The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1883-08-25
EpI1OME or THE WEEK.


H"H#H 'u"isHNfff HH lNiuf HHN FfHeNfuu
teRaa M SESSION IN fhs frafHfes fIaliflHa.
n Nev f1ss tliy ~ ne evening " no fHh.
W speelal subject ~ lavs#eaileH helms
s,flsts Fud iaibf movements II aeHefal NE
ghlAei hiinF ~ nifHlH iHfnfmailun usrfHl IN
we're eenainfs nlalf N ksw itsH's.shlse,
HAifmani ueDrEa, ~ Nlsalaslppl Fugh N
atRHf tHil ~ Florida anf Aldfleh, N
Hheas lllana
Na.ieg wqFkman tohp campbell of Rite
hufEh testified that hr Mad lspn = telegraph
orefaiOf 6tef twenty years, and baen edns
nseifd With the knlEhia ~ taloF and the
pfofhnihufid ~ faleHfHrhffs tw0 feafs
There we're heiwesH lNtte and ilfh1 trlaei
tallhafs " ihe tniied States and canada wh0
were inpNlHfa " The llfdihtfhuud. and the
Whole meinI efshlp wAs HloHt 1iuu The
vhuae ~ lhe strike nHa The refusal to grnnf
The demand un The part " Tie operators fOf
Increased compensation, a decrease IN the
hgufs Of wpfk and etifa compensation for
niUfe had hten systematically cut down. and
the object ~ The strike was to hiring the tate
~ compensation back IN the former standard.
Operators are nov paid q hfcd salary per
ihe country being ga i fnr eo,amev,llai eysli
operators, and t3g per month for rail.
road operators. The average rate Tor
railroad operators In penDslvania by. actual
census u tJH.h pcr month. The rate OF wages
iNf Nf-HfHfNlhHH fUN tNuNfN lfuIU rFU
70 t5 per month. The salaries IN New York
tity were higher than those In tho smaller
cities, with the exception Of those OF New on.
loans, Memphis and Nashville, where the
scale Of wages was about equal ~ that IN this
city. Tho lowest ralns for commercial opera.
tors wcro from t'B 70 $40 per month for Upe.
rators at small way stations Before the re.
ductton IN wages rates were thlrtysnye 10
forty per cent higher than al present In
!rIu hrstclnes operator could make from $50
..I...ft t.s...I
the beginning OF the war, when the scale was
ABOUT the same ns Mt present for railroad
operators aud that for commercial n little
higher. The Western Union Company om.
ploys quarter OF all the operators IN the
country. and about two-thlrds are railroad
operators, The American kapid Company
only employ ono-flfth ns many operators as
the Western Union. Tho Brotherhood com.
plained OF the low rate OF wages and insisted
upon the ability ofall tho companies 10 largely
increase them, as was evidenced by tho dlyl-
dends paid. Tho facilities for transmitting
messages had been increased by recent inyen-
tions, but there had been no reduction in
tarih rates IN consequence, while the wages
of employees had been greatly diminished.
The number of operators had doubled since
1870, while the facilities OF the companies
had more than doubled. The Western Union
In that yrar handled seven million messages,
million.
Referring 20 the strike, Mr.. Campbell said a
brotherhood Convention was held In Chicago
last March, when bill OF grievances was
drawn up. These were unanimously ratified
~ we locnl nssenplles throughout the United
tee was instructed TO present them 70 the DIFF
ferent companies, and empowered 10 nrbl.
trate upon all propositions that might be made
70 ,ne operators.
mr, Oampbell Iur,ner said that local man
ayers had discouraged all requests for In.
creased compensatIon. II was believed and
ehnrged that no western Union Company
nhu u aNehes.hplished system OF Dlack.listing
Incn VINO mhno tppnchtion Tor Increased
Sh whnses, ma TOOK ine nrst opportunity to dis
eharso them upon somo pretekt or another
=. system OF Intimidation was practlcod by
the ohicials OF tho company. Since 1870 sever
~ movements had been started TO organize
,h,s s,o sys,,u =, ,Da ~, aa La,iod on account OF
a.. -, 49,,
wy i.i 1onh u ho,'ehanh, OF inc
D.o'ae,noou' ues.inea Una, the csuhnhteo cost
"ns'apn hno ono tnousahu n'e nun
wv ni'Ics iohs Wouin DC szo'poo' Ieiesrnph
opcrHors Werc generally young men, and
lived In boarding-houses They usually come
from the better class OF society. Most OF
them were single, but some were married
men. Witness thought ffty dollars O month
was reasonable estimate for food aud lods.
ing FOR amonth for single man. Only ono
~ y, hundred ever saved any money. In ls,0
- t'fNh tVHiHtah1 ft'luHt1 fNflt
man coming into It's employ to take oath he
would mover connect himself with a trade or
lnbor organization. This was called tho
lron-clnd OATH and was administered to
every person who took part ~ the strlko OF
1910; Day operators worked from eight a. m.
