Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-07-20
TO THE BITTER END.
THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE WEST
ERIN UMW TELEGRAPH COM
PANY AND THE OPERATORS.
The walk out Yestcrdays,y Eleven Thous-
and N.n-fIow the strike Is Generally
Regarded by Business Mcn
Throughout the Country.


Yesterday morning, when the compa-
/ ny refused TO recognize the committee
OF the Telegrpphers Brotherhood.
! For nearly a week the ewes of the en-
tire country, ii might almost be
/ said Of the world, have been focused
I In anxious expectation upon the two
| great antagonists, waiting with fever
! ish impatience to see the turn affairs
would take. Within "A few minutes
1 after the refusal OF the company to rec
otniZe the committee, il was known
! all over the country. AT 1880 O'Clock,
I New York time, cipher dispatches
( were flashed over the wires to the
brotherhood, ordering them TO quit
work, and almost Immediately eleven
/ thousand operators in various cities
and towns in the country, shut OIL
I their circuits and left the offices. The
most intense excitement prevails
throughout the country, the people OF
the country generally aud the business
men appearing TO be with the strikers.
The New York Merchants Exchange,
New Orleans Cotton Exchange, and
those of Chicago. Milwaukee, Boston,
! Pittsburgh and Philadelphia held
( meetings, and the sum of So 900 was
voted by each to aid the brotherhood
in holding out until the telegraph
! company were forced TO
accede to their demands.
1 In the Western Union Office in Fort
| Worth, there were two operators be-
\ longing to the brotherhood, and upon
| the receipt OF the cipher dispatch they
| both walked out They were seen by
GAZETTE reporter, who obtained
their views upon the question: said
one of them, "this is not an ordinary
/ strike but m organized one, with all
| the sinews of war necessary for hold
ing out. The Western Union will be
obliged to give us what we ask.
They can not starye Us
out. Why there is enough
money in our treasury TO support W
for several weeks, without accepting
the aid proffered us by the business
men in the principal cities. And this
Is not all. The brotherhood Is II
branch of the Knights of Labor, prob
ably the largest organization numeri-
cally in the world.
"What is the strength of the
Knights Of labor?n
Well, that is a hard question to an
swer, but | can give You some idea of
It's strength. The organiza-
ton is 81 900 strong in St.
Louis and 10000 in New York.
If we need aid the knights Of Labor
VIII give it TO us cheerlully. For in
stance now, if every man in this UNI
ion was assessed twenty-five cents n
sum so small that every one could
readily give it; just think what a large
amount Of money we could soon have
at our disposal. You see this urgani-
| l., ,l;,rtl,I Ia,
each constituting different trade
and when one of these branch organi-
cations strike, the rest are assessed to
help them out. We have given often
and have never asked in return, for this
is the first regular organized
strike Of the entire brotherhood that
has ever taken place. We will fight
, to the bitter end, and the company
will finally yield The business men
are with Us, and it is my opinion that
the strike will so interfere with the
commercial transactions of the coun-
try that the government will step in
and insist on the company making
good terms with US" The reporter
endeavored to ascertain whether the
business men of Fort Worth were
iavorably disposed towards The
strikers, and OF those who were ques.
toned in regard to the matter
: there was not one who
was not heartily in sympathy with
them, The telegraph company claim
that in few hour, they will be pre-
) pared to carry on their business us
usual and, in the other hand, the
strikers claim that there are not
enough operators In the country to fill
the vacancies. Private advice SAYS
that in the Galveston Office that there
are but two operators lett, and in
Houston there is not one. The Dallas
office, and those throughout the state.
are badly crippled. The Fort Worth
Office is probably the best OIL of any In
the state, rs the vacan.
cies here were filled ut once.
The Western Union are sending dis
patches over the country TO the effect
that they are rapidly getting In shape
to handle all business. The following
is samples
Chicago, July l9.--To l.. G. Baker.
superintendent, st. Louis. Our forces
ut larger cities are filing up rapidly
without much delay. The operators at
smaller points very generally remain
with us. We believe that we will
nave large working force in day or
t"n. Sixty operators We're on duty in
the st. Louis Office within an hour
after the strike, which is very nearly
the full day force.n
From this 1t viii be seen that the
telegraph Company Is trying TO create
the impression tina. the strike will not
seriously effect them, buttnc operators
here say that this is only a bllna md
a few days will show that
They are right and the brotherhood
WIZ prove triumphant. The compaDy,
however, despite these positive asser.
tlons that they will get through their
diilicuty, have posted notice that ali
! kilograms viii be taken subject TO de-
lay What the outeome will be II Is
hard to say. Phe entire country is In
q iever heat OF excitemens and watch
the progress of the strike with The
greatest interest. rhn operators saw
that Mr.. Eckert Is hats9 man to deal
with, but are coniidthtt that even no
WIZ come to terms iii II few DAYS. In
The meantime they rest Quietly on
their oars, and draw their weekly al
iowohce nom the treasury, while the
executive boards Of the company and
the brotherhood fight ii out.