New-York tribune., 1899-07-26
MESSENGER STRIKE GROWS
NEARLY THREE HUNDRED A. D. r. nox.
MARCH UP BROADWAY.

sHNAios fLONhrrr AND AssEMBLrMAN snrv
ADDRESS A MEETING IN WASHINGTON HAY,
OFFERS OF HELP RECEIVED
The strike of the messengers which s,a-,..
Monday in the ranks OF the Postal Telegram HI H
and which was augmented by the detection -.
number of those employed by the American n.
trict Telegraph Company. was somewhat Incrs..a.
yesterday. Nearly three hundred boys OF The ,''
ter company marched up Broadway about No..
and whenever boy was met with a messac. :
rush was made for him. They visited the of,cs :.
Twenty-third-st. and Fifth-ave and induced
large number OF the messengers employed thera !.
join them. There was some perfunctory riotin, =
the downtown commercial districts also but a, a.,
whole. the strike seems to lack both spon,,n..e
and organization. Most OF the boys when an,
preached on the subject quote their grievance.
like lesson learned from a schooibook Yhe oo,.
panes do not seem to take the strike with mue,
seriousness, and. while. the officials admit ,hs,
they have been inconvenience, they say that I,
has only been 10 a small extent.
General Manager Wilson OF the Postal Telegram
service hired a large number OF BOYS y.stera.,
morning TO take the place of the strikers Amor.
them were some who had Joined the strike through
fear and who asked TO be taken back
Charles johnson. twenty years old. OF BrookIv,
who was selling the two prescribed newspau4rs
wandered into crowd OF the striking messenrsr
boys at Broadway and Murray-st They shou,.a
"Scab"' at him and tried TO mob him, but he Ca
capped He came back again, and the nnoh rav.
him severe handling till charged by a policeman
The latter arrested William Leftschutz thirteen
years old. of No 20 Segel-st., Brooklyn a nevsbov
The lad said he had not been trying to do anything
to Johnson. but the latter said Leftschutz had
beaten him.
Magistrate Mott fined Lenschutz So Thu hov
was sent TO the Gerry Society.
According TO the statements made by severaI
messenger boys yesterday only few OF the bows
that carry Western Union messages out OF N.
main office Of the Western Union Company. at No
1876 Broadway were at work. The boys said thar
In this office the force small that several ~
the salaried clerks obliged to assist In delIv
cry duty.
Manager Banks OF American District Telegram
No. 3, at No. Exchange Court said that only ons
Of his boys was out while the boys asserted that
fifty out all the morning but that Superin.
tendent Rayens called at the office and offered all
the boys double pay for the day n they would stay
at work. They added that the offer had been ao.
cepted and that the nifty strikers had returned n
work. They did not know II any permanent con-
cession TO be made or just how long the
double pay would last.
At the Postal Telegraph Office. at No. 20 Broad.
st. several of the boys also said that they were Re-
ceiving double pay In this Office about forty Of
the total force OF forty-fve went out. II was said
yesterday that ten OF the strikers had returned to
work and that thirty new boys had been engaged
Here It was also said that they were receiving
double pay
Senator Plunkett and Assemblyman Smith ad.
dressed a mass melting OF about 300 American Dis.
trict Telegraph messengers in Washington r. L
Forty-seventh- st. and Eghth-ave.. last night 10
speakers urged the boys to hold out for their
rights. but without violence disorder james
Anderson. of District 4. the main Office pre-
sided.
Manager Kelly. OF District No. 80 also addressed
tho boys. and pointed out that both himself and
Superintendent Rayens had seen service as me,
sengers. and would sympathize with them n ther,
were good grounds for a strike In answer 10
number Of questions put TO them as 10 whsth9
their conditions were not much improved at pres
ent they boys said yes. Mr. Kelly said that any
of the strikers who want to do so Xill be allowed
TO return work to-day.
Ii finally decided to appoint committee q.
eight 10 wait upon the superintendent to-day and
lay the grievances before him, with request FOL
immediate settlement.
John Flood. a messenger. disagreed with Mr.
Kelly, and went to the front OF the hall and + TART
ed to argue with him. He said he had TO work
eleven or twelve hours a day for s. a week, and
he did not think the pay sufficient Mr. Kelly
said he thought IT was. Concluding, Mr.. Kelly
said IF you boys Will go 10 work tomorrow |
will go personally to headquarters and state your
grievances" This last remark greeted with
Kisses and cries Of mo- Were on strike, and We
don't go back till we gets what Ne want
Other meetings will be arranged. according 20
Anderson and the boys by that time probably will
be in better position 10 fight for their cause.