Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-09-01
EPITOME OF THE WEEK
Interesting News Compilation.
INVESTIGATING STRIKES.

strikes and labor movements in general. the
object being to obtain Information useful in
1 %ers se 1s ! Blair me Of @ new aamRp 5shsiSa,
Chairman; George, of Mississippi; Pugh, Of
Alabama; Cali, Of Florida, and Aldrich, Of
Rhode Island.
Master Workman John Campbell, of Pitts
burgh, testified that he had been a telegraph
operator 20. oyer twenty went years, and been con con
Brotherhood of Photographers two years.
There were between $4,000 and $4,000 teleg-
raphers in the United States and Canada who
were members of the Brotherhood, and the
whole membership was about $4,000. Tn
cause of the strike was the refusal to grant
the demand on the part of the operators for
hours of work and extra compensation for
Sunday labor. Since 1870 the salaries of oper-
ators had been Systematically cut down, and
the object of the strike was to bring the rate
of compensation back to the former standard.
Operators are now paid u fixed salary. por
month mo the average rate ea. t=hroug sho;a5
road operators. The average rate for
census is sss.s5 per month. The rate Of wages
for first-class operators now ranges from $50
to SIS per month. The salaries in New York
City were higher than those, in the smaller
cities, with the exception Of those of New Or
leans, Memphis and Nashville, where the
scale Of wages was about equal to that in this
tors were from $35 to $40 per month for ope-
Iators at small way stations. Before the re-
duction in wages rates were thirty-tive to
forty per cent. higher than at present. In
1870 a trst-class operator could make from $50
to $l20 a month. These rates extended back to
the beginning of the war, when the scale was
about the same as at present for railroad
operators, and that for commercial n little
higher. The Western Union Company en-
ploys a quarter of all the operators in the
country. and about two-thirds are railroad
operators. The American Rapid Company
only employ one.fifth as many, operators as
nlaina1 of tho low rate nf W0uaS and incictn1
upon the ability ofallthe companies to largely
increase them. as was evidenced by the divi-
dends paid. The facilities for transmitting
messages had been increased by recent inven-
tions, but there had been no reduction in
tariff rates in consequence, while the wages
of employees had been greatly diminished.
The number OF operators had doubled since
1870, while the facilities of the companies
had more than doubled. The Western Union
III that year handled seven million messages,
end last year the number was thirty-tive
million.
Referring to the strike, Mr.. Campbell said a
last March, when a bill of grievances was
drawn up. These were unanimously ratified
by the local assemblies throughout the United
States and Canada, and the General Commit
tee was instructed to present them to the diff
terent companies, and empowered to arbi-
trate all propositions that might be made
Mr.. Campbell further said, that local man
ayers had discouraged all requests for in;
creased compensation. 1t was believed and
SAta lAoS Shc lllO Ilp
had Il well-established system Of black-listing
men who made application for increased
wages, and took the first opportunity to dis
charge them upon some pretext or another.
A system OF intimidation was practiced by
the officials of the company. Since 1870 sever
al movements had been started to organize
the operators. but all failed on account of
this system of intimidation
On the 14th John T.. McClelland, of the
Brotherhood, testified that the estimated cost
of a telegraph line one thousand five hun
dred miles long would be S725, 1853. Telegraph
operators were generally young men, and
lived in b~oarding-hOuses They usually come
from the better class of society. Most of
them were single, but some were married
men. Witness thought fifty dollars a month
was a reasonable estimate for food and lodg-
ing for a month for Il single man. Only one
in a hundred ever saved any money. In 1870
the Western Union Company required every
would never connect himself with a trade or
labor organization. This was called the
"iron-clad OATH" and was administered to
1870. Day operators worked from eight a. M.
to eight at night, and had but two or three
hours to devote to amusements. Night
A vacation was unknown in The telegraph
business.
H; W. Orr, of Philadelphia, a member of the
operators in that city ranged from $50 to $50
permonth. An evidence of the hostility of the
Western Union toward its employees was the
policy Of reducing the salaries of its operators
during the past ten years. The Western Union
had also black-listed men found organizing a
union or association of operators.
On the 18th John 7. McClelland submitted
evidence in regard to the iron-clad oaths
which employers in various industries were in
the habit of administering to their worklnen
when they. received them into their service.
The western Union Company adopted the plan
OF making. operators take an oath that they
W NIon1dI not 5 19an a aI union, and ne coMld produce
been made by many railroad companies that
they would discharge any men whom they
of photographers. Among others the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad and Michigan Central Coin
Pnny. had employed this means. Witness also
furnished statistics regarding the strikes
Since 1870 the number Of strikes which oc-
Cured in Europe was 1852. The trades in
which the most frequent strikes occurred were
coal-miners and building trades.
Statistics showed that during the past ten
years wv weeks work, or 54,162 days, had
been lost by men who engaged i'm them, rep.
resenting wages amounting to So, 237. $50. OF
the entire number of strikes occurring, sew
enty-two were known to have been won by
missed, leaving, about 1000 u~naccounted for,
and which in all probability had been lost by
those who engaged in them. The remedy for
occurring a Snore complete distribution Of
wealth between laborer and capitalist would
be that Government should take charge of
all branches Of industry as it had of the mail
carrying of the country. This system could,
he thought, be applied to all private indus.
tries as we'll as to the Geographic industry.
The committee on the 18th heard the testi-
Nony of Mrs. l.. T. Twitchell, of Brooklyn.
She was formerly President of the Working
woman's Association in San Francisco; also of
the Female ShOemakers' Association; she has
been a member of various other trade organ
iZations. She said there were many women.
who had been brought up in comfort, who
were unable now to make enough to
support themselves. There were at
least five thousand women in New
York and brooklyn who would be
glad to obtain work at any price. This had
Deen the case ever since immigration had
grown to its present proportions, and it would
be as long as immigration was unrestricted.
The trades unions were also means of pre-
venting many women from obtaining work,
as it was the policy of the unions to restrict
the number OF its members. Labor in New
York City was controlled by trades unions,
and it was the object of the leaders of the
unions 10 create a corner in labor until
they could get a place for themselves, and
then desert their followers. The Govern
inent, she thought, should assist the unem-
plOyed classes to go where they could obtain
employment. This surplus only existed in
the large crowded centers of population in
the East, and the witness Thought if thew
were assisted to go to the West the pressure
would be relieved. Witness advocated the
establishment of schools OF domestic econo.
my for the benefit OF poor people, and the
taking of steps to elevate the condition Of
the iOGDlanf law naI1nars thar II, fact ~, u ,.c