The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-07-24
sympathy from " Uncle Rpf"s'"
MR.. HATCH Is "wTH THE TELEGkAfhh"''
ALTHOUGH MS BUSINESS syFfERs'
AE HUtpU ITO
New York Times.

ALTHOUGH MS BUSINESS soffh"''
New York Times.I
nJrpc,e Rufusv was called on by the re-
norter n his summer residence, near New.
hurg. for his opinion on the telegraphers
strike. its causes, and probable outcome'
Mr. Hatch was sitting on the broad pia.Za
of his residence looking down upon tnc
river and the scenery OF the Hlgniahus,
and had evidently just been reading .ne
New York papers, which were streWn
tbickIy about him. In reply TO seheia'
question he SAID
"I do not know that it would be OF any
interest for me TO give my views Oh 'h,o
subject generally, seeing that the "ho,c
American public have pretty well consIu-
cred il. and reached practically the SAINT
conclusions regarding il. i know, now
ever. that several thousand hard-worhihg
and more than ordinarily intelligent men
and women are arraycd against nearly
500. 0OO. 900 OF capital in this strike, ana tnat
the public view OF IT Is that their defnanus
are fair and reasonable. / see that Ihc
Executive Committee OF the western
Union il making great deai VI
pretence that the strikers d1d no.
properly present their demands, and dlu
not give the committee time to CONSIDER
the situation before they struck. IL Is
cvon claimed that the committee was
ostonished while i'm session when the news
came that the strikers had quit work.
Now. that is all sheer nonsense ana iaise-
Iood. The telegraphers sent delegates 10
the committee, and they were treated WIN
contempt, though all the public except the
Executive Committee knew what the tele-
oraDbers asked for. AS / understand IL,
these men and women asked for more pay
less hard work, and some other MINOR
concessions. 1t has always seemed 10
me that there was an equity, ana that
there should be n community OF inter-
est. between capital and labor. Mr.. Gould
and his colleagues seem not 10 thlnK so.
IL Mr.. Gould, who is the Executive Com
mittce of the Western Union, can call
meeting at 1859 O'Clock p. NJ. at Mr.. Van
derbilts house. rs he did on january 10,
1881. and issue S1j,500, 900 OF stock and
put il into that committees breeches-pock-
ct. and then assess the public by increasing
telegraph tolls and reducing the operators
wages to pay dividends on this additional
so-caIled stock; and if he can then 90 on
and paw those dividends out OF his pocket,
though the courts have declared the stock
not legal or entitled 10 dividends, then.
think these operators also have some
rights.
Remember, | am not endorsing the
strike OF itself. for it is against my business
interests, and embarraSses me greatly in
nv transactions and correspondence; but
the strikers have my sympathy, believing
that they are right. We hear a good deal
about the wrong inflicted by these combi-
nations of labor, but the unanswered
question lying beneath all OF this is: II
capital has the right to combine i'll its
own interests, why may not labor also
combine to secure IFS own legitimate
ends? believe laws have been
passed in this and some other States
declaring strikes and combinations Of labor
to be conspiracy. Is IT not equally con-
spiracy for Mr.. Gould and other men with
millions to meet and by their mere votes
increase capital stock, and either create
fictitious values or wine out real values at
wily l. looks to me like the most bandit
like form OF conspiracy. There can be no
legal form of conspiracy. No, sir; | am
with the telcgrapherS, especially when |
see that man like Edison, the electrician,
who sprang from the class Of telegraphers,
and who knows what their labOrs are. says
they are hard worked and poorly paid"