The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-08-15
Western Union and Postal
Companies Say They
Have Better of Fight.
WANT MORE BUSINESS
Services To Be Resumed This Morn
ing-Claim Strike sympathizers
Returning to Work.


fectually broken was the confident as
sertlon made last night by the super
tntendents of both the Western Union
and Postal companies.
Service viii be resumed on the floor
of the board of trade this morning, and
the companies are looking for more
business. Many of the nonunion opera
tors who walked out last week in sym
pathy with the organized employees
have returned to work, and others are
applying for positions
The strikers are anxiously awaiting
the arrival in the city Of President
Sylvester J. Small. He is hurrying
here from the west on the Overland
Limited. which is due to arrive at 1890
o'clock this afternoon, but which is re-
ported to be six hours behind time.
Small is expected to at once sanction
the strike and to extend it as far as
possible for sending out a general or
der to all union operators not under
contract to leave their employment.
At High Water Mark.
The telegraph companies declare they
do not fear a general strike order now.
as the union has already shot it's bolt
and that practically all the men who
would be bound by the union summons
have already left their posts. The
strike, they say, has reached high-wa-
ter mark and the number Of idle op-
orators from this time on will gradu-
ally diminish rather than be increased.
The Postal company is busy Install
ing Rowland printing telegraph instru-
ments in this city for use on the trunk
lines. The officials claim these instru-
ments will facilitate business greatly.
With the use OF these machines four
Ii.
end on a single wire at the same time.
The messages are transmitted by type
writer operators instead of telegraph
operators. on the receiving end the
messages are automatically printed on
telegraph blanks.
General Superintendent Capen said
the company had two objects in INSTALL
ing these machines, first, to increase
the capacity of the plant. and, second,
to enable 1t to handle business with
typewriter operators instead of tele-
graph operators between it's heaviest
points.
VIII Not Join Strike.
Railroad telegraphers will not be
drawn into the controversy. The order
of Secretary l. w. Quick of the Order
of Railroad Te1egraphers to all opera
tors to observe their contracts and
handle the same business they did be-
fore the strike viii be carried out, ac-
cording to the statement of G.. Dahl
Jones, president of the local union of
railroad telegraphers.
we have an old, we'll disciplined or
ganization," said Jones, "and there is
no danger of men being stampeded. A
few of the younger members who have
not been through a strike may be in
clined TO walk out, but there is no
fear of the older men losing their
heads. We have contracts with most
of the railroads and we are to stand
by the contracts.
"Of course. our sympathies are with
the commercial telegraphers in their
fight for better wages and conditions
but we do not believe it would help
their cause for our members to walk
out. That would simply hurt US with
out helping them. There are ways in
which our sympathies can be better ex-
pressed than in engaging in strike
Fewer ut Union Meeting.
There was a decided falling of in
the attendance at the meeting of the
strikers in Brands hall yesterday af-
ternoon and the enthusiasm was not
quite so pronounced as on the previous
Gays. BuL Inefe was plenty OF Cheer-
ing at the radical speeches and the
strikers declared there were no deser-
tions from their ranks. The smaller
attendance was accounted for on the
ground that many of the idle operators
had gone on excursions to the country
for a few days and that others had left
the city TO work for the railroad com
panies.
The only strike development locally
was the waIkout OF thirty five opera.
tors employed by Armour & Co. They
asked for a new schedule of wages
and a closed shop contract. Before
the men walked out a committee CON
sisting OF John Ruthven, Albert Walker
and Charles Thurman waited on J. Og-
den Armour and superintendent T. J
ConnorB and presented their demands
The meeting was entirely friendly. but
Mr.. Armour said he could not comply
with the conditions asked for.
The men walked eut of both Office:
at 1890 o'clock The other packing
firms were given until today to agree
TO the same scale as is being demanded
of all brokers. and it is probable more
strikes will be called if the demands
are not aeceded to.
Press Wires All Open.
The Associated Press officials re-
ported no further trouble on their pri-
vate or leased wire service and the