Evening star., 1920-01-02
Foreigners and Unfonism.

Another thing they believe, is that
foreigners of so many nationalities,
who are now accused of causing most
of the trouble, were deliberately
brought in by the employers in order
to make organization Impossible. The
difficulties in the way of unionizing
ignorant men. speaking twenty or
thirty different languages. are, of
course, almost insurmountable. But
the company denies this" said.
"Of course they do-but look at this
advertisement.
advertisement in the Pittsburgh Ga
zette-Times of July ID. 1909 (Which
also verified)
"Wanted-Sixty tin-house men, tin
ners catchers and helpers to work in
open shops; Syrians, Poles and Ru-
manians preferred; steady employ
ment and good wages to men willing
to work; fare paid and no fees
charged for this work.
They have most extraordinary
mixture of human being in Gary-the
Croatians and Poles leading with
large numbers of Greeks. SIovaks,
Russians, Swedes. Hungarians. Lat
terly the Spaniards have been coming
in. and since the war, and especially
since unionism began to threaten,
many ignorant negroes and Mexicans.
In the main mill at Gary over 1000
negroes are now employed.
l asked why it was, then. If this was
a strike for freedom, that so many
men had gone back.
Easy to Answer.
That's easy enough to answer. In
the first place the power and watch
fulness of the managers was such
that we never could form a very
strong union. How can you get ig-
norant Hungarians, Italians. Poles,
negroes and MexicanS together and
teach them the value of organiza tion
when the dread of the boss is always
over them2 And no sooner does, the
strike start than the military comes
in and prevents picketing and pre-
vents any large meetings. Many of
these foreigners are easily frightened
by soldiers; they've had experience at
teiligent men. who ought to be lead
ers. hold high paid places or are buy
ing company houses. or are getting
bonuses, or are working for pensions.
They know that if they. go out they
lose everything. Since this strike the
company has done its best to stir up
racial and national feeling between
the skilled American workers and the
negroes and foreigners. It's their cue
to keep US apart and disorganized So
it has got to be movement largely
made up of the unskilled laborers,
and they are foreigners. And there
you are. Oh, they know their bust
ness the steel Corporation. And
that's what has made wild radicals of
some of the foreigners; they don't
see any other way out except secret
organizations and revolution"
Another thing these workers believe
and believe everywhere in the steel
districts. as shown by the Senate in
vestigation-is that the government
is somehow against them; the gov
ernment meaning to many OF the for
eigners-for they know next to moth
ing at all of American institutions
the local police. l am not entering
into the question of whether they
are right or wrong. but trying to get
down what they actually believe or
feel for it is not upon what they
ought to believe and feel that they
act. but upon what they do believe
and feel Well. they believe that the
officials and constabulary are con-
trolled by the steel companies. In
Pennsylvania there is every evidence
of suppression. and even violent sup
preston by the constabulary Much
testimony was given before the Sen
ate committee to show that there is
no such thing in some of the steel
towns as free speech or free assem-
blage. The companies assert that this