And as to mediating in behalf of any other interests, Mr. Gary said that the men were contented and that "there is no issue." I am requested to communicate the above information to you by the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry. Very truly yours, H. BLANKENHORN. At the time this book goes to press the findings and recommendations of the Commission have not yet been made public. This made the sixth attempt of the National Committee to settle the steel controversy--not to mention the individual effort of the Amalgamated Association. They were: (1) The letter from Mr. Gompers to Mr. Gary requesting a conference; (2) the visit to his office of the National Committee conference committee, equipped with the power to set a strike date; (3) the appeal to President Wilson to arrange a conference; (4) Organized Labor's resolution in the National Industrial Conference to have that body select an arbitration board; (5) The offer of arbitration by John Fitzpatrick while testifying before the Senate Committee; and, (6) the Interchurch mediation incident. But they were all futile. Mr. Gary's policy is the time-honored one of all tyrants, rule or ruin. The unions had no option but to fight, and this they did to the best of their ability. FOOTNOTE: [13] There seemed to be many important things of which this committee had never heard. For instance, when in my testimony I referred to Lester F. Ward, Senator Sterling innocently inquired who he was. He had apparently never even heard of this eminent American sociologist, who was perhaps the greatest scholar ever born in the western hemisphere, and whose name is honored by scientific minds the world over. And what makes Senator Sterling's ignorance the more inexcusable is that he was actually holding office in Washington at the same time that Professor Ward was carrying on his brilliant studies in that very city. For one who stresses so much his 100 per cent. Americanism as does the Senator it is indeed a sad showing not to be familiar with this great native product. X THE COURSE OF THE STRIKE PITTSBURGH DISTRICT--THE RAILROAD MEN--CORRUPT NEWSPAPERS --CHICAGO DISTRICT--FEDERAL TROOPS AT GARY--YOUNGSTOWN DISTRICT--THE AMALGAMATED ASSOCIATION--CLEVELAND--THE ROD AND WIRE MILL STRIKE--THE BETHLEHEM PLANTS--BUFFALO AND LACKAWANNA--WHEELING AND STEUBENVILLE--PUEBLO--JOHNSTOWN --MOB RULE--THE END OF THE STRIKE. Although the Steel strike was national in scope and manifested the same general, basic tendencies everywhere, nevertheless it differed enough from place to place to render necessary some indication of particular events in the various districts in order to convey a clear conception of the movement as a whole. It is the purpose of this chapter to point out a few of these salient features in the several localities and to draw some lessons therefrom.