Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1901 — STEEL WAR GOES ON. [ARTICLE]

STEEL WAR GOES ON.

STRIKE TO SPREAD TO ALL THE UNION MILLS. Greatest Labir Con eat in the World’s History Between the Steel Trust and Organized Workui. n—Both Sides Prepared for a I.o:ik Cot fl.ct. The hope of a speedy settlement of the steel strike, which was so strong, has come to naught. A week of conferences and of suspense left the contending parties farther apart than they were at the beginning. Mr. Morgan’s ultima-turn, which was not so favorable to the Amalgamated association as were tfie terms offered by the officials of the tinplate and sheet steel and steel hoop companies before the strike began, was rejected by the officers of the, association. There is to be no more negotiating, and the “uogs of war” are to be let loose. The greatest labor war in the history of the nation was inaugurated when the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers decided to measure its strength against the greatest combination of capital that the world ever saw — the $1,100,000,060 steel trust. “Tie up every mill of the United States Steel Corporation" is the order that went forth from the Advisory Committee, the workingmen's organization. Every member has been called uistn to aid in the struggle for the life of the union. It is essential that some, at least, of the closed mills which are controlled by the United States Steel corporation shall be opened. The present state of affairs suits admirably the indepei>lent concerns, which are now rushed with orders. The enforced holiday of their great conipetTtor is their time to make hay. That competitor cannot afford to let this go on. But when an attempt is made to open these mills there will be trouble, whatever efforts the officers of the Amalgamated association may make to avert it. Some of the members of that association are getting in bad temper. W’hat happened at Wellsville on Saturday is a plain enough indication of that. They have been idle now for a month and are beginning to feel the lack of wages. They will resent angrily the efforts which the steel companies will make to resume operations, and the acute, violent phase of a labor war will be reached in many places soon. J. Pierpont Morgan is aware of this and cannot take any pleasure in the prospect of impending tumults and riots, and possibly loss of life. He is aware, also, that the calling out of all the union men in the steel mills which are controlled by the United States Steel corporation will affect seriously its earning capacity for a time. It must earn a good deal of money to take care of its securities. The Carnegie works alone will fall far short of supplying the necessary amount. It is possibly, therefore, that Mr. Morgan-would ( have acceded to the modified demand made by the Amalgamated association and given it some nonunion mills but for the reasonable certainty that next year the association would ask for the unionizing of still more mills. It may have been Mr. Morgan’s conclusion that as there had to be a contest some time over the question whether the mills should be part union or all union, it was better to have it now and be done with it. If this is the case there is no reason to believe that he will yield, be the consequences what they may.. The strike has already been costly to the participants. One side has lost profits and the other wages. If the strike had ended lasj week neither side would have been seriously harmed. The continuance and the extension of the strike will entail heavy losses upon labor, while capital will not escape unscathed. At the same time the peace of many communities will be endangered, and the activity of a great industry and of scores of industries dependent upon it will be checked.