The Butler County press. [volume], July 30, 1937, Image 1

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Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—Offi
cials of the Republic Steel Corpora
tion believe that strikers and strike
sympathizers should be shot and club
bed without warning and without
mercy, according to 'testimony, at
hearings by the National Labor Re
lations Board on the complaint against
Republic Steel. Stanley W. Switter,
chief of police of Massillon, Ohio,
where one of the Republic plants is
situated, told how Carl Meyers, in
charge of the Canton-Massillon dis
trict for Republic, "kept pounding me
for weeks."
"He wanted to know why in hell
we didn't do like the police of Chi
cago did, and shoot the hoodlums
up."
Other Republic Steel officials, and
of course the Law and Order League
and the Chamber of Commerce joined
Carl Meyers in "turning on the heat."
In bringing out the "business men"
on their side, Republic officials had
a refrain which was almost set to
music, and ran in substance like this:
"If you let these hoodlums (the
strikers) run the town, the mill will
close. Then this town will be noth
ing but a junkshoy. It won't need a
mayor or a chief of police. It won't
need anything. It will be just a
prairie."
Apparently, a steel official doesn't
need to know the difference between
a junkheap and a prairie. The two
Smiths composed the NLRB for this
hearing J. Edwin Smith, chairman,
and Donald W. Smith, member. J.
Edwin Smith interrupted at this point.
"How many people are there in
Massillon?" he asked.
"I should say about 30,000," return
ed Chief Switter.
"How old is the town?" queried
Chairman Smith.
"About 110 years."
"Then it was there before the Re
public Steel plant came there?"
"Oh, yes."
The strike began on May 26 and
until July 7, Chief Switter and the
other public officials of Massillon held
out against following the example of
Chicago. Questions by the shrewd
young Laurence Hunt, who conducted
the examination for the board,
brought out that through all those
weeks of strike, there were fewer ar
rests for violence than in normal
limes.
"We arrested everybody against
whom a warrant was sworn out, or
anybody charged with violence in an
affidavit," declared the chief, and this
part of his testimony was not even
challenged. We were keeping the
peace, and high officials of the Na
tional Guard complimented us on the
way we were doing it."
He testified, too, that the strik
ers offered to tend the coke ovens,
so that the plant would not suffer
from the strike. This offer was re
fused.
He told how the Republic officials
offered him arms and ammunition,
and delivered to him—after dark and
out at the Brookside Country Club—
three sawed-off shotguns, six boxes
of shells, three tear gas guns and
ninety tear gas projectiles.
All this time, the Law and Order
League and Chamber of Commerce
were joining with Republic officials
in "turning on the heat" to make
Switter appoint special deputies from
a list presented by the Republic offi
cials. Switter held out till he had
gone four days and nights almost
without sleep, and then:
Steel Demands Police Shoot
Labor Board Hearing Reveals
CHICAGO MARKET CO.
Phone 5000
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"I said all right, I would appoint
the whole damned outfit," he said.
"I would give them everything they
wanted. I could see there would be
a battle and bloodshed as soon as
they put guns into those rookies'
hands.'
Four days later, July 11, violence
came. Two men were killed, more
than a score wounded, and 160 were
arrested without warrants and held
in jail, or in the county prison when
the jail became chock full.
KING CHARGES
HIGH COURT
Dodged Welfare Clause
Through 140 Years
Washnigton, D. C. (ILNS)—Judson
King, one of the greatest pamphlet
eers in North America, and always on
the liberal side, has issued a remark
able bulletin on "The Supreme Court
and the General Welfare." He gives
a sketch of the neglect and distortion
of the "general welfare" clause of
the constitution and a good though
briew review of a remarkable book
written on that subject by Dr. Jumes
F. Lawson, who shows that the su
preme court did not rule on the gen
eral welfare clause for 140 years!
And in the clause giving congress
power to promote the general wel
fare, both Lawson and King find the
authority for the whole New Deal pro
gram, including the president's court
plan.
