The Labor enquirer., 1883-09-15
A Critical Review Of the Recent
Strike Of the Telegraph
Operators.
The Conflict Precipitated at an
sInopportune Time, and
Employees
Wholly Uneeepared for a Long Siege
sone Good Thoughts BY
Junius.

rather complex conundruni in this
weeks issue Of your paper. Playing the
carping critic is thankless task. But l
believe that, in this instance, a review of
our industrial Waterloo will prove quite
profitable. | shall strive. to contemplate
the bloody field without prejudice, fear
or favor 1t may be stated at the very
outset that some of the underlying
causes leading to the failure of the strike
were wholly beyond the control of the
operators. l shall first call attention to
blunders and mistakes that might have
been evaded or remedied.
l. The brotherhood had not been
thoroughly organized For only two
years had the society existed, The
cities, it is true, we're well in hand, but
the combination in the country was a
damned barren Ideally" OF 10000 to
10000 operators within the jurisdiction
of the telegraphers' district assembly,
only 5000 to 10000 had become mem
bers. Wonders had, indeed, been ac-
complished in two years. Six months
more, with good proselyters in the field,
the strength of the association could
have been almost doubled. The rail
roads should have been traversed from
| the dOminiOn's northern limit to the
waters Of the Gulf. Thorough Organiza-
ton and unifcatlOn was everything
time, one Of the tools in the grand work
| to be achieved. Therefore, precipitate
haste was criminal Perfect organization
and ample funds should have been cor
ner stones of the improved industrial
structure which it was designed to build.
Incomplete organization was a remedial
blunder.
. Fhe treasury OF the telegraphers'
brotherhood was bankrupt at the very
beginning Of the strife. Not only that,
but no member of the association ap-
pears to have made respectable provision
for his own sustenance, although he had
known for months that bitter conflict
was impending This lack of funds was
a remediabe blunder-in fact, twas
| heinous crime.
3. The whistle blew at the wrong time.
The Western Union knew that trouble
was brewing, but it seemed determined
not to be the aggressor. 1t permitted its
! employees to fix upon the hour Of conflict,
1t did welI-lor itself'-because, probably
as it ANTICIPATED, they took precipitate
action Wherein was the wrong time
chosen? will probably be asked. Did
not the operators understand their own
affairs better than outsiders could pos
sibIv understand them? The only an
swers to these questions are hard facts.
| telegraph business is always dnll and
| hight in midsummer. That's undeniable.
MANY of the principal speculators-me
who make great use Of the Wires-are off
in the mountains or at the sea shore en-
joying themselves. Legitimate trade,
too, falls off during the heated term.
There were no political conventions, no
legislative mills grinding, and congress
was not in session. The last is the rub
to which desire to call most positive
attention. The industrial classes Of the
country have some influential we'll
wishers in the halls of the national par
| lament Edmunds could probably be
induced to push his government tele-
graph project; the voice of Voorhees,
would ring out for Justice; COnger
would eagerly follow suit, and the stirr-
ing discussion forced upon the senate
would soon be heard throughout the
land. a presidential struggle approaches,
and both the dominant parties would
strive to make all possible political Capi-
tai. "General' Eckert, "Dr." Green and
Jay Gould would hear most portentious
storm about their ears. They would get
such a stirring up, pro bono publico, as
they never got before. And they'd go
down before the storm. Therefore, l
emphatically assert, the conflict should
have been deferred. The telegraphers
struck too soon. That was a remediable
blunder-'twas almost crime.
The pronounced hostility of the Tri-
bune, Times, Inter Ocean and Journal,
and the sudden and disgraceful flop" of
the News are distinctly remembered.
!, Jay Gould's tool, the associated press. P"
did him valiant service. The newspapers
were his prostitutes; the independent"
editors his grovelling lackeys. Hopes of
favors yet to come or fears of punish
ment in store made these alleged guar
dians of our liberties the veritable
slaves of one corruptionist, thief, and
selfconfessed stock gambler.
Other remediable causes of the failure
might be enumerated, but the foregoing
are the most important. l desire to re-
iterate, however, one thing which l said
last week-that if the Brotherhood con-
templated saddling the burden of defeat
upon the Knights of Labor they should
have deferred the battle until the organ
ization of which they form but small
part had an opportunity to take official