The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-23
MORE RECRUITS.
The Messenger Boys in the Western
Union Offices at Chicago
and New York
Go Out
No Break in the Line of Operators.
The Companies Confident
Eject on Trade.

ng-room force, from the cashier downward,
were waiting the signal so follow suit, and
that Col ClowIy had received a peremptory
summons to New York.
About twenty-five clerks engaged in the
Western Union delivery department
struck at O'clock They simply
laid down their books and
papers and walked out with the hundred or
more messenger boys who had preceded them
a few moments, Two men only were left on
duty in the delivery department.
THE SITUATION AT THE OFFICES
''The brotherhood made a strategic move
ment. said Western Union official land
induced our gold and stock ticker operators
and market reporter on the board
of trale floor to JOIN their ranks
Il have no doubt they We're hired
to go There were but two transmitters
who sent market quotations on the 'tickers'
in all parts of the business district, On the
floor of the board we had four reporters who
gathered quotations, from which we madeup
our C. n. D. service. All went ont this
morning when change opened. We secured
some reporters from the Public Produce eX-
change to take the place of our old men, but
some officers of the board of trade objected
to their being on the floor, on the
ground that they were bucket-Shop men.
This move embarrasses us, but we will re-
cover from it soon. New tranSnittaIs and
reporters will be secured as soon rs possible
and the commercial news service resumed /
do not expect we shall be able to do much
just now"
We are doing splendidly," said Manager
STudwick, of the Wheatstone department.
I'VE handled more business than any day
since the system has been in operation here
The ladies who went out were 'punchaIS' and
students who were not under pay We have
a dozen or fifteen skilled operators working
now, and are keeping the New York business
well cleared up
The Western Union is all right" said the
superintendent Operators are constantly
coming in and being given employment
Where do they come from: Oh. all over A
good many eX-operatorS have come in to help
us out and railroads have contributed Hber,
ally. The embarrasSment> is growing less
every hour. l can say now, with far more
emphasis than ever before, that under no
possible circumstances will the company give
up in this matter, or recede, in the slightest
from the position it has taken
we are in better shape to handle business
than we WERE remarked a Baltimore &
Ohio official. I'VE have secured three moro
first-caSs operators, which increases our
working force in the office to eight All the
business that we are receiving is being sent
forward without delay and altogether things
look more cheerful. | know negotiations are
pending between the Baltimore & Ohio di-
rectors and the employees to effect compro-
mise, but so far the situation in that respect
is unchanged. The men. l think, would he
willing to accept a compromise, as they were
satisfied with their wages, which were more
liberal than those received by the Western
| Union boys, before they quit and only did
50 on the order of the executive committee of
the brotherhood
dispatch has been received from Balti-
more saying that high official of the B. &
O. line says the company will talk to their
own men, but will have nothing to do with
men not in their service.
Two of the operators of the public grain
and stock exchange were dismissed by the
manager in the morning on their representing
to him that they would quit work on the
order Of the Brotherhood of Telegraphers,
| The manager said to a reporter. Il think
| Mr., Morris is taking a great responsibility on
! his shoulders, and told him so. Ny men
were earning good salaries and their duties
were light They were thoroughly satisfied
| and did not want to leave, but if | kept a
man in this office who refuses to obey
| orders consider l would be acting wrongly
/ as manager Of this oonlRany."
| Superintendent Clowry refused late in the
| afternoon to say anything to a reporter, ex-
I 10 N los -11b4
! and able to take care of its own business; at
the same time advising the reporter to 60 to
! the strikers for information
IN THE STRIKERS CAMP
The headquarters of the striking operators
were reasonably quiet, only a few members
! being present, and they were not demonstra-
| tive. You must not think, said a striker,
| because we are not making as mucn noise as
| before that we are weakening in the least
| The novelty of the strike has worn off now
| and we have settled down to business We
are going to win if we have to stay out a
! year"
The strikers say they have received few
reports outside of those printed in the morn
| ing papers, but what have come in are favor
able to their side st. Louis, Milwaukee and
| Kansas City, they assert are in worse con-
dition than Chicago, and they claim to know
this, in spite of the fact that SO few messages
Fere received here on account of uncertainty
of their Transmission, that business is piled
high on the hooks in the Chicago office, with
no hope Of being quickly sent, unless by mail
| All the operators profess to be confident of a
quick termination of the strike.
Reports from New York city, received by
the strikers assert that the Western
Union company have already taken steps to
| secure a compromise with the operators.
| The men on the Chicago & Northwestern
railway have circulated for signatures a pc
tition, in which they urge Superintendent of
| Telegraphy Lang not to send any of them to
| Chicago to fill the strikers places, and it is
said several of the railway employees have re-
fused to come on such an errand.
$50 the Western Union say we bought the
| gold and stock men, lido they2' observed a
| young man with red ribbon in his button
| hole. The charge is too false to deny, but
| if we had done it, it shows more influence
than they can WELD They couldn't buy
them, but, you may depend on it, they tried
| bard to. Maybe we bought those little check
boys that went out in body. That broke
their hearts. A company must hate itself
| when it gets 50 bad even little boy won't
| take sides with it -
''What is technically known as a plug fac
| tory at Hillsdale, Mich, sent forty-five al
legged operators here to work for the Western
Union" said responsible striker. "The men
couldn't have wanted to work very bad, for
they notified us Of their coming We met
them at the depot, took thirty-two to ouI
hall and initiated them as members of the
brotherhood The other thirteen, | think
went to work The men did not understand
the situation when they left or they would
never have started We are growing strong
er every h. Ir."
The bIotherhoO will appoint committee
to wait on the different railroads and notify
| them that if they do not withdraw their men
from all commercial offices Immediately, and
cease sending Others on to fill the places of
union men, they will withdraw all their men,
bers from railroad service. The men regret
the necessity for this, as they did not want
to interfere with the railway service.
| A telegram from Master Workman John
Mitchell, New York, reads: Initiated over
| 100 since the strike Linemen are doing