The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-30
STILL DEFIANT.
The Striking Telegraphists and the
Big Companies Remain IN
daunted.
-SubJect to Delay Notices Taken
Down in New YOrk--The Gen
eral Outlook.


telegraph situation here is the return of four
of the strikers to the Western Union This
has not apparently had the effect of diminish
ing in the least the confidence they feel III
their ultimate success. They claim to have
taken into the brotherhood as Offset to this de
lection about twenty of the men employed by
the company to take the places of those who
struck
"The men who went back to work, thereby
violating their oaths to the brotherhood"
remarked one of the strikers, will hence
forth be outlaws in the eyes of their compan-
ions No intimidation will be resorted TO as
means of inducing them to go out again;
they will be let alone completely. But when
the rest of the boys go back to work the lot
of the renegades will be a sorry one. Let me
explain to YOU how this will be No opera
tor is 50 good that he is perfect and never
liable 10 make mistake. Now, suppose an
operator who has betrayed the trust reposed
in him by his comrades has been working
steadily sending messages to New York. Ac-
cording to rule he would then begin to re
ceive, and as every man who sends messages
has a sign of his own, A, b. or c, that he is
known by at the other end, the New York
man would have been advised previously
that he was "a traitor The New Yorker who
was sending would send in his messages like
lightning on purpose to tire the receiver out
he wouldn't stop second, but, being fresh,
could send his matter at the rate of fifty mes
sages to the hour The Chicago man, whose
arm and head would be just about paralyzed,
would have to keep right on the best he
could, aud the bulls he made would all he
charged up against him, until the manager
would think he was played out aud would
bounce BIN think you may be pretty sure
of all of us being at work by August No
one thinks the company able to hold out
longer than that
Mr. William A. MckeOn, treasurer of the
Brick Layers and Stone Masons' union,
handed A. j Morris 81 900 as the first install
ment of the contribution voted at their last
meeting
1t is SAID that several of the bes1 operators
have received offers Of Sl00to work from now
to August |, as a means of breaking the
ranks but the offer was laughed at A telr-
gram was received from New York, SAY ing
repoIts from all sections showed great enthu-
siasm in thl brotherhood, and Hrgng all
telegrapheIs to remain steadfaSt Offers Of
financial assistance were coming III daily
from all classes of business men.
THE. COMPANY.
Ill any operators have been taken out of
this office and initiated into the brotherhood,
as charged by the strikers, said the district
superintendent, we don't know anything
about it All our men are here and have
been right along. If any should so away the
chief operators would be apt to miss them
have inquired diligently, and cannot find any
ground Tor the charges. Twelve men have
left the brotherhood in this district and re
stunned WORK Five of them came in from this
city From tins it may be argued that the
brotherhood is going to pieces We are get
ting along so well in the operating room and
on the board that we have nothing to add to
the facts already published
ALLEGED AND DENIED.
when | went out of the office about =
o'clock at night, said Mr. J. b Bryant, an
operator now working for the Western
Union, "a gang Of strikers surrounded me-
as they always do, with overtures for me to
join l would have done so once before
went to work for the company, but the men
gave me the cold shoulder because was ont
of work and pretty well down at the heel In
the crowd were Charley Moreland, -5yho had
always considered a friend Of mine, Peter
Cannon and Tony Gallagher, all strikers
They tried every way to get me drunk
ceuld not return to the Western Union build
inc. / had several drinks with
them. but was not drunk. On
Monroe street, near Clark, Tony Gallagher
emptied powder of some kind into my glass.
| turned around just in time to see the splash,
but did not see what went in. l threw the
liquor in a spittoOn. We continued our
wanderings until all four of us were on Dear
born street near the alley between Madison
and Monroe streets / stopped then, and re-
fused to stay with them because they wanted
me to go out on the pier. As turnedto leave.
Tony Gallagher or Pete Cannon struck me a
heavy blow on the left temple, which knock
ed me down Then ! was kicked ! remem-
Der hearing them say, that's enough. boys,
but when picked myself up there was no
one in sight | think it was Gallagher who
assaulted me-"
The statement made by Bryant that a
party, of which l was one, assaulted him, -
said Mr. Tony Gallagher, rs absolutely false,
and comes with poor grace from man who
has been kept off the streets and out of the
cutters for three months past through the
kindness of the brotherhood Members of
our order have bought him almost every
morsel of food that he has eaten in that time
The secret of the whole business is that he
had the delirium tremens, and this charge
against US is simply an imagining of his dis
eased brain The Western Union picked him
up off the street day or two ago and gave
hi II work They even advanced him money
to buy clothes to give him de
cent appearance. He was on his way
to buy them when he saw us. His first re-
mark was: Can go with you ? We didn't
want him, but told him yes He was then
trembling and shaking, so that out of sheer
pity we bought him liquor The only words
spoken about the pier was a conversation be
tween Cannon and l, in which we arranged
to 60 fishing from the pier early in the morn
ing. If he was assaulted it was during some
brawl he got IN after he left us. ="
Mr. Gallagher's statement is corroborated
by Mr. William Wallace, who asserts that
Bryant came out of the bridewell only three
days ago. and is not.in mental condition tC
be responsible for any statement he may
make We have not yet been guilty Of
even ungentlemanly conduct, let alone assault
and battery continued Mr.. Wallace, " and
we do not intend to begin now. There is
nothing desperate in our case, and, although
we shall continue to be strikers until olu
point is gained, we shall certainly not bt
thugs or rowdies, nor permit any one else tt
| be so in our interests
THE SITUATION IN NEW YORK.
Superintendent Clowry received the fol
lowing telegram from Mr.. SomUville, defn
| ing the situation in New York City: Every
thing in good shape. The papers deride tbs
bulletins read by the leaders to the striking
operators showing that all the circuits arr
| blockaded with business hours anC
days old, while some bulletins asser
that two-thirds of our operators ar,
sitting idly about the room, and the othel
third are doing but little on account of the
great falling off in business. Investigation
shows :nat while the members Of the cham
| Der of commerce were holding the meeting
called by the members for the purpose of de
uouncing the telegraph service, answers t.
their dispatches were being received from
| 81 !<olis and Chicago inside of nine minutes
| II 70 men returned tn work at bradford