Morning journal and courier., 1883-07-20


 two hundred men still at work Doesn'
 look much ss though we were paralyzed
 ooes It T' Many of the reporters wert
 eHectually deceived by this stratagem, al
 though there were not at that time fifty mer
 at work in the room who could send 1 c over the wires
 The Baltimore and Ohio company has an nounced to the brotherhood that the demand made would be conceded to all operators l who would return to their work, but that the company would not recognize the brotherhood or any other secret organiza- l or the brotherhood has replied that the com pany's proposition will not be accepted and has made formal demand for the recogni- l tion of the brotherhood.
 Of the men connected with the Western Union company who had not understood the extent of the movement and who did not go 1 out at once over 175 have since applied for membership in the Photographers Brother hood. Over four hundred inemen in the city have struck in accordance with an arrange ment previously made, and their idleness is expected to embarrass the company quite as much as the strike of the operators, since they cannot possibly be replaced and mis- chief done to the wires cannot be repaired.
 Much dependence is placed on the line men who go out with the telegraphers and who can, if they choose, do infinite harm and within radius of three hundred yards of the corner of Broadway and Dey street sever New York's connection with the whole world and cut off all local wire communication either by telegraph OF telephone as well. The linemen know every one of New York's thousands of wires much as one sees the letters in reading page. They know the individual wires in an immense circuit and their relations to districts and offices without reference to their keybooks. It takes four hundred of 11x1 kwo ,ol ployed to keep the wires in this city alone in order to prevent contacts and repair breaks. They are as nearly indispensable as any class of men can be, since it would take strange linemen of experience weeks to secure the details of information necessary to enable them to work with any sort of efficiency. When wires are massed as they are here by hundreds and thousands the lines simply left alone for the week would with the assistance of thunder storm, crossings and contacts become almost useless without any active fn- terference from the men. There are, however, hundreds of operators who would regard it as good joke to throw a spool of fine wire from 8 third story window over a group of 150 wires in places which could not be loca- ted and the contacts stopped for many hours even with & full force of linemen. This could be done in Q thousand places in the city in night should the operators choose to do 50 and there are plenty of them willing to
 
 cannot but be most seriously embarrassed.
 Contrary to expectation a meeting of oper- ators was held in this city to night. The meeting held in the Caledonian Hall in the afternoon was largely attended, many lead- ing operators being present. This evening John Mitchell, of the Advocate, presided and made the opening speech. Addresses of en- couragement were made also by MT. Trapha- gen, Q member of the executive board of the Knights of Labor of Cincinnati, James Camp bell. of the Glass Blowers Union, Pittsburg, Walter Rice, of the Coal Miners Union, Maryland, and John l.. McClelland, a telegrapher and secretary of the executive board of the Knights of Labor. The meeting lasted over two hours, during which the greatest enthusiasm prevailed. An impor- tant meeting has been called in the same hall for Il o'clock to morrow morning. MT. Campbell of the executive committee said this evening that they had received the most encouraging reports from all parts of the country. A private dispatch from Chicago stated that only 10 operators out 3S0 remain ed at their desks. The same dispatch stated that the Chicago board of trade had resolved not to allow non-members to work on the floor A number of letters of sympathy were received by the executive committee during the day, from labor unions in different parts of the country. It is the general opinion among leading men of the brotherhood that the strike will be of short duration. It was stated on good authority that only five oper- ators out of about eighty showed up at the Western Union building to night.
 Bulletins received tonight by the executive committee of the Brotherhood of Telegraph CTS state that at Boston, Toronto. Oil City and Cincinnati every operator has left the office except the manager that in Memphis, New Orleans, Galveston and Charles ton all are out; that in Chicago only ten men remain out of 38O. and in 6eF,,, ,r1,,Tx1 civ nf Tn HhiaQnn the board of trade and in Oil City the Oil Exchanges have adopted resolutions that non-members of the brotherhood shall not be allowed on the floor to send reports.
 The Sun will say editorially tomorrow re- garding the strike: ''Whatever may be the result of the gigantic telegraphers' strike that was begun yesterday in this city and else where, the proceeding was as orderly, syste- matic and quiet as the preparations for 1t had been, and the Brotherhood of Telegraph CTS gave an illustration of their continental power at once interesting to philoso- phers and instructive to corporations. AS in military history the train bands of the middle ages were succeeded by the colossal arms of modern times, SO iu industrial his- tory the petty local strikes of other days have given way before continental combinations like those of the railroad strikers in 1877 and the telegraphers of yesterday. These things are significant to those who know how to look into them, and their significance will neither be increased by the success nor di- unfinished by the failure of the strikes of to- day.
 The Herald will say: ''In resorting to the step of yesterday the telegraphers simply exercised the legal and moral right which be- longs to all dissatisfied workingmen in free country. They did not strike until they had exhausted all the means of peaceful negotia- tions and given the company fair notice of their intention to strike. Now that the issue is joined the grave responsibilities of the company to the public leave but two courses open to it. It must either make terms with the strikers or it must fill their places with other competent operators and this it must do without delay. It must not attempt to starve out the strikers or force them into submission by a long con- tinued refusal to re employ them coupled with failure to fill their places with other men. In other words, it is bound to make the strike short, aud this duty is doubIy imperative in view of the fact that it had at least a weeks notice of the strike. Strike or no strike it is bound to keep up it's service. Its obligations to the public are paramount to all other considerations and the public will hold it responsible for any failure or general neglect of duties"
 A Complete stOppage at Boston.
 naa,o,, T.IS, For tI1a t,nfvare al