But Mr. King's discussion of the
good done by the public interest in
government, roused more by Roose
velt than by any other man in Amer
ica, is worth quoting.
"As never before," says Mr. King,
"the masses are thinking, not in sec
tional but in national terms. They
are beginning to understand the inter
dependence of farmers, of wage earn
ers, of clerical, professional and finan
cial classes upon each other. The
sentiment of justice to all is displac
ing the sentiment of charity to the
'less fortunate.'
"For the first time in over half a
century, the White House has spoken
(on the court question) the president,
with rare courage, has clearly analyz
ed the situation. Discussion is rami
fied throughout the body politic from
high places to the lowest hamlet
the masses also know what it is all
about. Said a mechanic to me this
morning, 'I have long ago made up
my mind that the judges are a bunch
of dictators.' Said another, 'I think
500 men (congress) ought to know
as much what the constitution means
as nine men."'
50,000 Drivers
On Wage Strike
Detroit, Mich. (ILNS)—Intrastate
trucking came to a vertual standstill
in Michigan when nearly 50,000 driv
ers and helpers abandoned 8,000 ve
hicles in terminals to strike for higher
wages. The strike spread rapidly to
all parts of the state. All shipments
except those of gasoline and perish
ables, were halted. The strike was
called by the International Brother
hood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Sta
blemen and Helpers after negotiations
for higher pay collapsed.
Cane Sugar—
25-lb. bag $1.27
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HEAT, WILL
VA
(By Ohio Labor News Service)
Dayton, Ohio.—Lashing out in bit
ter denunciation of John L. Lewis and
his CIO cohorts, Louis G. Hines, di
rector of organization for the Amer
ican Federation of Labor, brought the
more than 500 delegates and visitors
attending the 53rd annual convention
of the Ohio State Federation of La
bor to their feet cheering as he spoke
Monday as the official representative
of President William Green and the
A. F. of L.
Events at the convention, the larg
est held in years despite the recent
ousting of 67 local unions who had
cast their lot with the CIO, proceed
ed at a rapid, interesting pace that
held thfe attention of the delegates
throughout its week-long course.
During his dynamic address, Organ
ization Director Hines declared that
John L. Lewis was only titular head
of the CIO that the executive com
mittee of the communist party in
America was the directing force back
of his organization.
He described Heywood Broun, pres
ident of the American Newspaper
Guild, as the man "who is providing
the comedy relief for the CIO," and
declared that Broun had disqualified
himself as the leader of the newspa
permen's organization.
His statements that President Green
would continue to uphold majority
rule in the American Federation of
Labor as long as he is its president,
and that the A. F. of L. was meeting
the challenge of the CIO with a sea
soned organization force of 225 men
and would continue the fight until the
other fellow" wants to make peace,
brought prolonged cheers from his
listeners.
Among the resolutions presented
during the first day of the convention
were ones urging the federation to re
affirm its favorable stand for a leg
islature consisting of one house op
posing the appointment or judges
urging legislation modifying restric
tions now in force on outside signs
advertising brands of beer and liquor
opposting the incorporation of un
ions recognizing the United Gar
ment Workers' label as the only bona
fide union label in wearing apparel,
and urging President Roosevelt and
congress to appropriate funds to con
tinue work relief, and asking Gov
ernor Davey to call a special session
of the legislature to provide funds
for direct relief.
Spencer Miller, Jr., director, Work
ers' Education Bureau of America,
delivered another of his vitally inter
esting and informing addresses to the
convention Monday afternoon.
He declared that labor must give
considerable thought to the situation
with which it is confronted, and that
democracy within the house of labor
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mE BUTLER COUNTY PRESS.
VOL. XXXVII. No. 17 HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1937 ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
HEV, SOL, OLD
PAL— TURN OFF
SOME O' THAT
CIO Bitterly Denounced By American Federation
of Labor Director Hines
How About It, Sol?
itate Labor Meet Sets
New Convention Record
must be extended if it is to forestall
incorporation.
