The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-26
NO. 46.
TELEGRAPHERs' STRIKE.


Letter From the General Snperin-
Meetings of Committees
of Both Parties-Fe Excite
ment.
New YORK, July Is. - 1t is an
nounced in the morning papers that
committee of the Telegrapher' S
Brotherhood would wait on the obi
cials of the Western Union company at
III o'clock to-day, to demand an answer
to their petition in reference to wages
and hours of work. Up to II 80
o'clock none of the committee had up
peared. A meeting of the directors of
the telegraph company will be held at
1890, and the result, so far as it refers
to the petition, will probable not be
known for an hour or more after that
time
New YORK, July Is S-At a regular
weekly meeting of the executive Gem
mittee of the directors of the Western
Union telegraph company to-day the
following was adopted Resolved,
That committee consisting of EX-
Gov. Cornell, j. w. Clendenin, and
John I. Terry be appointed co inquire
into the complaints of inequalities of
compensation and condition of ser
vice of employees Of this company, if
any, and report to this committee.
One of the gentlemen who attended
the meeting says the sentiment is
unanimous in support of the action
of Gen. Eckert in the reception of the
committee who called on him. to pre-
sent the memorial, on Monday last,
and that his letter to Col. Clowry. of
Chicago, outlining the position and
resources and calling attention to the
eXorbitant demands of committee was
likewise discussed warmly and ap-
proved. The meeting did not take
cogniZanGe in the least of the petition.
plaint the employees of the company
might have to make, must
be made directly by them
selves to the company officers.
The subcommittee is not empowered,
except IA make Il report next week,
Wednesday, when the full committee
meets again. The position of the
committee, however, is of some in
tereSt, as bearing upon the temper of
the meeting and its future action.
Clendenin, of the members, is presi-
dent of the Arcadia coal company.
which has extensive mines in Picton,
Mass. The miners there have been
turbulent in the community, and
have frequently indulged IN striking.
Clendenin has always managed these
crises and never yielded to the de-
mands made through the medium of
a strike. EX-Gov. Cornell and Terry
are also said to be opposed to the
strike as a means of settling wages and
and other difficulties. The Wheat
stone is a system of rapid transmission
of messages and news. 1t has been
iD use many years in England, but is
comparatively a new thing in this
country. The instrument will do
nearly ten times the work that can
be done over an ordinary wire.
Should the Wheatstone operators
remain and the other operators strike,
the telegraph company would have
considerable advantage through the
use of this system. The members
of the brotherhood claim that nearly
all the WheatStone men are willing
to go out, while the officers say that
not more than two or three of the
nineteen local employees, and not Il
large number of those employed else
where, will consent to strike.
NEW YORK, July 1S.-A feverish
feeling exists in telegraphic circles
over the threatened strike, and every
person interested is anXiously await
ing the result of the meeting of the
executive committee of the Western
Union directors.
The committee of the brotherhood
held a meeting this morning, but
what transpired there could not be
learned. Cipher dispatches were re-
ceived by the committee from various
points stating the operators were in
readiness to leave their desks at a
moments notice
w. B. Sommerville, of the Western
Union company, said to-day there
seemed to be little possibility that the
company would grant the request,
and that strike seemed to be inevi
table. The demands were unjust and
unreasonable. and if a strike should
happen the company would fight it to
the bitter end
W. j. Deaiy, manager of the operat-
ing room. in the Western Union
building, said he did not believe the
strike would be commenced without
due consideration on the part OF the
operators. This morning there was
an unusually large force at work at
the Office, numbering between Gl0 anal
200. The ordinary number OF all
sentees WAS frem fifteen to twenty
1--WE; there We're only nine absentees
this morning. lie said he had at
least fifty letters from employees of
the company, promising to stand by it
in the event of a strike.
There were twenty-nine chief oper-
ators in the office, each one having
under him from eigheen to twenty
five men. This morning a canvass
was made by these chiefs among their
operators. to ascertain, if possible, the
real strength of the diSaffected por-
tion and how large force might be
relied on in case of strike. The first
report showed that out of twenty-five
operators thirteen were doubtful. and
nine promised to stand by the COM
pany. Later reports indicated this
proportion represented the division of
feeling throughout the full force. The
Wheatstone operators to man,
Dealy said, promised to stand by the
company in case of a strike.
ST. LOUIS, July 18.-The following
dispatch, which explains itself, has
been received by Col. L. G. Baker, SUI
perintendent of the Western Union
telegraph company:
CHICAGO, July III. c. Baker.
superintendent, st. Louis, Mo-: The
following is just received from Gen.
EckeIt, general manager of the
Western Union telegraph company,
New York: A committee of the
Brotherhood of Telegraphers Of the
United States and Canada made call
upon the company for certain conces-
sionS in regard to the hours and rates
of pay. substantially in accor-
dance with the programme with
which you have been familiar.
since their March meeting in Chicago.
The party were asked if they repre-
sented the employees of the company,
and, upon replying affirmatively, they
were requested to furnish list of
such employees This, they said, they
were not able to do, stating that Il
would require long time to prepare
a list, and that they were here on tx
pense; and they were told that the
company did not know the committee.
or whether its members had authori-
ty from the Western Union Telegraph
company's employees to present any
demand, and that we could not deal
with outside parties.
One demand is that both sexes
shall receive equal pay for equal