Evening star., 1938-08-11
Committee Only Permits
Steel Head to File
Prepared Remarks.
BRANDED INVESTIGATION
UNFAIR AND ONE.SIDED'
Crowds Fight Capitol Police to
Gain Admission to Hear
Testimony.
BACKGROUND

FOf many mOnthS, the Senate
Cipil Liberties Committee, headed
BY Senator La Toilette, has in
Quired into anti-union dctipities by
industry. In the spotlight recently
haze been the bloody clashes that
marked efforts in little steel" to
block unionisation by the Commit
tee on Industrial Organization,
headed by John L. LeUis. Particular
attention has been directed to the
Republic Steel Corp.
Rebuffed in initial efforts to read
q lengthy prepared statement at.
tacklng the Senate Civil Liberties
Committee and the c. I. O., Tom M,
Girdler. hard-spoken chairman of the
Republic Steel Corp, raped out brief
answers to the Senate committee to-
day on the working of the inner ma
chinery OF little steel"
This statement, which is being filed
with the committee, accused the prob
ers OF being unfair" charged the in
vestigation is ''one-sided" and in the
interest OF the Committee for Indus
trial Organization, and called for a
Senate investigation of violence and
intimidation" by the c. I. o. in the
little steel" strike last summer.
Fight for Admission.
Mr.. Girdlers appearance precipi-
tated one Of the widest scenes ever
enacted on Capitol Hill as hundreds
Of persons literally fought among
themselves and with Capitol police to
gain access to an overtaxed commit
tee room.
The session opened with a refusal
by Chairman La Toilette to allow Mr..
Girdler to read his prepared state
ment at the outset Of his appearance
on the stand. The chairman ex-
planned that others similarly had been
refused in the interests Of expediting
committee procedure, but added that
the witness would have opportunity to
place material in the record at the end
OF his appearance.
The request was made by r. F..
Patton. Republic counsel.
As the stocky steel executive strode
to the stand, movie and newspaper
cameras ground and flashed while
the overcrowded room buzzed with
half suppressed excitement.
Tells Of Connections.
Mr.. Girdler crossed his arms and
gazed ceilingward as he gave brief
and half-explosive answers to Senator
La Follette's questions about his back
ground in the steel industry, including
former connections with Jones g.
IAughlin.
From information gained at the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Chairman La Toilette placed in the
record charts showing the interlocking
connections of Republic, Youngstown
Sheet & Tube, Cliffs Corp. and the
Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.
Bridges and Holt Present.
Among those attending the session
were Senators Bridges of New Hamp-
shire and Holt Of West Virginia, out
spoken foes of the C. I. O.
After clearing away some of the
complicated background of the COM
ponent firms of the little steel"
group. Chairman La Toilette turned
to the question Of labor relations poll
cies.
Going back to Mr.. Girdler's one
time connection with the Aliquippa
plant of Jones & Laughlin. Chairman
La Toilette read a statement of Jones
& Laughlin policy of those days Of
the open shop and direct contact be-
tween management and men.
Under questioning as to how steel
labor policies since had changed, Mr..
Girdler remarked that some things
couldn't be done now that could then.
AS the spectators laughed, Senator
La Toilette raped sharply.
In 1919 you were commended if
you had close relations with your
men. Today it is considered an un-
fair labor practice" Mr.. Girdler con-
tinued.
THE main reason we didn't have
labor trouble at Aliquippa in 1919 was
because the men didn't want anything
to do with agitators."
Would you say the employees at
Icn. rYDNI ~ De-. AII