President Michael J. Lyden, in his
annual report, eulogized Secretary
Treasurer Thomas J. Donnelly for
his sterling work in seuring the en
actment of 42 pieces of labor legisla
tion during the 92nd general assembly,
a feat which President Lyden de
clared placed Secretary Donnelly in
a class by himself among the legis
lative agents in the country.
The address of Judge Stanley Stru
ble, of the court of commonpleas at
Cincinnati, was broadcast by a Day
ton radio station Tuesday afternoon.
Judge Struble spoke in opposition to
the plan to appoint judges instead
of them being elected by the voters.
Also on the speaker's program of
the convention were Will T. Blake,
labor member of the Ohio industrial
commission Will T. Roberts, labor
member of the unemployment com
pensation commission Ora B. Chap
man, director, department of indus
trial relations Thomas P. Kearns,
superintendent of the division of
safety and hygiene of the industrial
commission, and other labor leaders
and public officials.
Three well-known members of or
ganized labor in Ohio were promi
nently mentioned as candidates for
the position of sixth vicepresident of
the federation, succeeding G. W. Sav
age, who was automatically removed
from office when his union, a local of
the United Mine Workers, was ousted
in the purge of CIO unions.
They were Alfred T. Murphy, sec
retary of the Lima Central Labor
Union and general organizer for the
American Federation of Labor T. P.
Caniff, Steubenville, member of the
Moving Picture Operators' Union, and
Arnold Bill, secretary of the Ohio
Carpenters' Union conference.
Lima and Cincinnati were reported
bidding for the 1938 convention of the
federation as the annual meeting
opened.
Fourth Vice President John E. Brei
denbach presided at the opening cere
monies as president of the Dayton
Central Labor Union, and at their
completion turned the gavel over to
President Lyden, who conducted the
regular business of the convention.
MILL CLOSES TO
"STARVE WORKERS'
McComb, Miss. (ILNS)—The Ber
thadale Textile Mill has been defin
itely closed by W. L. Landau, presi
dent of the corporation, in order to
starve employes into submission fol
lowing collapse of negotiations be
tween the management and union offi
cials over a requested seniority rule.
Approximately 140 employes are
idle.
1
NEW ORLEANS MILL
CLOSES IN DISPUTE
New Orleans (^LNS)—Pty'sidlent
W. L. Landau announced the indefinite
closing of the Berthadale Mills tex
tile plant here following collapse of
negotiations between the management
and union officials over a requested
seniority rule. Approximately one
hundred employes are idle.
Kn
HUM
STARTS TODAY
Furniture, Rugs
Linoleums, Stoves
A. F. OF L.
Union Wins Iron Company
Election
Toledo, Ohio (AFLNS)—By a vote
of 343 to 252 the American Federa
tion of Labor defeated the committee
for industrial organization here in an
election conducted by the National
Labor Relations Board at the Inter
lake Iron Corporation.
The result gives the Blast Furnace
and Coke Oven Workers, an A. F. of
L. affiliate, sole bargaining rights
with the company.
The election was held following a
hearing held in May at the request of
the Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers, a CIO group,
which claimed a majority in the plant.
Andrew A. Mayer, N.L.R.B. attor
ney, conducted the election. Of 623
eligible to vote, 596 ballots were cast,
one being thrown out. Interest in the
election was tense, for while the polls
were open until 6 p.m., by noon 517
had voted. I. E. Moore and A. Fazo
kes acted as observers for the blast
furnace workers.
Francis J. Dillon, general organizer
in charge of the Toledo office for the
A. F. of L., contended at the hearing
that an election was not necessary
and claimed the evidence showed that
the blast furnace men had the ma
jority. The result of the election
proves his contention.
Steel Workers
Back at Work
East Chicago, Ind. (ILNS)—Steel
workers returned quietly and without
challenge to their jobs in Youngs
town Sheet and Tube Company mills
here under terms of the "truce" an
nounced by Gov. M. Clifford Town
send. The men entered the plants at
midnight to restore fires in the fur
naces. The regular day-shift was call
ed in at 8 a. m. Company officials
said they hoped to have the normal
force of 7,000 working within a few
days.
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