The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-01-07
THE TEHEGRAPm STRIKE.
Tho circumstance that led TO It nm
the Principles Involved.


A Gard from the treasurer OF the
Company.
EXECUTIVE OFFICR, w, u. II, Co..
145 BROADWAY, NEW York,
January 9th, 1870.
Since the publication this morning
OF the card signed by the officers Of
this company explaining the clrcum.
stances out OF which the strike Of the
operators arose, full and detailed
statement OF what occurred In ORllRof.
MA has been received from the com.
pany's agent, Mr.. MumTord. They are
as follows:
About the middle of December Su-
perlntendent Gamble desiring to read.
just the, compensation of the employees
at San Franciscoi according to the value
operatives that after January let
their salaries would be reduced
from $l25 to $ll5, and to "a third,
that his salary would bo Increased
from 800 to $l20 month, making an
increase in the aggregate oompenaatlon
OF the three OF ten dollars a month.
Acting on these notices, as is supposed,
the operators at San Francisco united
In presenting a schedule OF salaries,
Whloh they asked to have adopted, In
this schedule the two salaries which
Mr.. Gamble had proposed to reduce re-.
lnatned as before, and an Increase for
four others was asked Tor. Mr.. Num-
loru 30 lar 0ssented to the schedule as
70 make no reduction of salaries and
allowed portion OF the proposed In.
crease. He at the same time Informed
the operators that the force in the
oflce was larger than was Justified
by the diminished business, the NUM-
Der of messages being less than usual,
and the receipts lighter. The operators
h . nI Nm ri I'D
were employed than was strictly neces-
sary. To bring the force thus into
harmony with the wants of tho bust.
nessI two men were dismissed. Bot
they were not the men whose salaries
Mr. Gamble In the first instance pro.
posed TO reduce. The salaries OF
these men remained unchanged, al
after the reduction of the force
above mentioned. A fourth man
refused to work at the schedule price
although 1t was ten dollars month
higher than he had ever before receiy-
ed. Out Of this state of things the
strike arose. The facts thus explained
fully supports Mr.. mumford's original
statement, that he had reduced no SAL
aries and had no intention of doing 30,
he had In fact increased them upon the
petition OF the operators themselves.
ana the only man who appears to have
lett because he was dissatisfied with
his compensation refused to work at
an advance in his salary of ten dollars
a month. The strike then Is not rs the
operators here then alleged and sup.
posed strike In the resistance of q
reduction OF wages, general or special,
but In support Of the claim of an indls
Yidual whose salary has been raised
but not to so high figure as he desir-
ed. It cannot be denied In view of all
the circumstances, that the whole body
OF strikers throughout. the Union haYe
left their work with q view and pur.
pose of subjeoting the business of the
entire country to delay and derange-
ment, because some John Smith in
California, who demands an increase
Of $50 in his salary, can get only $40.
This Is the real issue, unless It Is fur
Their claimed that this company shall
not be permitted to determine how
large a force Is necessary TO do Its busl
ness and 10 increase or diminish Il
from time to time accordingly.
(Stgned) o. II. PALMER.