Harrisburg telegraph. (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, September 25, 1919, Image 1

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    Strike Lenders Demand u Constitutional Rights of Workers Be Upheld by Federal Government"
LXXXVIII— NO. 224 16 PAGES Dai,^ft x t p lt S t U Unh n e d p y o.t^ o n ffl" e tt a Hr e r c i°.bS u " HARRISBURG, PA. THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 25, 1919. on &WSPAPE£ si T?VO CENTS* HOME EDITION
11 DECENT JUSTICE" IS DEMANDED OF
U. S. GOVERNMENT BY STEEL STRIKERS
CONGRESS TOLD
CONFERENCE WILL
NOT END STRIKE
Fitzpatrick Declares on Stand Men Are
Going to Press Advantage; Labor's
Day; Employers' Turn When
Gary Is Called
SPECIFIC ADVANTAGES ARE
CLAIMED BY BOTH SIDES
With no radical change reported in the actual strike centers,
interest in the great struggle in the steel industry shifted to-day
to Washington, where the labor committee of the Senate opened
an investigation with the avowed intention of discovering "if the
situation in any way can be relieved by Federal action." It was
labor's day in court, for the first witness called was John Fitz
patrick. chairman of the National Steel Workers' committee. The
employers' turn will come next Wednesday, when Elbert H. Gary,
chairman of the board of directors of the United States Steel Cor
poration, will present the case for capital.
Lay Bare Causes
It is the expressed hope of the committee that the investigation
will lay bare the underlying causes of the struggle which is
threatening the economic interests of the nation. The commit
tee also is expected to probe charges, made on the floor of the
Senate and elsewhere, that more sinister motives are involved
than the ostensible one of the right of the workers to organize.
Demand "Decent Justice"
Mr. Fitzpatrick declared early in his testimony that even the
consent of the steel corporation's officials to meet the union rep
resentatives would not now end the strike. He asserted the
strikers intended to demand "decent justice" from the "United
States government."
As far as actual conditions on the battle line were concerned
the most important definite news came from the Chicago dis
trict, where both sides claimed specific and significant advan
tages. Steel corporation officials announced that the steel and
slab mills of the corporation at Gary would resume partial opera
tions to-day, the most extensive resumption claimed in the dis
trict since the strike was declared. Offsetting this, 195 steam
engineers employed in the Illinois Steel Company's plant in the
same town were called out by their local, raising again the possi
bility of a general strike by this most important branch of the
workers.
Both Sides Claim Gains
In the Mahoning \ alley district of Ohio the complete paraly
sis of the industry achieved by the strikes continued and the suc
cess on the Ohio sector was emphasized by the closing of the
plant of the Bar Mill Empire Rolling Company, with the exception
of the sheet mill department, which employes onlv 500 men.
This department is the only mill now operating in Cleveland.
But the issue in the great Pittsburgh area, where both sides
concede the battle must be lost or won remains uncertain. Cor
poration officials again asserted to-day that strikers were re
turning to work, admitting that the number was rtot large but
terming it "steady." These claims were, as usual, disputed by the
strike leaders. W. Z. Foster, secretary of the strike committee,
called the situation "better than ever" and predicted interesting
developments within a few days. He declined to be more specific.
Farrell. Pa., where the first bloodshed occurred in the sporadic
rioting which marked the beginning of the struggle, tvas again
the scene of a fatality to-day. A Serbian was shot and killed bv a
State trooper during the search of a house suspected of being a
sniping post from which shots had been fired at a steel plan. &
By .Associated Press,
Washington, Sept. 25.—Even should the United States Steel
Corporation consent to meet representatives of the men, the na
tion-wide strike of steel workers could not now be called off,
in the opinion of John Fitzpatrick. chairman of the strikers' com
mittee. as expressed to-day at the opening of the Senate Labor
committee's investigation of the strike.
"The 350.000 on strike." Fitzpatrick declared, "are going to
demand from the United States government justice—decent&jus
tice."
Fitzpatrick I .ate
Senate investgation of the nation
wide strike of steel workers to de
termine whether remedial action can
be taken by the Federal Government
was opened to-day with John Fitz
patrick, chairman of the union com
mittee. conducting the strike as the
first witness before the Education
and Labor Committee.
