New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-10

Western Union Preparing for Long
Fight Against Operators.

The Western Union Telegraph Company will
fight the strike of their operators in the west
ern cities, in the East wherever the men may
go out They expect TO win. as they claim TO
have done in 1888. A strike among the three
thousand operators in this city is imminent
This is not official announcement. but is an
expression Of opinion concurred in both by men
associated with the executive affairs of the
Western Unon and representatives of the Com
mercial Telegraphers Union
The position taken by the company is that the
men have no substantial grievance. but are IN
some instances the willing and in other in
stances the unwilling victims Of the prevailing
social unrest" A man who enjoys the CONT
dence of high officials of the Western Union said
last night:
THE men have no grievance They nave the
strike fever, and the younger element, wh1ch
appears 10 be in control in the West and 70
which a period of ideness would work no par
ticular hardship, is anxious for a showdown
which will test the strength Of the orsanlza-
ton throughout the country The company Will
fight for TO surrender would De suicidal u
the strike becomes general, as II was in 1885.
business for a time will e hampered as II
was then but eventually the men VIII De
beaten. A strike I'm New York. however VIII
prove a different proposition from a contest IN
the West There the men are generally
Younger than those employed here In this
city are many operators who have reached the
age where their greatest efficiency Is tnihgs
/
care of by the company. These men do not want
/ IN and probably would not go out They realize
| that should tho strike fail and they be Obliged
| to return to work on their merits as operators
without regard TO their previous faithiul ser
vice they would be at a serious Disadvantage
ON the other hand. IL was pointed out in union
| circles last night that sthe original grievance
| against the company was In this CITY ana thh1
/ 15 per cent Of the operators employed mere alS
union men and prepared TO leave tnelr KEYS
/ Sfr Il ordered
fcials of the union
POSTAL COMPANY'S STAND
! C.. G. Adams. of the Postal Telegraph Com
panv. said in the most emphatic terms !aSt
/ night that his company would make no atteiiip'
| N induce the striking telegraphers in chicago
and New Orleans to come back He said tha'
/ en- far as the officials OF the company hie"
the men had no grievance pending y" heheEeI
. tne men have had Il grievance. or thought thes
. had one we have always been "liilhs "nN
roadv 70 consider II and try to remedy cohoi-
TONS A,,-,srs
/ ,,.,n do after what happened in Chicago anu
New Orleans tonight. Without sNlhs ~, ~
general s,1perintendent. w. l. Capen, 50 HUI
! os y ,,inutes notice. they walked out IKE q
thief in the night. Why? don't know Nu ~,
not know what the men here IN New ioih w "
do but you take 1t for Gospei ,rutil 'i'
/ company is going 70 run Its own business w
shall make no further concessions as there are
none properly make
union man said last night;
THE nine operators discharged from the locdi
office last spring here have not yet been rem
stated as we have demanded We propose 10
see that the company does as II mas agreed 10
do We are prepared TO quit work here upon
instructions from the national oflcers Ihe
strikes in the West have, understand. been
the result of directions from the union locals
of those cities. This will not be the case mere
where orders from chief executives VIII be
w ,..tlI NOT ms ODHrdte0
Western ends by non-union men, who include
company chiefs and clerks.
PRINTERS WOULD NOT GO OUT.
ShouId there be a strike of the telegraphers
in this city and nOn-uniOn put in
their places. the printers on the newspapers
would not go out in sympathy with them An
agreement made last May and lasting five
wears between the International Typographical
Union the governing body of the printers. and
the National Publishers Association. requires
that all difficulties be settled by arbitration An
official of the union said last night that the
printers would extend their sympathy and
funds to the telesraphers. but could not go
OUT with them.
run,or that the telegraphers were not SatiS-
fed with the way President Small was con-
! ducting the campaign was emphatlcally denied
last night by members of the local union
President Ahearn. of the New York local. saiu:
president Small has the entire confidence not
only nf
and we are in a position to back up his policies
IN he limit" All those seen were loud IN praise
of President Small. and considered him conser-
yative in all his actions.
Mr. Adams who stayed in his office TIL al
most midnight very bitter about what he
termed the entirely unjustihable and unreason-
able" conduct of the employees of the company In
Ch;.,ro and New Orleans There is not
scinttlla of right in their conduct. but they
are gone and we shall not try TO get them
back"
He said arrangements had been made imme-
diateIy TO All the places of the strikers and
that four wires had been in operation 10 chi
! cago all night Messages TO New Orleans ana
points along the wires TO that city were being
! received subject delay. but the official did
not expect any serious interruption or one
noint he was sure, and that was that there
wouJd be nothing doing" on the companys
mart i'm irving to win the operators back to their
! nosts even if there should be a strike in New
York.
RELIEVES NEW YORK INCLUDED.
Early in the day there was every indication at
| the Western Union Building that the waikoue
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