Evening star., 1938-03-11
PLEDGE TO STRIKE
FUND TOLD QUIZ
Banker at Johnstown Says
Bethlehem Steel Aide
Promised S25, 1000.
BY JOHN c. HENRY.

tVsIuoSA V6SsSSSs
BY JOHN c. HENRY.
The Bethlehem Steel Co. pledged
$4,000 to the support of the Johns
town Citizens Committee on behalf
Of law and order" during a strike in
their plant last June, the Senate Civil
Liberties Committee was told today by
Francis c. Martin, banker and chair
man OF the citizens group.
The pledge was made, Mr.. Martin
said, by Sidney Evans. Bethlehem Of
fetal, at meeting of the Executive
Committee of the vigilante organiza-
tion on June l6. The strike was called
by the Committee for Industrial Or
ganization at IL pm. on the 18th.
The Bethlehem contribution, the
soft-spoken banker continued, was
handled principally by Fulton I. Con-
nor. city counsel and first treasurer
Of the Citizens Committee.
Minister Testifies.
Curling his arms over his head to
avoid being photographed, the Rev.
John H. Stanton, one Of the or
ganizers Of the Citizens Committee
and pastor of the Westmont Presby-
terian Church Of Johnstown. followed
Mr. Martin to the stand to testify
that mis- own inquiries among the
Bethlehem workers convinced him that
only small minority were in favor Of
the strike
MY heart is with the laboring man i"
Mr.. Stanton said, but here was a
strike that was breaking the rules of
strike
Mr.. Stanton, whose membership in
the Chamber of Commerce was held
through the Pennsylvania Electric
Co., subsidiary of the Associated Gas
q Electric Co., told of hearing Of
numerous instances of coercion and
violence by the strikers between June
ii and June 13. when he took the
initiative in rallying the Johnstown
citizens into their committee organiza-
ton.
Mr. Stanton said the strikers had
stated their objective to be to force
the company to sign q contract, but
admitted he did not ask Bethlehem
oflcials, with whom he conferred on
Sunday. why they would not sign such
a contract.
Mayors Attitude Praised.
The clergyman described the atti-
tude of Mayor Dan j. Shields as very
fine and fair"
Rising Indignantly to afrrm his
claims of violence. the tall clergyman
termed as most preposterous and
absurd the testimony yesterday of
former Sheriff Michael j. DOYLE that
the only violence was that of Mayor
Shields and the Citizens Committee.
For Sheriff Boyle to testify here
he saw no violence is perfectly ridicu-
lous," he said, shaking his finger at
Senator La Toilette.
II saw violence with my own eyes,
lots of it."
Il asked Mr.. Allen and Mr.. Burke.
committee investigators, Why don't
you investigate both sides of this
case? Why don't you investigate some
OF the instances of violence?'"
The clergyman said he had been
"too busy at the time to supply fur
ther information to the investigators
or prepare documentary material for
the Senate Committee.
Questioned About Advertisement.
Senator La Toilette here called Mr..
Martin and Lawrence w. Campbell,
secretary of the Citizens Committee,
to the stand with Mr.. Stanton for
questioning about an advertisement
Of June "A entitled I'VE Protest"
BY that time Gov. Earle had issued
his order closing the plant to prevent
possible violence and the advertise
ment was part of campaign by the
citizens group, Mr.. Martin testified,
ito inform the people Of this country
what had been done by the Common
wealth's Governor"
The advertisement spoke of a $780,
900 weekly pay roll loss to Johnstown
because of "a totally unnecessary strike
and the political maneuvers of an am
bilious Governor"
Appearing only briefly yesterday
Mr. Martin, who was chair
man Of the Citizens Committee, and
Mayor Shields listened through the
afternoon session as q Johnstown
rabbi and former sheriff Of Cambria
County denounced the Citizens Com
mittee as q union busting and strike.
breaking organization.
Alien Purposes Alleged.
Most effective of the denunciations,
probably, was that Of the youthful
Rabbi Abram M. Granowitz, himself
one Of the original members Of the
committee, who testified that he left
it only few days after its formation
when 1t became obvious it had three
purposes foreign to the stated objec-
tives on which 1t was formed. The
abortive purposes, he said, were (1) to
get the strikers back to work by any
means, (2) to break the strike and
(3) to break the union. ~
Among several incidents which he
cited in substantiation Of his estima-
ton Of the associations improper
functioning was the invitation to
Representative Hoffman, Republican,
1 Mehinn TO come to Johnstown Tor