Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-20
A STRIKE FOR BACK PAY.
BANKERS AND DBTERCHANTgL LTNF:
KEYS DESERTED AT NIGHT.

An Offer of 20 Per Cent. of Past Duea
for Receipts in Full and an Indeflnite
Outlook for the Future Rejected by
the OperatOrs-The Troubles of Other
Wage Workers.
Boston, March 19.-The entire night
force of the Bankers and Merchants, Tele-
graph Company stopped work tonight,
ana, 1t is understood, that the strike ia
general throughout the whole line Of the
company. The operators in the Boston
ONCE have no personal grievances. having
been paid in full, except for extra service
performed in February. Their action ia
simply to strengthen and sustain their
brother operators in New York and the
larger cities TO whom the company is
heavily in arrears. The following eircu-
lar was sent from New York tonight bv
D. Is. Butler, receiver of the company. to
all the employees:
ADpreciating fully the hardships to which
the employees of this company have been suh-
yected, Will explain the reason of the failure
70 pay promptly the amounts due. l have
made vigorous efforts to secure advances in
money sufficient to make settlement of the
outstanding LAHORE DEBTS from Sept. % IsS4. to
March !, 1850. My efforts have been so far
successful that parties stand willing to adj
vance a sum sufficient to pay at once 40 uer
cent OF ali the claims above mentioned with
In the above period, provided that this sum
snail be accepted in full settlement of the
same. Notify me without delay whether this
Is acceptable to you. II the proposition is
accepted' contemplate paying hereafter all
future claims for service promptly on the
tenth day OF each month.
j. b. BUTLER, Receiver.
In reply to this circular the following
was addressed to the receiver from the
New York office:
work at 9o'clock tonight unless a definite
answer is given them before that time as to
when they Will receive their salaries in full
Iof FEBRUARY and up to March l5. What shah
dof Answer K. NJ. w.
Upon receipt of shis Mr.. Butler visited
the New York office, but no terms OF
settlement were made, and all the opera
tors lett their keys at 0:l0 O'Clock sharp.
THE QUIT AT NEW YORK.
NEW YORK, March 19.-The feeling Of
dissatisfaction that has long existed
among the operators of the Bankers and
Merchants Telegraph Company at the
Main otlce, at No. 1877 Broadway, culmi-
mated in strike tonight. Twenty-Five
men, comprising nearly all the force. left
their tables at O'clock. They had been
paid their January salaries ON reporting
Tor duty this evening. Each man was
given slip, which stated that Receiver
j. b. Butler would pay 30 per cent. of all
claims, provided a receipt in full were
given. After consultation the men tele-
gTaphed to Mr.. Butler that unless he
agreed to pay them at once, they would
quit work. Mr.. Butler answered in person.
A committee OF three waited on him with
the information that If they received their
salaries in full for February on SATURDAY.
ana he assured them that they would get
their March money on March %, thew
would remain at work. Mr.. Butler an
swered that be would pay last months
salaries on Tuesday, but he could say
nothing at present about this months.
Inc operators then withdrew and quit
work. TIE operators complain bitterly
of the way they have been treated in
money matters, and say that messages
have been coming in from all over the
country where the company has offices
asking when they would be paid. MIR.
Butler is said to have stated that the
money with which he offered to make the.
settlement came from Edmund Stokes, of
the Holman House, who owns much stock
in the company.
MINERS VIOLATE THEIR CONTRACT.
HILLSBORo, ILL, March 19.-AU of the
miners, numbering about 500 men, of the
Ellsworth Coal Company, at Staunton,
southwest OF. here, are still on strike.
The miners say that they have started out
Tor strike of thirteen weeks. By their
contract with the company the miners
were getting 90 cents per ton tor coal. out
TINS contract would have expired June
20, and after that date the company in
tended to reduce the price to 40 cents per
ton. The miners have thus violated their
agreement by striking before the expira-
tlon OF thelr contract. Public sympathy.
however, is generally with the miners.
MINERS GREATLY DISSATISFIED.
MOUNT CARMEL, PA, March 1O-Grea1
dissatisfaction exists among the miners
OF the anthracite coal region, they hav-
ing worked but half time last month and
submitted to 8 per cent. reduction. The
pay this week has been the smallest for
years. President Harris, of the Miners
Amalgamated Association, has been en-
ployed to organize the miners, and is
meeting with success. Prominent labor
men predict general strike before long.