The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-10-18

Topeka, Kan, Oct 17.-All the telegraph
operators on the Santa Fe system. about
900 in all. struck this morning at 10 o'clock.
in response TO an order from Chief Ramsay
of the Order of Railway Telegraphers. The
trouble is on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa
Fe railroad in Texas, which is operated by
the Santa Fe. The operators of the Texas
line have had a schedule for increased
wages before the officials, but the new
schedule has not been allowed. Inc
Santa Fe operators have struck IN SYM
pathy with the Texas operators. No trains
are moving in Texas. The train dis
patchers on the Santa Fe proper are taking
| stock trains in transit to division points.
| where they will leave their keys Also
| The men declared Immediately after the
strike that the 800 operators employed on
| the st. Louis and san francisco ana tse
500 employed By the Atlantic and Pacific
would strike unless the Santa Fe came TO
| time The men had not heard at noon
| from Grand Chief SOmers OF Emporls,
who has charge Of the Emporia division, OF
which the Topeka operators are members,
| and will make no statement Tor pubIlca-
| ton until they can do so.
General Manager Robinson, in an inter-
| view this morning, said: This entire
| strike is mistake Grand Chief Ramsay
has not ordered our men out at all. have
| traced the matter down, and find that the
! order for a strike proceeded from Dodge
| City, and that an operator by the name Oh
| Barker wrote it and signed Ramsay's
name to it. He only intended it as joke,
and when the men learn this they viii re-
| turn to work"
| The men here take no stock whatever in
the story that any operator attempted to
play joke. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa
| Fe, on which the first strike occurred, IS
| not owned by the Santa Fe, but is leased
and operated by it, and General Manager
| Robinson is the second vice president The
| operators on the Santa Fe main line had no
| personal grievance. Last spring Grand
| Chief Ramsay secured for the operators
who went out today an annual increase IN
wages of some S30, 900. Operators receiving
! from $50 to S35 were increased to $40 and
SIS, and train dispatchers were increased
| from 500 and S125 to S125 and Sl5O. The
! Santa Fe officials contend that the strike
| on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe was
not ordered by Chief Ramsay, but by his
| assistant. Tobey, who claims authority TO
represent Ramsay and to sign his name to
orders.
A second dispatch has been received
from Grand Chief Ramsay of the Order OF
Railroad Telegrapners, ordering that no
| work be done on the entire Santa Fe
system The Santa Fe officials show a
dispatch, alleged to be a statement from
the operator at Dodge City, saying that
he had sent out the dispatch signed
Ramsay ordering the strike rs a joke.
But the men do not believe it, and will re-
fuse to work until ordered by Ramsay.
MANAGER ROBINsoN's STATEMENT.
In an interview this afternoon General
Manager Robinson said:
"The strike on the main system appears
to result simply from the hoax telegram
sent out by an operator at Dodge City.
The agreement made few months ago
between the officials of the Santa Fe sys-
TEN and MIR. Ramsay, chief of the Order OF
Railway Telegraphers and signed by both
parties to the compact. provide" thai
thirty days notice shall be given by either
party to the other requesting change IL
the same.
.'Iu regarl to the strike on the Texas
lines, l will say that the company ha:
always been willing TO meet the men anC
to confer with them about their griev'
ances. Mr.. Wheeler, general manager o.
. the Texas lines. several weeks ago tele
graphed to Chief Ramsay that he wishet
to have him come to Galveston to adlus
the grievances. Mr.. Ramsay wired that i
would be impossible for him to come be
fore the latter part of the month or th'
first of next so he te;egrhphed Mr.
Tobey to 90 in his stead. This was abou
, ten days ago Mr.. Wheeler wired Mr.
Ramsay that so many interests were in
yolyed and the matters at stake i'm
portaut that ne wished that Mr. Ramsa,
/. would give the matter his personal atteu
s tion, and that General Manager Robinson
e would meet hum at a convenient time
{ Mr.. Ramsay telegraphed to Mr.. Wneele
: that he woulu withdraw MT. Iobey.
l have been waiting for him To fix tim
, when it would be convenient for him L
9 meet me. which l supposed would be tn
last of this month
= Il have been absent in the Panhandl
!. country and did not return to Topeka III
Z I'll Yesterday l went out for drive ant
: did not return until 1:3O. l found that
9 telegram, which had arrived in cIphe
during the night, has been translated AM
delivered at my house after | had starte
out for the ride. This telegram state
= that Mr. Tobey, acting for Mr.. Ramsay
v had given Mr.. Wheeler, manager of th
. Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, until Satul
day noon TO agree 10 the telegraphers
J schedule Mr.. Wheeler had obtained a
t extension till SUNDAY noon, till he coui
: reach me. As it happened did not re
n ceiye the telegram until after the time 10
v declaring The strike had passed.
r "At II O'Clock Sunday morning 1t az
4 pears that Mr.. Tobey presented anothe
schedule 10 Mr.. Wheeler, demanding tina
/. r be agreed TO by noon. was great
q | surprised at all this, because had under
q stood that Mr. Ramsay and myself woul
. confer in the matter. The company n,