The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-08-09
THE STRIKERS STRUCK.

The trouble with the striking telegra-
piers is that they have not acted with
that elaboration necessary for sue
cess in their conflict with well organ
lied power. We read accounts of
meetings in New York, and their eff
forts, viewed from such light, appears
more like child's play than like
struggle with giants. The support of
the Knights of Labor may be mat
ter of immediate qualification to the
operators, but its effect is demoraliz-
ing and is calculated to strengthen
the power attacked rather than weak
en- it. Because it has been demon
strated that the Knights of Labor, on
an assessment of 81 cents, per capita,
may turn over to the strikers $780,
GOO, the latter appear to think they
are to enjoy an indefinite holiday in
ease and comfort, and with plenty.
While they meet and indulge
in frivolity the telegraph managers
are bending every energy to show
that their companies can be and are
independent of strikers. The SYM
pathy of the public, which first went
out in favor of the strikers, is chang
ing, and the change is being wrought
by the foolish conduct of the strikers
in council. Their committee reflect
no credit on the movement, and the
meetings are becoming disgusting
farces. One Blissart, leader it APP
ars, devotes his time to making in
flamatory speeches, in which burden
of abuse is leveled generally at capt.
talists Blissart is not even tele-
grapher; he is a tailor, but, neverthe-
less, he attends the meetings and
speaks for the strikers and leads them.
McCabe, another leader, taken from
the Knights of Labor to aid in this
big strike, is the same ridiculous per
son who fancied that the rights of
the laboring man were assailed by the
selection of the oath of May as the
day for the opening of the Brooklyn
bridge, because it happened to be
Queen Victoria's birthday, and who
presented a protest to the bridge trus-
tees ION behalf of the laboring men
of America" Still another intelligent
person, who has the operators encour-
agement, was particularly incensed at
Gould's parsimony IN paying small
wages to operators because, as he
shouted, everyone knows that the
telegraph operator has but few years
to live; the strongest constitutions
cannot long resist the in
fuence of the powerful electric cur
rents used in this Geographic work. .
The speaker seems to have got it into
his empty NOODLE that the current used
in telegraphy passes through the op.
orators body, with frightful results.
What can man whose ignorance is
so dense have to say to telegraphic
experts of New York? 1t is stated
that much time is spent by the
strikers in applause, laughter, the
reading of poems, abuse of Jay Gould
etc. Nothing will please Jay GoulG
better than to hear that the strikers
are devoting their time to abusing
him. A body of intelligent men who
find no more useful work than to sit
in hall all day listening to wild and
abusive speeches, will hardly impress
the general public as being so terribly
in earnest that they will hold out
when the money gives out and real
hardship is to be faced. Folly is
playing the deuce with very good
cause, and we predict that the strike
will finally explode with the strikers
lost in most fragmentarY disorder.