The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-16
REFUSED TO TALK.
A COMMITTEE of Striking Operators
Waits Upon Eckert, Who Will
Not Treat With Them;
But Refers Them to the several Su-
perintendents---Th Senate In
Vestigati0n--AS Sweeping
Suggestion.

New YORK, Aug. ia committee of six,
representing the striking operators form
erly employed by the Western Union COM
pany, waited on Gen. Eckert and asked for
an interview which was granted. 1t is hot
known what proposition they have to ad-
vance A report was made on the stock ex-
change that the men had petitioned for
work
LATER.-The committe of striking opera
tors who waited upon Gen. Eckert, of the
Western Union, said they represented Morse
operators, WheatstOne operators and lnemen
in the employ of the Western Union, but that
their call was not to be considered as
a weakening on the part of the brotherhood.
Their purpose was to inquire on what terms
the men would be taken back into service.
General Eckert said he would recommend
that those now out should apply to their re
spectiye superintendants as TO terms for the
resumption of work
THE SITUATION.
Western Union officials said that every
thing was remarkably quiet The wires were
not tampered with and consequently there
was no delay in getting at work. They also
| and they were able to handle it promptly.
remains unchanged with regard to the strike
SENATE INVESTIGATION.
The United States senatorial sub-commit
| tee on labor ard education continued its in
! quiry regarding the telegraph strike The
| examination of John s. McClellanC
was resumed He submitted, in ac
| cordance with the request of the com
mittce, a quantity of evidence which ht
had prepared in regard to the iron-claG
Caths which employers in various industrie.
were in the habit of administering to theil
workmen when they received them int
their service. Witness said the WesterI
Union company adopted the plan of maxim
| operators take All oath that they would n,
JOIN union, and he could produce enployc
who could prove it. Threats had been
made by many railroad cOmpanie
that they would discharge any men whom
they discovered to be members of the bro&h
erhood of telegraphers Among others, tn
| Pennsylvania railroad and Michigan Centra
company had employed this means. Othe
| instances of the means taken by capita
to enslave workingmen were given b,
| witness Witness also furnished statistics II
garding the strikes, which had occurred dur
ing recent years Since 1870 the number o
recorded strikes which occurred in Europ
was :, 2,352. The trades in which the most fire.
quent strikes occurred were coal miners an
building trades.
Statistics showed that during the past te
years 9.027 weeks work, or "a, 1862 days, ha
been lost by men who engaged in them reT
resenting wages amounting to So, 237, Isl
Of the entire number of strikes occurring, :
were known to have been won by workmer
ls9 lost and 81 compromised, leaving abou
20J0 unaccounted for and whic
In all probability had been lost b
t . C who engaged in them, The remed
suggested by the witness for securing a NOR
equitable distribution of wealth between Ia
borer and capitalist would be that govern
ment should take charge of all branches {
industry as it had of the mail-carrying fc
the country. This system could, he though
be applied to all private industries as well 6
to the Geographic industry,