The Washington times., 1903-07-19
THE TELEGRAPH STRIKE
OF TWENTY YEARS AGO
A Washington Operator Recalls Some Incidents and
Mentions Some People You Know.

Twenty years ago tomorrow, Sun
day" said veteran Washington oper
ator yesterday, was the first day of
the big strike of telegraphers, the
greatest and most successful. despite
its apparent failure, that ever was or
ganized. 1 can remember It as II II
were only yesterday.
Il was working in the Offices of the
Western Union Company in New York
at the time, and was, 7 believe. as
stanch member OF the Brotherhood
Of Photographers as ever used a key.
Meetings had been held all over the
country for weeks before the strike was
declared: agitators and men hitherto
uneccustomed to public talking spoke
from stages where Wagner's best music
had Just been played; men talked in
clubs and feeling ran high. Yet there
was 40 public demonstrations; there
was nothing done which the Brother
hood men blush to remember today. No,
sir; not at all We had grievances, but
we took honorable and fair methods OF
settling them.
ION the 10th OF July, 1888, we. the
day operators, demanded day of eight
hours and that we day men should re-
ceive the pay of a night operator when
we worked at night. Well, we didn't get
1T, and on July 10 we struck work.
General Grant Is Dead"
Just at noon on that day a message
was flashed from the New York office
Of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany. 1t was the queerest way OF order
ing strike you ever heard OF. That
message went from Maine to San Fran
cisco and II read: General Grant is
dead. General Grant is dead AS soon
as an operator heard those words nc
stopped work and taking his coat and
hat left his desk and the Office. The
halls and stairways of the Western
Union Building in Washington were
crowded with operators, orderly and
undemonstrative.
Some looked serious and even sad.
but the majority wore a look of conf
dence and determination.
"Out into the street they went and
stood in whispering groups upon the
pavement. The strike was on. Long
ago as it is-twenty years ago-I can
remember that picture still. and the
strike order, General Grant is dead
well, 1 can't forget that.
John Campbell, leader of the strike,
arranged that sentence. and ali credit
to him for it, II became to the tele-
graph operator the same as the famous
Up, guards, an at 'em' OF the Iron
Dock 20 the English Tommy Genera!
Grant is dead! A phrase to be remem-
5ered in history.
"On the instant of receiving that mes
sage 1900 operators throughout the
! country stopped work; not a key clicked
from ocean 10 ocean under a Brother
hood mans finger. A panic was the re-
suit; stock brokers thought. until they
found out different, that the strike would
stop all news coming to them; newspa-
pers thought the same. and from the
multitudinous press associations there
went up one long, angry howl of protest.
You have no idea OF what was to pay.
We'll. that message came to the ears
OF the people. They demanded to know
whether Grant was alive or no. and the
following message had TO be published in
all the papers.
Owing TO a rumor having been pr.
In circulation at various places this
morning that Gen. u. s. Grant had fallen
dead an inquiry was made at the gen
erals home. where it was learned that
he was AZ long Pranch in good hpa1th
and had been in communication during
the morning with his business assO-
GATES
so you see that message struck a sort
of fear to everybodys heart, and then
with the strike atop, why the country
was badly frightened and didn't know
where 10 turn.