20 eight nt night, and had but two or three
hours 10 devote 10 amuscmcnts. Night
operators had more time at their disposal.
vacation was unknown In the telegraph
business.
III. w. Orr. Of DlilnHtlnllQ n mNmtgF n fha
brotherhood, testified that the salaries paid
operators In that city ranged from tD to $50
pcr month. An evidence Of the hostility OF tho
western Union toward its employees was the
policy of reducing the salaries OF IL operators
during the past ten years. Tho Western Union
had also blncklistcd men found organizing q
union or nfsncihtlon OF operators.
On tho 18th John 7, McClelland submitted
,.,'iaa ~ .esa'' ~ '"' nons'aa JAIN ~
m, hshI, =, sdm,n,.,ar,rs 90 ,ho,, .a.s,..a
whom ,hov rcce,ysd ,hcr, into ,ha,r sar.Ioa
Tho wss,e,n rfn,on sSo,,,o, ~ 49,,
Of making operators take an oath that ihey
would not Join union, and he could produce
.mploycs VINO could prove u Threats mad
uesn ,g nlhhe ., py many railroah eompsnies that
,ii'.s.,.s H. SOUL n.-enalKe any men whpfn they
~ ai.Soierca g., 70 ~ neinbers OF the nro,herhooi
~ 4, Iaphets' amvn4 ptnnrs tne fshnsyf
vania hallroal AMI hlchlsan CENTRAL com.
Ialil n'ih eulpi1y.u ,hls mshue Mitnes ALSO
whlrh s,d as nrn,,veea iSsEsa,ulns Sa me sns s,nnes s
.s isv m p pns nu'noer @ ~ .tunr. ~ whleh oc.
stt,ttt stttnt% ~ " hu.vyo W. @.eS. ins tIhnes ln
t.,s ~ H. VVe"ifeo Hef'
evss.,,.sIs s,.Isi,.i , aio pu,'.,ht LUZ .Mrsas-. M
s,alisuss a- raoren thnt uurinR tne past Yen
,'r , w, .ssn, , nufn. or ss'i.' nals' haa
" ,sn nno m W .nen ala W
,.,,,f,h saAe, hl,'osil.ilh 70 t-,-s.;.so' w
.n,sawn ..,s lra"n ~ ha,s os,'ns, hnn n ~, m
Wnfsnen ~, insf ana nlne,y.or. camn,o mn ~
III w yasIns ny apon. 49, nnsosounisn ipr,
NJ, ,,n a ~ p,9ioauh \, .h hst uesn l9,' ~
,,t ~" s. a. ~ N,l, AZ, In..uf ~
s.s,,i' nlo'p vusap a ..,,.,l, aa,n.slon y,
~ ,hs, gossr,,,rsS, shaniS ,aRn nss, rgus y,
~ I'M. yoNetiImen. 1a,, snou'a .as' shaIfe %. q,
w ~ n5ansh,s s ~ innusa ~ aal vi ah. lna,l
inh x. VIZ eounlIyii i'llli NJ ysm ouuu'
~ suouzs,i % =. app.l.l W ~ Diva. ,na"f
"'e' ~ W." = w WV ''' s'~P"'N '"""s"S'
The committee on tho 18th heard the testi
mony Of Mrs. l., 4. TwltcheIl. OF Brooklyn
she vas foy,naslr Prc.ldcn, m tho wo,sIng
woman.s Association IN san pranci.co. al.o a,
The pc,u,Ic sloornaksy.' A.socla,lon. .ho h.,
been a uc,,,l,s, On various othe, t,aae orvsn
iSatiops. She said there wers many vomcn
who had been brought up IN comfort. vhs
support themselves. There were a
lsast i've thousand women in Mes
YORK and BROOKLYN who would b.
glad TO obtain work a. any price. This haf
bcsn the case ever since Immigration haf
grown 70 ~ present proportions. and II would
| le AZ long a. ifninlffa Ion uss unrestricted
TIE trades unions we're also means Of pro
ventinE many -omen from ohia'nirs wors
/ ~ i WIS the policy Of the unions 10 festric
the nninhcr OF ~ memfcrs. Labor In New
lofk tiy vas controlled ~ trades unions
ard i was the object OF the leaders Of thu
unipns 70 rrt ate corner IN hhor unit
ihey s9th &c, q place for thsmselsss. sns