Fitzpatrick was late in arriving
from Pittsburgh. He was accom
panied by Wiliam H. Rubin, counsel
for the steel strikers, who, at the
outset of the hearing, asked what
assurance had been given by Judge
Elbert H. Gary, chairman of the
board of the United States Steel
Corporation, that he would appear
before the committee next Wednes
day.
Senator Kenyon replied that Judge
Gary had telephoned him that he
r ould be present Wednesday and
added that "until that time we will
not question his being here."
Rubin requested that the com
mittee place in the record corres
pondence between Joseph P. Tumulty
I THE WEATHEff!]
HarrlahurK and Vicinityi Fair to
night. Friday and probably Sat
urday. Somewhat cooler Satur
day.
Eastern Pennsylvania! Fair to
night. Friday and probably
Saturday. .Moderate to freah
west and northwest winds.
Itlveri The Susquehanna river
and all Its branches will rail
slowly or remain stationary. A
stage of about 3.3 feet Is in
dicated for Harrisburg Friday
morning.
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
secretary to the President; Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor, and Chairman
Fitzpatrick. regarding efforts to post
pone the strike. Senator Kenyon
asked Rubin to read the telegrams
and letters, which already have been
published.
Reviews Labor Conditions
Fitzpatrick opened his statement
with what he said was a brief his
tory of labor conditions in the steel
industry.
"With the creation of the steel
corporations, a campaign was be
gun with the object of pushing or
ganized workers out of the mills,"
he said. "A great sum of money,
I don't know whether it was $2,000,-
000 or $20,000,000 was appropriated.
In recent years labor has begun to
realize the tremendous importance
of the steel industry and its in
fluence on other industries.
"While we were getting the eight
hour day and better working condi
tions elsewhere, the steel mills still
operated with very long hours and
with wages below the proper line.
Labor understood then the necessity
of organizing the steel industry for
the purpose of controlling its ef
fects on the others, and at the last
two conventions of the Federation of
Labor the step was authorized."
Fitzpatrick said representatives of
24 international unions, affiiated with
the American Federation of Labor,
met in Chicago, about a year ago
and affected a campaign committee
to organize the steel workers Sam
uel Gompers was elected chairman
and Wiliam Z. Foster, secretary.
Men and money, the witness said,
were assembled, but funds were so
limited that the initial organization
efforts were confined to the Calumet
[Continued on Page 2.]
Taking All the Pleasure Out of the Trip
j
THE MIXAOt CUTUPS
NEW YEAR'S DAY
USHERED IN BY
JEWISH PEOPLE
Prepare For Yom Kippur
With Services in Every
Synagogue
I At sundown last evening in all
! parts of the world began the cele
bration of the New Year Kosh
Hashanah which marks the year
! 5650 in the Hebraic calendar. It is
the first day of Tishri, the seventh
month of the Jewish ecclesiastical
year, and the first in the civil year,
which in English means "Head of
the Year."
Tishri is considered by the ortho
dox Jews the most important month
because of fne fact that Yom Kip
pur, or the Day of Atonement, and
Succoth. the Festival of Tabernacles,
also fall in its span. The celebra
tion, during which no work except
that necessary for charity or the
poor is done, lasts for forty-eight
hours.
Some of the Jews of liberal ten
dencies will celebrate only the first
twenty-four hours, but services will
be held at all of the synagogues.
The ten days which elapse between
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
are considered of importance by all
Jews, both orthodox and liberal, and
are observed as days of preparation i
for the Day of Atonement, which i
is considered the most sacred day in i
the calendar.
Special Service
In the ushering in of the New j
Year at Ohev Sholom synagogue in ]
North Second street, last evening, I
Rabbi Louis Haas preached a strong
[Continued on Page 9.]
Bomb Kills Three and
Injures Four When House
Is Blown to Pieces
By Associated Press
Batavia, N. Y., Sept. 25. —A bomb]
killed three persons, injured four'
and wrecked the two-story dwelling j
of Carlo Trimarchi here early to-!
day. Trimarchi, a restaurant
keeper, had recently received three
threatening letters.
The dead are Joseph Battagli, his
wife and two-year-old son. Trimar
chi. his wife and two small sons,
were injured. The Battagli family
lived upstairs and the Trimarchi
family downstairs.
