Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-08-22

AIS
'elcgraphers against tie Western Union
telegraph Company is practically ended.
There were three parties interested in
he contest-the corporation, the oper.
tors and the public. During the strife
II suffered.
The telegraph company lost q large
Ium Of money in the great but tempo
airy shrinkage Of business. The loss Of
slight percentage Of its income for a
Jingle day is considerable. Its daily net
profit is over $4,000. The money mon
tier has been wounded and has bled-
bled only in a fgurative sense, however,
for it has no warm human blood. 1t has
come out of the fight victorious, but its
victory il not a triumph. Had the
struggle never occurred it would have
been better of. Its supremacy has been
asserted once, but in order to be main.
tanned it will henceforth have to con.
tend with new enemies. The laborers
have been overcome and this makes the
public feel, now more than ever, that the
Western Union Company is not its friend.
Popular sentiment has been reused
against the corporation, and the people at
large on whom it depends for it's wealth
Of patronage hate and despise it. They
are eager for an opportunity to strike q
blow at their enemy. The result Of the
struggle has been to develop mother
corporation, which may itself prove q
monster in turn, but which starts ont
with fair speech and has the good will OF
the country. This is the Postal Teie-
graph, with John Mackay at its head,
with unlimited capital to back him. The
enterprise promises to enter into compe.
tition with the Western Union by a new
second telegraph line on every route in
the United States and on the submarine
cables connecting the new and the old
worlds. The Postal Telegraph Company,
if it treats the public fairly, must great
ly damage, if it does not break down, the
telegraph monopoly which has reigned
and tyrannized in solitary power.
The striking operators have been the
most hurt in the fight. Ten thousand
skilful workmen have been forced to
recognize their helplessness; forced to
the conclusion that they must accept the
wages offered them, however scant, or
quit the field Of labor in which the best
part of a life has been devoted to ac-
quire proficiency in their calling. Men
grown up in one business and educated
for it cannot readily drop it aud turn
their hands to something else. But few
of the operators defeated in the strike
are able to give up t~elegraphing. As a
rule they are helpless to do anything else
for a livelihood. They find themselves
crushed; and, bitter as the dose is, they
must beg for unemployment under the
former cold blooded master. For the
sake OF their dependent families they are
already hocking to the wires begging
for the privilege Of work at starvation
rates. This is q sad picture and the
beaten operators may be called towards;
but they are not towards. 1t is one
thing to fight with arms, but the wolf at
the door is another, and eventually sub
dues the stoutest heart.
A third party greatly interested in the
struggle is the general public. The pub
lie has been o~utrageously bilked by the
Western Union Company. With stock
watered up to a nominal value OF SSo'
600, GOO, when its whole outfit is moi
worth more than $50, 900. 900, it has. by
the force Of its monopoly. squeezed it,
patrons and made them pay high interest
on those fanciful figures. 1t has been an
enormous tax on the business OF the
country, and it has been endured without
revolt only because Of its being SO dis
tributed as to fall upon no one with aoso'
lutely crushing force.
1t is to be regretted that the strike
had not been better organized; that the
operators had not postponed the strike
un.il the cooperation Of the entire craft
had been pledged to support it; that
they had not got the organised support
Of all the other labor unions in the u
try to combine with them and stand
with them shoulder to shoulder from the
very start. Az il turns out, it was not
purely . struggle Of labor against capital,
but rather Of labor against capital and
labor. Labor was divided and a part Of
the operators even were in the fight on
the side Of capital.
The result is unfortunate in its imme'
date results-bringing distress, humilia'
tion and want upon many honest laborers
who have won the public regard and
sympathy by their manliness and honor
in the struggle; in bringing the com
munity again under the heel OF the
Western Union monopoly; and in dis
couraging the laboring masses in their
efforts to strike for their strictly human
rights.
But the lesson learned may be valua-
BILE. 1t has been made evident that labor
must utilize every advantage Of organiza-
ton. combination, discipline and numbers
to contend successfully against the ag-
gregated wealth Of corporations. The
great universal struggle of the future in
this country will be so made, and the
sooner the fact is realized the better for
the masses Of the people.
It is gratifying to think that the dis
placed operators may find employment
with the Postal Company; that this
omnan will vanauish the Western