Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-10-01
CALLS LEADERS IN
BIG STEEL STRIKE
Senate to Quiz Gary and Fitz-
patrick on Crisis.
ARE CALLED TO WASHINGTON
Senators Believe the Present WaIkout
Is the First Skirmish in Industrial
Warfare and Want to Get
at the Facts.

Washington, Sept DEMONSTRATION
of the strike of steel workers with a
view to determining whether federal
remedial action is possible will be
made here by the senate labor COM
mittee.
Ebert II. Gary, chairman of the
board of the United States Steel cor
poration, and John Fitzpatrick, chair
man of the committee for the organlZa-
ton of the steel workers, were sum-
moned by telegraph to testify before
the committee Immediately after the
senate without a roll call adopted a
resolution by Senator Kenyon (Rep)
of Iowa, authorizing the inquiry.
Senator Kenyon, who is chairman of
the investigating committee, said a
quick inquiry was planned so that
report could be made to the senate
without delay.
Before the Kenyon resolution was
adopted Senator Thomas (Dem) of
Colorado, introduced one opposing
strikes and declaring that the senate
views with concern the labor situa-
ton. Senator Thomas announced that
he planned to make an address on the
resolution, which declares that man
has a constitutional right to follow
any calling and that the so-called
"closed shop" is "un-American and
detrimental to American freedom"
hn
cussed briefly. Several senators eX-
pressed concern over the general in
dustrial situation.
Skirmish in Industrial Warfare.
"This strike seems to be the first
skirmish in industrial warfare" said
Senator Kenyon. LET us face it and
find out the facts"
Publicity, Senator Kenyon and 9th
er members said, might be helpful.
The senator explained that his resolu-
ton was in the interest of neither the
employers nor the employees, but the
public.
The Kenyon resolution was Endorsed
by Senator Knox (Rep.) of PennSyl-
Norris Rep.) of Nebraska. Senator
Thomas said he did not oppose the in
vestigation, but doubted that it would
bring results. Senator Smith (Dem)
of South Carolina said he was con-
cerned that congress should be called
upon to fix industrial relations, believ-
ing it tended toward socialism.
Senator Knox said that If reports
that steel workers on strike were large
" foreign born were true, there should
be an investigation by congress to de-
termine the basis of the governments
policy in the future.
Senator Thomas said the refusal of
Mr.. Gary to receive representatives
of the workers was ''unjustified and
unwise," and that the strike was lone
of the developments that will put
American institutions to their supreme
test"
Foster Attacked in House.
While the senate was ordering its
inquiry, Representative Cooper (Rep0
of Youngstown, o., a steel center,
sharply criticized William 2. Foster.
secretary of the labor organization
committee, as an l. w. w. and extrem-
list and charged that both the Amer
lean Federation of Labor and similar
organizations were being dominated,
not by law-abiding citizens, but by
these radical so-called labor leaders,
who would overthrow our govern
ment."
Cooper and Foster had previously
been active in Europe as an American
agent for the i. w. w. and added that
Fosters writings in a pamphlet entj-
tied "Syndicalism" "show his unfitness
as a labor leader and disqualify him
for the name of an American citizen
and protection of the American flag"