The house was literally blown to
pieces. The rear end of the house
next door was wrecked and windows
in the vicinity were shattered.
The neighbors claim that they
heard two revolver shots. A man
was seen running away from the
scene shortly after the shots were
heard.
81k J&ac-Jn&epen&fM.
TREATY ISSUE
CLEARLY DRAWN,
WILSON SAYS
Question Squarely Facing the
Nation Is Whether U. S.
Would Keep Pledges
Denver, Sept. 25. Declaring the
, issue in the Peace Treaty discussion
■at last had been "clearly drawn,"
j President said in an address
here to-day that the question
' squarely facing the nation was
whether the United States would
keep its pledges to help guaiantee
| the peace of the world.
Cheyenne, Wyo., Sept. 25. —Read-
ing again the proposed Senate res
! creation to article ten of the League
| Covenant President Wilson declared
[in an address here to-day that
should any such reservation be
adopted he would "be obliged as
chief executive to regard it as a re
jection of tne Treaty."
The President added that reject
ion of the Treaty would mean nego
tiation of a separate peace with
Germany, and asserted that such a
negotiation could not change a
single item of the peace settlement.
Recalling Japan's promise to re
turn to China all sovereign rights in
Shantung, the President said the
only thing retained by the Tokio
government would be economic
rights Ruch As other pations hold.
He said the United States had no
right to doubt that promise. He i
characterised as "empty noise" the I
professions of friendship for China
made by those who want the Treaty
to fail.
Turning to the League Covenant,
the President said the question of
whether the heart of the League
Covenant was to be cut out soon
must come to a "show down." It I
would mean the vitiation of the i
whole plan, he asserted, if the na- j
tlon were to adopt reservations to i
article ten as proposed in the Sen
ate.
One by one, said he, the other ob- i
Jectlons to the Covenant had been '
disposed of. To all "candid minds," i
he asserted, it now was apparent
that the Monroe doctrine was fully
protected, that there was no super
government set up and that no dan
ger was to be feared from the
"speaking parts," given to the Brit
ish dominions in the League as
sembly. The withdrawal objections,
he added, was another "bugaboo"
that had been dispelled.
Thus, continued Air. Wilson, the
whole discussion had settled down
upon article ten. under which the j
members agree to preserve one an
other's territorial Integrity against
aggression. He declared this cut at
the "tap root of war" because near
ly all wars started from aggressions
against those unable to defend them
selves.
!WAR CAMP WORK
TO BE STOPPED
SEPTEMBER 30
| Community Service' Which
| Did Much For Soldiers and
Civilians Comes to End
The work of War Camp Com
munity Service, which has been go
; ing on in Harrisburg since Decem
i ber 16, 1918, will come to an end
here September 30, it was announced
to-day by C. H. Jackson, the na
tional W. C. C. S. representative in
this locality. William Jennings has
been the chairman, and W. Grant
Rauch, the treasurer of the local
committee, and much of the success
of the work has been due to the co
operation of these gentlemen. The
activities of the national organiza
tion are being cut down everywhere
with the passing of the emergency
which led to the organization of the
hospitality of Harrisburg and more
than 600 other American communi
ties on behalf of the soldiers, sailors
and marines, under the auspices of i
War Camp Community Service.
This place has been one of the
centers of actf.ity for War Camp
Community Service since the local
committee was formed to carry on
[Continued oil Page 7.]
Government Food Arrives,
but Not Enough to Start
Deliveries to Local Buyers
The postmaster announced to- j
day that several shipments of sur
plus food had been received, but
not a sufficient quantity to start de
liveries. It Is expected that by the
end of the week the most of the j
orders will have been received, thus :
making it possible to begin deliv- )
eries. After to-day no further or
ders will be taken.
The delay in receiving this food
Is due to the congestion in the War :
Department's zone office as a result
of so many orders being received,
the post office says, but it is hoped
that the matter will be satisfac
torily adjusted within the next- few
days. The Post Office Department is
ready to fulfill its part of the con
tract Just as soon as the goods are
received from the zone supply office
at Philadelphia. The demand has
been heavy for certain articles and
it is possible that money will have
to be refunded in some instances
due to this fact. The zone supply
officer has assured the postmaster,
however, that his orders will be
filled In so far as It Is possible to
do so. Every effort is being made
to get the largest possible for this
city.
