The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-16

a regular days work, and seven hours re-
gular nights work.
Third-That all extra service shall be COM
pensated at the rate of five hours work per
day.
Fourth-That both sexes receive equal pay
for equal work.
Fifth-That all members of our order
shall abstain from teaching our profession
except to brother, sister, son, or daughter,
and use all honorable means to suppress
fraudulent telegraph colleges
Sixth-We believe that, by strictly adher
ing to the above declaration, we will obtain
for our valuable services good living, not
mere existence, and, what is more, we will
place ourselves in position to command the
respect and consideration of all railroad and
telegraph officials.
This declaration was made after President
William Orton, of the Western Union COM
pany, had stated, under oath, before a con-
gressional committee, that an operator could
not do more than SIX hours work day. con-
tinuously, and preserve his health, showing
that the operators were willing to give the
company two hours day more time than
their president thought was healthy, and
one hour more in the night service.
With the platform, and with the powerful
assistance of the Knights of Labor, of which
the telegrapbers had now become an integral
part, the brotherhood began at once to grow
with wonderful rapidity The methods of
the knights for organizing were put into
force, and trained organizers were set at work
in every section of the country where tele-
graphers were employed The statistics of
the brotherhood show that during 1882 the
growth Of the order was, on an average, 900
members per month, and at the beginning of
this year its numerical strength was 5000
thoroughly disciplined operators, distributed
over the United States and Canada. Since
that time the growth of the order has stead
lily continued, and at the present time it car
ries upon its rolls fully $4,000 members in
good standing The whole number of ope-
rators in this country, male and female, rail-
road and commercial, is less than 20, 600, and
including Canada less than %, 600, and before
the dawn of the new year the organizers
have excellent reasons for asserting that nine
teen-twentieths of the whole number will be
members of the brotherhood.
Upon the question of salaries the official re-
port of the State of Pennsylvania shows that
the average salary paid railroad operators in
the year 1882 was 1886 per month. This
however, is much higher than the average
salary paid railroad operators in many other
States, as will be seen by the report of the
State of Illinois on one OF the principal rail-
roads where it is but $3521 per month. The
commissioners OF labor statistics of that
State, in their report for. the year 1882, say
that, considering the skill and efficiency re-
quired, and the wearing and arduous charac-
ter OF the employ ent, telegraph operators
are rewarded more meagerly and made
quately than any other class of employees
For commercial operators the average salary
In the United States, as shown by carefully
prepared statistics, is about $50 per month.
With both classes the hours of labor are so
long and so peculiarly distributed that few
opportunities exist at present for social life,
and this, with the inadequate salaries paid,
are the fundamental complaints in the bin Of
grievances now about ready to be submitted
to the telegraph and railroad companies of
the United States
As shown in their declaration of princi-
pies, the Brotherhood is determined to re-
sort to strike only as a last resort They
will, however, stand firmly upon their
may be amicably adjusted. They are pre-
pared for any contingency.
PREPARED FOR STRIKE
The bill of grievances was not of sudden
birth. 1t has been decided upon for more
than year, and during all that time the
brotherhood has been creating q fund to sup
port its members in the event of a lockout.
That such an event would paralyze the busi-
ness of the country goes without saying.
The $4,000 members of the order practically
control the telegraph business and, as there
are not enough men of the profession in ex-
istence, on this side of the ocean, at least, to
fill their places, strike would not only stop
the transmission of business messages, but it
would be likely to largely prevent the opera
ton of all the large railroads whose trains
are now controlled by telegraph.
There is a more or less well-grounded be-
lief on the part of many members of the
order that strike may be forced upon them
in the interest of stock-jobbing speculation
From sources of information which they be-
lieve entitled to every credit, they have re-
ceived an intimation that it was the policy
of Jay Gould and his clique to let the strike
occur, SO that temporary suspension of
business would have an invlncible
stock and hammer it down until
it could be bought at from twenty to thirty
points below what it rules at present With
this accomplished, and the bundle of stock
that the ruined holders are expected to drop
safely corralled by Could the demand of the
operators would be conceded and the stock
sent booming back to the point freTs, IA .tcn ecu
it fell. There would be miljs II, 'ilis f th ioa
Ian,hs Who re- ~" ~ holding stock, or who
migbt s.in ole on it Tor steady decline.
BASIS OF THE CLAIM.
with this preliminary matter disposed
Of" said a member of the Brotherhood who
supplied the information, "it is time to ex-
anime the claims that the Brotherhood put
forward for an increase of salary. The i'm
perative necessity of shorter hours has al
ready been shown by the sworn testimony
of the late president, William Orton. A
leading New York member of the executive
committee of the Brotherhood authorizes the
statement that bill of grievances has been
considered and approved by every assembly of
the order in the United States He adds
that the advance in wages that will be de-
manded will be Is ner cent. The official re-