Daily globe., 1883-07-19
Especial Telegram to the Globe. |

notification of the decision of the company
as to their demands being received,
nothing was done. It is now thought the
strike will occur tomorrow morning. The
feeling has been worked up to high pitch,
and the operators are nearly unanimous.
A large meeting, attended by $50 tele-
graphers, was held at the headquarters of
the brotherhood, Uhlich's hall, this even
ing. Forty new members were admitted
The proceedings we're secret. The knights
of Labor, of which the brotherhood is
branch, promises support and aid.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
CHICAGO, July 18.-"How much money
have you got to carry on a striker was
asked of brotherhood man to-day.
"All we want he replied. II can't give
you the figures, but we are well provided
for and shall not suffer for money. If We
have to work we can go at something else.
Our business is telegraph1ng, but if we
don't know anything else we can learn.
There will be no necessity for it, however.
We have the most positive assurance
that all the money we require will be forth
coming"
1--WE have the sympathy of the board of
trade,' said Mr.. A. ]. Morris, the president
of the Brotherhood of Telegraphers, 'and
I shall be sorryif it becomes necessary for
US to make them suffer. The fight is one
of principle and must be made There
are no developments so far to-day. can
not say positively that We shall 60 out
this morning. We are ready to stop at
moments notice, and are only
waiting for the word. There
are a large number of firms
and private corporations in the city whose
telegl aphic business is transacted on wires
under their own control. The greater
number of these firms are brokers and
merchants whose transactions require
special expedition. Most of them are on
the board of trade. There are two houses
which communicate with their New York
correspondents over wires leased from the
| telegraph companies. These wires are
leased under special contracts, which
strictly define the exact nature and scope
of their use in these particular instances.
The annual rental paid for these wires, the
largest in the country, is about $25 mile.
| Operators are furnished by the telegraph
comp panies, but are paid by the firm. In
addition many houses have short wires,
technically called ponies" running from
their offices to the main telegraph
offices. Several large packing houses
have telegraphic communication with their
down towa counting rooms, and one or
two manufacturing corporations have
lines ard operators of their own maintain
ing connection between their factories and
offices. All the newspapers except the
evening twinklers are provided with loops
by means of which they are brought into
direct communication with their cores
pondents in the Eastern cities. This
branch of Wholesale telegraphy is a very
lucrative part of the business to the com
panies, and is also of great benefit to the
individuals and corporations who patron
ize it. With the growth of the city and the
wide diffusion of its commercial influences,
private wires are increasing. The facii-
tiles possessed by the telegraph companies
for keeping them in order and for build
ing them more cheaply than any one else,
operate to preserve the control of these
wires to the great telegraph companies.
The arrangement, however, works salts
factorily to all parties and its adoption is
fast becoming an indispensable condition
to success in certain lines of business.
THE OUTLOOK.
New YORK, July 18.-A feverish feeling
exists in telegraphic circles over the
threatened strike. Every person interested
Is anxioUsly waiting the result of the
meeting of the executive committee of
the Western Union directors. commit
tee of the Brotherhood held a meeting
this morning, but what transpired there
could not be learned. Cipher dispatches
were received by the committee from
various parts stating that the operators
were in readiness to leave their desks at a
moments notice. W. B. Somerville, of the
Western Union company, said to-day there
seemed to be little possibility that the
company would grant the request and that
| a strike seemed to be inevitable. The
demands were unjust and unreasonable,
and if the strike should happen, the COM
pany would fight it to the bitter end. W.
J. Dealy, manager of the operating room
of the Western Union, said he did not
believe the strike would be commenced
without mature deliberation on the
part of the operators. This morning
there was an unusually large force at
work in the Office, numbering between 600
and 700. The ordinary number of ab-
sentees was from fifteen to twenty-five;
only nine absentees this morning. He
said he had at least fifty letters from en-
p!oyes Of the company promising to stand
| by it IN the event of strike. There were
twenty-nine chief operators in the Office,
each one having under him from eighteen
| to twenty-five men. This morning can
vas was made by these chiefs among the
operators to ascertain if possible the real
strength of the disaffected portion, and
how large force might be relied on in
case of strike. The first report showed
that out of 210 operators twelve were
doubtful and nine promised to stand by
the company. Later reports indicate that
this proportion represented the division of
feeling throughout the whole force. The
wheatstone operators to man,
Dealy said, promised to stand