DOCTORS INVITE
PUBLIC TO HEAR
FLU DISCUSSION
Prominent Physicians Sug- :
gesting Better Means of
Combating Epidemic
I
MOVIES ARE BEING USED
Sparing No Effort to Acquaint
People With Forms of
Dread Malady
The general public is invited to
attend the two closing meetings of
the State Medical Society, which
will be of interest to everyone. The
first one is being held this afternoon
at the Penn-Harris, beginning at 2
o'clock, and the second one will be
gin this evening in the same place
I at .8 o'clock.
The meeting this afternoon was
devoted to a discussion of the tiu
epidemic, and included various ways
of combatting it. Some of the best
known physicians in this part of the
country will discuss the question,
and offer their methods of treat
ment. Members of the Civic Club
and all who are interested at all in
the practice of medicine will be
present.
Dr. T. Casper Gilchrist, of the
Johns Hopkins University in Balti
more, will be one of the speakers at
this meeting. Moving pictures will
illustrate parts of the addresses.
Other speakers will be Thomas G.
Simonton, Lawrence Litchfield and
-Evan William Meredith, all of
Pittsburgh; Prank F. D. Record, of
Harrisburg, associate chief at the
base hospital in Camp Devens, and
among those discussing the papers
will be Major George R. Mottitt, of
this city.
To Show First Aid
This evening at 8 o'clock in the
ballroom of tne Penn-Harris there
will be a practical demonstration of
first aid work by the team of the
Be 11 Telephone Company in this
city. Major M. J. Shields, tield rep
resentative of the American Red
Cro6s; Francis D. Patterson, Harris
burg. and others will speak.
Meetings this morning included the
Section on Medicine, which met
with the Section in Surgery in the
ballroom of the Penn-Harris at 'J
o'clock; the Section on Eye, liar,
Nose and Throat diseases in the Sen
ate Caucus room; and the Section on
Pedriatics in Parlor C of the hotel.
The meeting in the ballroom this
morning was a symposium on dis
eases of the gastro-intcstinal tract.
The opening address was made by
David Riesman. of Philadelphia, who
spoke on the diagnosis of cholecys
titis and gallstone. He was follow
ed by Dr. Henry K. Pancoast, Phila-
[Continued on Page 2.]
Operators and Miners'
Representatives Seek to
Avert Strike Nov. 1
By Associated Press•
Buffalo, N. Y., Sept. 25.—With a
j general strike of soft coal miners in
; the United States set tentatively for
i November 1, operators and repre
sentatives of the men met here to
! day in an effort to avert it by reach
| ing an agreement on questions of
1 wages, working hours and working
j conditions.
The report of the scale committee,
, presented at the meeting of the
United Mine Workers of America
at Cleveland this week, includes de
mands for a flat increase in wages of
sixty per cent, a six-hour day, five
days a week, with time and a-half
I for overtime and double time for all
l work on Sundays and holidays.
Any agreement reached at the
j scale conference here must be sub
mitted for ratification to an ad-
I journed meeting of the United Mine
| Workers' convention at Indianapolis.
Man Is Acquitted of
Killing Man He Saw
Kissing His Wife
Special to the Telegraph.
Sunbury, September 25. Paul D.
Bailey was this afternoon acquitted
on a charge of murder. The Jury
was out one hour and fifteen min
utes, and and when f he verdict was
announced there were wild scenes
it: the court room, prolonged cheers
being given the defendant. The ver
dict was brought in at 1.20 this af
ternoon.
Baily was charged with shooting
William Sassaman on May 30 last.
Bailey testified that when he re
turned from work he met Sassaman
and his wife, sitting on the front
steps at the Bailey home. Sassaman,
Bailey alleged had his arm around
Mrs. Bailey's neck and was kissing
her. The husband drew a revolver
and shot Sassaman. .
Memorial Bridge Bids
to Be Let Next Week
Thomas M. Templeton, superin
tendent of Public Grounds and
Building announced to-day that the
bids for the new Memorial Bridge
at State street would be let Monday
or Tuesday and that work would be
started thereafter as soon as pos
sible.
FIRE SWEEPS PLANT
By Associated Press.
