The Great Steel Strike and its LessonsFoster, William Z.
History
The Great Steel Strike and its Lessons
Foster, William Z.
Steel Strike, U.S., 1919-1920; United States Steel Corporation
My friend being frightened at what had happened to me
retired to a room in the rear of my place of business. The
Policeman entered this room, accompanied by another State
Police, and without cause, reason or excuse, struck my
friend and immediately thereafter arrested him. I was
personally present at his hearing before Burgess P. H.
McGuire of the above city, at which none of the aforesaid
policemen were heard or even present. Burgess asked my
friend what he was arrested for, and my friend referred to
me inasmuch as he himself did not know. The Burgess
immediately replied, "We have no time to hear your
witnesses," and thereupon levied a fine of $10.00 and costs
upon him. My friend having posted a forfeit of $25.00, the
sum of $15.45 was deducted therefrom.
The State Constabulary were sent, unasked for, into the quiet steel
towns for the sole purpose of intimidating the strikers. The following
took place at the meeting of the Braddock Borough Council, October 6:
Mr. Verosky: (County detective and council member) "Mr.
Chairman, the citizens of the borough wish to know by whose
authority the State Constabulary was called into Braddock to
take up their quarters here and to practically relieve the
police of their duties, by patrolling the streets on foot,
mounted, and always under arms."
Mr. Holtzman: (President of Council) "I surely do not know
who called them into town, but were I the Burgess, I would
make it my business to find out, in view of the fact that
the Constabulary is neither wanted nor needed here."
Mr. Verosky: "Well, in that case, the Burgess may throw some
light on the subject."
Mr. Callahan: (Burgess) "The question comes to me as a
surprise and I am sure that I don't know by whose authority
the Constabulary was called in."
Everything was calm in Braddock until the State Police came in. Then the
trouble began. It was the same nearly everywhere. The arrival of these
men was always the signal for so-called riots, and wholesale clubbing,
shooting and jailing of strikers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account