not for one nirutr
fear the result. Did our forefathers rai.
ter at Valley Forge when tho iisht
seemed TO be going against them? They
hung on until they saw the light of VIC
tory cleaning in the sky. although il
took them seven long years Of struggle
and hardship. II is the fight that they
made that laid the cornerstone Of our
'cOuntry. You must continue the build
ing and make It as firm and strong As
the foundations that they laid back ia
the beginning Of all things"
Mr.. Peters then introduced Joe Can
non. president Of the Mine, Mill and
!Smcltcr workers. Mr.. Cannon, in AN
impassion"d address. carried through
the patriotic thought Of the whole meet
ing. He gave Il number Of reports from
various districts which he thinks arc
Ivory encouraging. lie spoke OF several
plants shutting up because Of lack of
steel to carry on their work Among
those he mentioned arc several automo-
bile factories. He spoke Mt length ot
tho Amoricanization Of the foreigner.
and flaycd Washington numerically for
tho stand that they have taken In the
strike situation. He advised the strik-
"rs to give no thought TO the reports
circulated through the newspapers TO
tho affect that the workers were return .
ing 10 thcir jobs. lie said. The press
is after tho money II they could get
moro money for giving your side OF the
story they would shift Immediately.
Don't let them fool you"
The meeting was attended by about
three thousand enthusiastic strikers,