The Delaware farmer., 1883-08-24

Master Workman John Campbell Of
the Brotherhood of Telegraphers went
to the Western Union receiving room
at 2 o'clock on Friday afternoon and
sent a message to Mr.. Thomas Hughes
of Pittsburgh, the General Secretary Of
the Brotherhood, saying:
"The Executive Board of the Brother
hood regrets to say that the strike is a
failure. All members who can may re-
turn to work Immediately. A circular
follows by mail.
A similar message was sent direct to
officers of local assemblies in the leading
cities.
The New York Assembly of the Broth
erhoOd was in secret session at the time
in Clarendon Hall. Six hundred opera
tors and inemen were present. Chair
man John Mitchell read this message,
signed by Master Campbell.
'After a struggle Of one month, in
which you have shown yourself true men
and women, and worthy of the respect
of the people of this country, we are
compelled to acknowledge that our
struggle for our rights is a failure. All
members of this Brotherhood are at lib
erty to return to work after p. m. to-
day"
Half a dozen men jumped to their
feet shouting that they would not re-
turn, and that the fight was not over.
There was q good deal of shouted dis
appreciation of the action of the Board
Chairman Mitchell finally obtained
silence, and appointed a committee of
three operators to escort the lady strikers
to the Western Union building in order
to give them the first chance to
get work. None of the men
left the hall for several hours after the
departure of the women. The inemen
We're very bitter in their structures on
the order to return to work, and laid the
blame to the ''kid glove operators. "
Mr.. Smith, chief of the hnemen. said
that as far as they were concerned the
order would be ignored. A vote was
taken, and the linemen unanimously re-
solved to continue the strike, and, as
one of them remarked, ''tO make it hot
ter than ever"
The committee of three meanwhile |
escorted thirty-eight women to the
Western Union office, where the women
applied for reinstatement. Only eight |
were taken back, the others being told |
that their places had been filled. Sew |
eral of the applicants cried.
''The majority of those you see here
were strikers, said Night Manager Sink
to a reporter standing at the door of the
operating room last night "Forty-five
were taken back, of whom eight were
women. Half dozen men were reject.
ed. Many Of the best of the operators
are staying away so as to give the women
the first chance. They have always act
ed like honorable men. The night gang
is full without using extras"
All the men had not waited for the
women, however. By three o'clock in
the afternoon thirty-one operators had
applied for work and got it, and six had
been rejected
Mr.. Bogart, who has charge of the
linemen, said that in all four striking
linemen had applied for work since the
strike. They had not been taken back.
A few specially skillful men would be
taken back if they applied. The rest
were hopelessly ont of it so far as that
company was concerned. Mr.. Bogart
said that the plant had not been depreci- ;
ated !
Master Workman Campbell sat in a
window at the Manhattan Hotel, and
talked cOolly of the failure of the strike.
He said that when it began more than s
], 700 operators left then keys. Until
within the last three days not over 200
IF them had returned to work, except
hose ordered back to the American L
Rapid Company. The average pay ,,
If the 5000 who were out the
whole twenty-nine days was about o
$50 a month. They lost in pay :
$3.50, 900, and in all about 100000 The
fleets of the strike were to show the c
public that two or three men in the a
Western Union could say to its en- il
,loyees that they must accept the COM a.
)any's terms or starve, that the company :.
Ould make its own terms with the pub i
ic, and that a powerful opposition to the Il
was springing up. The op- il
position consisted of the Southern, the b.
Bankers and Merchants, the Baltimore A.
nd Ohio. the Postal, the American =
Iapid, the Board of Trace of Chicago. u
nd the Chicago and Milwaukee, and the W
irand Rapids Railroads Companies. d;
'hese companies covered the most profit II
bic centers of the country, and were n;
Il working together Through them =,
nd the loss of business from other '"
1urces, the Western Union had lost We
lillions by the strike. III
The strike had failed because the COM Ill
my had the money and could afford to no
Sc it rather than surrender. If the +.
rotherhoOd had been well supplied with - -
oney, it would have only Intellectually Oh
Olonged the contest. The Brother tn
'od had been greatly astonished at the A
ngth of the strike. None expected it ais
last over a week. They held ~,
it the last three weeks in hopes ~
a favorable turn. They were aO
dered back by the Executive Board, ma