Pittsburgh, Pa., Sept. 25.—Four
storage buildings, a pattern shop
and five tank cars of gasoline were ]
destroyed in a fire at 'the plant of
the Pittsburgh Model Engine Com
pany, at Homewood, near here,
this morning. The loss is estimated
at $200,000. The fire followed the
explosion of a car of gasoline from
an undetermined cause. Two alarms
were turned in.
HONOR TO HEROIC
DEAD
THE committee arranging for
the welcome home to-day
urged Harrlsburgers to send
in the names of the Harrisburs
men who died in service during
the World War. It now has 115
of these names, and at the me
morial services, Sunday after
noon, will award posthumous
medais of honor to the families
of the men. Without the name
of every man, and the address of
his survivors, the ceremony will
fail to honor a'l of Harrisburg's
heroic dead. To-day -the com
mittee called upon every Harris
burger to send or bring to the
Chamber of Commerce otfioes the
names of the dead heroes, if they
have not yet been registered.
MEDALS FOR MEN
DIED IN WAR TO
BE GIVEN BY CITY
Impressive Service to Be Held
For Heroes Sunday
Afternoon
Posthumous medals will be award
ed to the families of more than 100
Harrisburg boys who died in service
during the war, at the open air
memorial service and welcome home
demonstration on the Island next
Sunday afternoon, as a part of the
welcome home observances in honor
of the veterans, nurses and welfare
workers of the Harrisburg district.
The committee has the names of
115 of those dead heroes, and will
notify their families that medals will
be awarded to one member from
each family. Sunday afternoon. A
memorial address will be made by
the Rev. Henry W. A. Hanson, fol
lowed by the lowering of the flag,
sounding of taps by buglers, and
the singing of an appropriate selec
tion by a double quartet.
Send in Names
In order that every man who died
during the war might be fittingly
commemorated in the program,
Harrlsburgers are urged once again,
[Continued on Page 7.]
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t ''he steamer Rosalind .of the Rer ,
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• MARRIAGE LICENSES *;
t, . William E. Pol lienor, Pen brook, and Ruth E. Evana. HalnlnntX
John 1. I'almrr and Vernn E. Sultxliaiigh, Ellxabethrllle; Autunt U.T
Hubrr, Altoona. and Sarah R. Intra. Jnnlata Count); Jamoa K. Aufiitw'
K and Clara E. Chrlafman, Allenttwni Alylea E. liookry. \o Cumber- J.
land, and Pearl E. I.avert), Euola. T
ASSERT BROWN
MADETHREATS
AGAINST THEM
Five Witnesses in Murder
Trial Declare Their Lives
Were Threatened
ALL TELL SAME STORY
'Nubs' Wilson and 'Spotball'
Brume Tell of Events Lead
ing Up to the Tragedy
Declaring that Lawrence Brown,
colored, on trial on a charge of
murdering S. Wolfe Lacob, a Steclton
grocer, on the evening of January
24, had threatened their lives if they
did not say that it was Love Wilson,
also colored, who shot tho merchant,
five witnesses to-day fixed the homi
cide on Brown.
All of then, declared In court this
morning before Judge C. V. Henry',
that the night before the murder
U-owi , Wilson and anothe- colored
man Fred Brume, alias "Spotball'*
had planned to rob Lacob. On Fri
day night, the witnesses declare that
Wilson came for Brown, and that
after the shooting Brown came
back and said that he was in tou-
I ble and had shot Lacob.
| The witnesses, all of whom resid
ed at 353 South Fourth street at the
I time, the same place that Brown bad
J a room, ran! lha* be threatened 'bom
land told them to s v taut v v: v n
had done the shooting so that lie
would not be convicted.
Added to their testimony was the
evidence given by Theodore Martin,
the youth who was with Wilson and
Brown on the night that Lacob was
shot. Martin was told when he
took the stand that any testimony he
would give could be used against
him when he is on trial for murder
in the same case, hut Martin said
1 he wanted to testify.
Start For Crap (iamc
Martin's statement follows: "I met
"Xubs" IVilson and "Little" Brown on
that evening just about 15 yards from
Riley Brown's house at 353 South
Fourth street. They said 'let's go up
on Ridge street to a crap game.' We
started for there and when we got to
the store they said they wanted some
cheese and Nubs first gave some money
[Continued on Page 5.]