New-York tribune., 1919-10-20
City Unions in Pittsburgh
Accede to Conservatives;
Even Radicals Fear Walk
out Would Prove Failure
City Councilmen Attacked
Prevent Labor Case Hearing
and Are Marked for Po-
liiical Defeat at Meeting
Staff Correspondence

StdfJ Correspondence
PITTSBURGH, Oct 19-Signs of re-
luctance to take the initiative in gen.
eral strike were shown by city con-
vention of trade unionists held here
today, when il contented itself with
thanking the State Federation o. La
| Dor for calling meeting in Pitts
! burgh for November ] and to con-
slider the steel strike situation, as re-
quested by the Central Labor Union Of
Pittsburgh. 1t had been expected that
the convention would adopt fiery reso-
lutions in favor Of a general strike.
The mildness of the action taken is
ttr b"ted tN tne influence of the con-
servative element in organized labor
hereabouts which usually does not as
sert itself until the eleventh hour. II
| is also reported that some of the most
radical local labor leaders, who would
welcome a general strike ordinarily.
are convinced that this is not an OPP
portuno time for one which means
that they think it would be 81 failure.
To-day's convention was made up Of
the council of the Central Labor Union,
the executive council of the Bui ding
Trades, and the local association of
Railway Brotherhood men. OF the 225
members of the Central Labor Union
some siXtyfve or seventy-tive are So
cialists or other sort of radicals and
they are ordinarily about the only ones
who attend meetings, and so have the
control until the conservative element
turns out.
The convention adopted resolution
denounclng the action of the four city
councilmen who opposed and prevented
hearing by the city council of the
complaints Of the strikers against the
police authorities and pledged itself to
Isave nothing Endone to prevent any
Of these men from ever holding pub
lie Office III this community again.
Another resolution calls upon the
labor group OF the industrial confer
cnce now meeting in Washington to
insist that there be no compromise as
10 the right of labor to organize in
trade and labor unions" and that ali
OF labor's rights be granted and in
sisted upon and others secured and
that unless all demands arc granted
the labor group agree to nothing else"
Instructions were given that this res
oution be telegraphed to the labor
representatives in the conference.
The convention called upon the
United States Steel Corporation to per-
NIT q committee of ten labor repre-
sentatives to make q tour Of the mills
to ascertain for themselves the truth
},
in view of conflicting statements as to
the number OF men working in them,
The "whcreases" Of this resolution i'm
, piled that organized labor was entitled
to the same privileges Of inspection as
| the United States Senate.
Complying with a request Of ". B.
Rubin, counsel for the national com
mittee in charge of the strike, the
convention petitioned Governor Sproul
i IN M o;nl t>
convene d special grand jury to nvesti-
gate, first, the killing of Fannie Sell
Inns; second, the presentation OF cases
against the strikers; third, the con-
duct of local authorities and the state
constabuiary relative to the strike;
fourth, eXtravagant expenditures for
the "subsidizing Of information" and
the spreading of false and calumnious
statements in regard to the strike;
fifth, the action of the City Council in
refusing to hold a hearing regarding
the strike
AS the strike enters its fifth week it
presents no marked change. Whether
by return Of some of the strikers or by
enlistment Of new men the mills con-
tinue slowly to gain, although there are
q few in this district that have not been
able to resume at all. This week is
expected to show marked gains for the
SttSi SOtlpduiGS III tuOSc QlSlTlClS WncTC
the strikers so far have held the upper
hand - Youngstown, Johnstown, Gary
South Chicago, Wheeling, Cleveland, etc
Public interest is now turning TOWARD
the threatened strike Of soft Goa
miners, which is here regarded as in
evitablc, and which. it is thought, may
have profound effect on the outcome
oi the steel strike.
According to production figures fol
the Homestead p ant of the Carnegi
Steel Company, given out to- night, 35,
600 tons of ingots were rolled Their
last week as against high water mari
of $4,000 tons during the war, whel
the mills were driven to their limit
According to the company 940O mel
worked in the Homestead mills las
week. Twenty-Five hundred striker
are still out, but they are returning a
the rate of fifty to 100 day. Produc
ton at the Duquesne plant is given a
practically normal, though it suffer
somewhat from shortage Of common
labor IN about the same degree as be
fore the strike. The normal force i
between 5,400 and $500. There wcr
few less than $500 on the rolls las
week.
I-s Tyl