The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-08-18
TELEGRAPH
STRIKERS
PAID OFF IN NEW ORLEANS BY
THE WESTERN UNION.
WERE OUT MONTH IN 1883

cepted by Brokerage Firms - Boil
Sides Express Confidence.
Thursday the Western Union in New
Orleans settled with its employees. Five
thousand dollars were distributed Fri
day the Postal paid all the men who
were i'll its service, adding many dollar:
to the distribution. The telegraph off
clals expressed confidence in the situa
ton; so did the strikers, who are san
guinely hopeful of success. No troubl,
is anticipated. A number of brokerage
houses have accepted the scale of the
operators. In referring to the strikes
the Times-Democrat gives an interest
ing reminiscence as follows:
TELEGRAPHERS WERE OUT 4
MONTH IN YEAR 1883.
The present strike of telegraphers re
calls the former great strike-July 10
1883. After remaining out all over The
country for nearly month, the striker:
went back to work August IS.
At the time the telegraphers of the
country acted on instructions from New
York, which were also responded to il
other cities, and a general suspension OF
telegraph business throughout the coun.
try at once took place.
The operators went out quietly, MOI
the least disorder attending their depart
ure. The instruments were left running
and nothing was interfered with Sew.
eral of the managers, i'll friendly man
ner, expressed their regret at the ope.
rators' departure, and said they hoped te
see them back soon
The strike created unusual interes
throughout the country. The entire mum
Der going out was estimated at 5000, in.
Guiding 1000 women.
The demands of the Brotherhood o1
Telegraphers were for an increase of Il
per cent on all salaries, the restriction
of a days work to eight hours and q
nights work to seven hours, equal pay
to both sexes for equal work, extra pay
for Sunday work and advances in re-
for the work done by the
Wheatstone system calculated to preven,
its substitution for the Morse system.
To tese demands the Western Union
Telegraph Company replied with calcu-
lations aiming to show their extrava-
gance and impracticability. For foul
weeks the situation was debated pro and
con by the strikers and the heads of the
telegraph companies. The managers ot
the companies made light of the situa-
ton and said their systems were doing
fairly we'll without the striking operat-
ors. In reply to these statements the
said that the telegraph bus
mess was ION the bum and would re-
main so until their demands were
needed.
Within two weeks conditions became
serious in some regions. and telegraph
wires were found cut By that time some
strikers went back to work and other
strikers began to make trouble. The
disorder, which occurred i'll several cit
es, was not alarming From day to day
other strikers went back to work, and
On August I8 the strike was declared
ended by the heads of the Brotherhood
If Telegraphers.
The end of the strike was regarded as
4 victory for the companies. While the
telegraph business had not been put out
Of business" by any means, thousands
Of persons suffered on account of the
strike
Several times since then the service has
been temporarily crippled. though not
by any human agencies. On March II,
1888, terrific storm struck the East
practically paralyzing travel and com
between even the largest
cities along the Atlantic seaboard. The
storm was a veritable hurricane thai
wrecked everything in its pat. Telegraph
poles and wires were blown down ane
buried in snow, the railroads were
blocked, windows and roofs were
in and the loss Of life and prop
erty was appalling
Eleven years later-February Is, 1896
gale tore across the East
telegraph lines and Gripping
other means of communication between
cities and towns. On March 27, 1901, {
fierce sleet storm swept over the Distric
of Columbia, Maryland and northern
Virginia This time the telegraph ane
telephone lines were again torn from
their poles, and it was several days be-
fore the service could be restored.
There have been other interruptions te
communication within the last quarter O.