The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-10-05
TELLS ABUSE OF
STEEL STRIKERS
Interchurch Commission of
Inquiry Reports On
Steel Strike
VIOLATION CIVIL
RIGHTS COMMON
Declare Steel Corporations InieIfered i'm
PoIitics-Public Authorities Prosecuted
Striiiers-Many Unwarrantcil Arrests
and Assaults by Police.

and Assaults by Police.
NEW YORK. oct. 1.-Two hundred
afiidavits charging violation of civil
rights through alleged acts of terrorism
by the authorities Of Western Pennsyi-
vania during the steel strike Of 1910.
We're. made public by the commission of
/ inquiry Of the interchurch world move
meut last night. !
These charges We're contained in a sup
Elementary report written by George
Soule. which gave the basis for the CONE
missions finding in its main inquiry that
/ the steel, strike made thousands of. t.iti-
zeHs believe that CIR institutions wire
not Democratic or rot demoerafically adj
lninistercd Pnd that local magistrates aud
police often tried 80 brealt2Stfi4es with
the aiibiof static AMI ,Ec,fs4aa , - uthoritf,ss
The "commis] htf' 'refh3rt declared that
the Steel COMPILATIONS actiyglYr engaged
in 'slq6al rglitiess' and dominated the lb-
cal governments. adding that the mot
mont any subordinate in the mill begins
actively 10 oppose the political machine.
he becomes Il marked man,
Often political candidates are them
selves members of the mill management.
the report added. having the power of
\ discharge. but in amy case the supern-
tcnacnts and forcmen take an active part
in cl"ctiOneeriug.
H There are. alWays. watchers from the
7 mill l0uu@lng about the rolls. The
Il chances of Corruption either through
threat or through bride. which are latent
I'm this possibility, are obviously large
Il In Short the. prestige and pawen ied
Il On" dominating industry Is So great that
I political opposition rarely grows beyond
, - An, nh.
residence in Pittsburgh declared that the
Etjnly thing that would make the steel
lWarker independent in politics was uu-
'oa capable Of protecting them from dis
charge"
The alIidavitS made public by the com
! mission deal with the alleged perSrca-
~ ton by public authorities of strikers in
: Pittsburgh. Braddock. Butler. Clarion.
lloHora. DuGucsne. FarreH Homestead.
IIohnStown. Mex eespOrt. Muuessen. New
II Castle. New Kensington. Natrona and
, | W1odlawn. Conditions We're c0ntrasted
!, / with conditions in Ohio and West Viz
g.nia, whore civil rights, it was stated.
were not denied and no violence attended
the strikers exercise of their rights.
s The commission said that the charges
4 brought against the state constabulary
c | dpDuty sheritfS. and company police in
Il aihdayitS and statements to its nveStiga-
$ tors, deal with the murder of men and
Z. women-Dne as he was in his own ward
= L -ttIlu inc q NbUlulHS VI HUnufttiS Oh
Q others: the clubbing of hundreds: the as
h saulting of men while they were lawfully
|. and peacefully pursuing eTrandS on tho
r streets, and of prisoners while they were
u locked up in their cells the arrcsting and
q holding of men and women for long ppr
s iods i'm the iails and police stations with
n ont proyocation aud even without definite
It charges being lodged against them; the
n excessive punishment melted out to these
d strikers By the different Justices of peace
4
IS discrimination Of the courts between
Is those who were at work and those who
s we're out on strike the frequent sur
: FENDER Of law and its administrations by
d public authorities to local company off
4 Gals.
q I'm a few towns the public officials
IS raade fiat denials of the charges of IN
q Warranted arrests and assaults. as wa,
+ done for example by the head Of the state
Y canstabulary at Braddocl to 4 member
! Of this commission: other officials such a
the sheriff and chief of police Of New
castle admitted that of about 100 person.
arrested during the first week of tn,
g strike Mt least 40 were held without bal
! MS suspicious persons and that thest
n ! would he held until tho strike is over
, ! house them. .,--
= tThc report found that denial Of III,
/ Fights of free speech and assembly t.
/ workingmcn was practiced in pennsyl
vania before the strike began. Loca
N regulations and state laws, it was stated
were such as to facilitate suppression b1
local authorities who in pennsylyani;
= steel towns. frequently were steel mil
officials as we'll The denials. it was as
K serted long before the strike were base,
4. an the reasoning that meetings woul,
IF lead to unions unions would lead t,
&c strikes, and strikes to violence: therefor
meetings should Nc prohibited
~, s
r. s
1t \ 37nBng man conducting his own cas-
fore the British House Of 1sords mad
l speech lasting more tliatr Seven DAY.