Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-14
A STORY OF THE STRIKE.
CAMPBELL TELLS 1T To THE
SENATE LABOR COMMITTEES.

Return to Their Keys.
NEW YORK, August 13.-The sub-com.
mittee of the United States Senate Com
mittee on Labor and Education, began its
session to-day in the post Office building.
The members present We're Senators
Blair, of New Hampshire, Chairman:
George, of Mississippi, Pugh, of Alabama.
Call, of Florida, and Aldrich, of Road Is
land. The special subject of the sub-com-
mittee's investigation is strikes and labor
movements in general, the object being to
obtain information which may be used in
securing future legislation to prevent
them. The committee had several
sessions last winter, when
number of witnesses were
examined. THe first witness to-day was
| John Campbell, of Pittsburg, master
! workman Of the Telegraphers Brother
! hood. He said that he had been a tele-
! graph operator many years, and had been
! connected with the Knights of Labor and
| the brotherhood of Telegraphers for two
| years. There were between $4,000 and
/ l9,OOO telegraphers in the United States
/ and Canada who are members of the
/ brotherhood, ana the whole membership
/ is about $4,000. The cause Of the
| strike was the refusal to grant the
operators
/ increased compensation and decrease
! IN hours and extra compensation for
! sunday work. Since 1870 the salaries of
! the telegraph operators had been sys-
| tematlcally cut down, and the object of
the strike was to bring the rate of COM
! pensatlon back to its former standard.
The operators were now paid
hXed salary per month, the average rate
! throughout the country being about $54
for commercial operators and $39 per
month Tor railroad operators. The average
rate Tor railroad operators in Pennsyl-
wanna by an actual census is $3S 50 per
month. The rate of wages for 1irst-class
commercial operators now averages from.
$50 to $50 per month. The salaries i'm
New York city were higher than those in
! smaller cities, with the exception of New
Orleans, Memphis and Nashville, where
the scale CT wages was about equal to
that III this city. The lowest rates
for commercial operators were from $50
to $40 per month. EOr operators at small
way stations before the reduction in
wages the rates were from 35 to 40 per
cent. higher than at present. In 1870 first
class operators could make from 800 to
Sl20 per month. These rates extended
back TO the beginning of the war, when
the scale OF wages was about the same as
1t is at present for railroad operators, and
that for commercial men little
higher. The Western Union Company
employs quarter of all the
operators In the country, and about three
1OurthS are railroad operators. The
American Rapid Company employs only
about One-tifth as many operators as the
Western Union Company. The protest of
the brotherhood was against all compa-
nies and all employers of telegraph ope-
ratOrs. The rate of wages was not con-
sldered sufficient to live upon, and was
much below that Of common day laborers.
In many Instances the companies were
able to pay higher wages to
their men without increasing
their rates for service to
the public. This was evident from the
large dividends paid by the Western Union
Company. Besides this, the facilities for
the transmitting of messages had been in
creased by the invention of the duplex
and quadrupleX Instruments There had
been no reduction in the tariff in conse-
quence of these improvements, but on the
other hand, the wages of the operators
were cut down. The number of the
operators had doubled since 1870.
while the facilities of the companies
had more than doubled. The Western
Union Company in that year handled l.
100000 messages. and last year the num-
ber was 35,000,00O. Mr.. Campbell related
the history of the strike since its begin
ming. There was convention of the
brotherhood, he said, held in Chicago last
March, at which a bill of grievances
was drawn up. This was presented
to the different local assemblies
of the Brotherhood throughout the
United States and Canada. who
unanimously ratified the action OF the
convention. The returns to the eXecu-
tive board we're made about two months
ago, and the committee was instructed to
present the demands of the operators to
the different companies, and they were
also empowered to arbitrate upon any
propositions that might be made by the
companies. On the 10Th of July the de-
mands were presented to the Western
Union Company, the American Rapid
the Baltimore and Ohio, the Commercial
and the numerous telephone companies
i'll the city. The only answer which
has yet been received is from the Ameri-
can Rapid Company, which has partially
acceded to the demands of the Brother
hood. The answer of the Western Union
Company to the appeal of the operators
was that it was not known whether the
committee had authority to speak for the
employees OF the company Mr. Campbell
said that 80 per cent. of the emploves
were members of the Brotherhood. The
operators mad frequently presented
grievances to local managers for an in
crease of wages, but these had been dis
AC7etltASNts II W tto StubEdIlN DeIlGNeQ IllaJ
the western Union Company had a we'll
established system of blacklist
ing men who made applica-
tions for an increase of wages.
and took the first opportunity of discharg-
ing them from its employ upon some pre-
text or another. Favoritism was shown
by all local managers, and skill was at a
discount. a system of intimidation was
practiced by the officials of the company.
Since 1870 several movements had been
started to organize the operators, but all
had failed on account of this system of in
tmidation. Mr.. Campbell also intimated
that by the process of watering stock
pracuced by the Western Union Company
whenever it had absorbed connecting
line, the company was now paying at least |
70 per cent. dividend on the real value
OF its stock. He also said that the work
OF an operator was very wearing and eX-
hausting, and men seldom lived long who |
continued in the business. Many left il !
after following it for a score of years. and |
TINS was about the limit of an average |
mans endurance.
John Mcclellan, an officer of the
brotherhood and an operator of fourteen |
years standing. was next examined. He |
said that the direct cause of the strike |
was the iasult offered by the Western |
Union Company to the committee of the
brotherhood in refusing to recognize or
treat with them: Until then it had not |
been expected that strike |
would occur, but was thought |
the company would be = willing |
to listen to the demands of the men and |
come to some adjustment, if possible. The |
grievances were real ones, and if there |
had been a spirit of concession manifested, /
by the company, the operators would
have met them in this spirit. 1t was
shown that General Eckert and other
officers of the company had known of the
plans of the Brotherhood before the strike
began. The company knew that rriey-
ances existed, and that the demands were
to be presented, and had been preparing to
resist those demands ever since March
last. In regard to the grievances. the
salaries of the operators were of secondary
Importance, while the length of the
working hours and Sunday work
without additional compensation was
the greatest grievance. Mr.. Orton. when
President of the Western Union Company.
said that six hours a day was sufficient
for any operator to work in order TO do
justice TO the company. The operators
now only asked that ight hours be con-
sldered days work. As to wages in
ferior men were getting larger paw than
first class men. This was the result of
fayOritism on the part of the officials. If
the present strike was a failure it would
only strengthen the existing organization.
WIRES CUT BY WHOLESALE.
One Striking Lineman Surprised in a
Suspicious Location.
NEW YORK, August 13.-Press Aoent