The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-17
CHANGE OF FRONT
Striking TeIegraphers Are Now
Willing to Arbitrate.
Announcement Is Made by
President Samuel GOmpers.
ARE STILL STRIKING.
Eighty-Five Operators on Pr1-
vate Wireiin st. Louis
Quit in Response to Order Of
Local President.
ARE STILL STRIKING.

front on the proposition to arbitrate
and announced that they would ac-
cept the offices of the general board of
arbitration of the American Fedora
ton of Labor in settling their differ
ences with the companies.
This board consists of John Mitchell
of the Mine Workers, Daniel ]. Keefe
| of the Longshoremen and President
Samuel Go1npers. 1t was Mr.. Com
pers who made the above announce
ment.
IS More Go Out.
st. Louis, Aug. 17.-About SIS oper-
| brokers' offices have been called out
| by President A. L. Ewing of the local
| union of commercial telegraphers. AS
soon as the operators were notified
| they closed their wires and quit.
Deserters Return.
Portland. Ore, Aug 1.-THE tele-
graphic situation at Portland is much
improved. The Western Union has
| three more men at work than yester-
day including two deserters from the
| ranks of the strikers. The Postal is
sending everything offered promptly.
Only One Man Short.
Tacoma, Aug. 1.-THE strike here
Is practically broken, according to the
managers of the telegraph companies.
| The companies are only one man
short of their force before the strike.
Press Operators Back.
Chicago, Aug. 17.-Many applica-
tions for reinstatement have been
filed with the Associated Press by OPP
orators who deserted their keys when
the Chicago strike was called. Three
have been given their old positions on
the eastern circuit and other applica-
tionss are being considered.
At each point being opened to COM
munication the news bureau found
loyal employees and adherents awaiting
opportunity to get into direct COM
munication with the main offices. The
employees had adopted many expedi-
encies to relay their news to the main
points when the direct connection was
cut off and uniformly they had been
successful.
The opening of each branch was
taken by both the main office and the
branch offices to mean the termination
of the strike so far as the Associated
ing their efforts to manning the inter-
mediate points where the delays have
occurred.
said yesterday that the news bureau
probably would resume it's ordinary
routine today and would look upon
the walkout as past incident. Elec-
trical storms and other natural causes
have affected the. service far more
seriously in recent years. he said.
Object to Arbitration.
New York, Aug. 1.-THE Chicago re-
port that President Small and the 9TH
er national officers had signified their
willingness to put their grievances into
the hands of the American Federation
of Labor arbitrators-John Mitchell of
the Mine Workers, Daniel ]. Keefe or
the Longshorenen and Samuel Comp
ers of the Federation-was not received
with great favor in the strikers head
quarters. The feeling seems to be that
the Postal and Western Union COM
NJ 10 off h.
out the members of the union and that.
all concessions should come from the
In official statements issued from To-
cal strike headquarters it was said that
the business of both companies re-
mains sadly crippled; that the mails
and express companies are being free
" used to transmit messages paid for
by the public at full telegraph rates,
and that the optimistic statements from
the company officials are not true 5e
No Regular Business.
Comparatively no business is being
done in the regular way" said Deputy
express companies are handling 95 per
cent of the telegraph companies bust
ness On Long Island the telegraph
companies are completely tied up, and
business is paralyZed in New Jersey.
Reports from the west and southwest
show this condition to be universal
There has been no break in the
strike Such reports are absurd. The
union Officers deny most emphatically
that a striker has applied for reinstate-
ment."
Opposed to this is the statement of
Superintendent Belvedere Brooks OF
the Western Union:
1--WE are running like mill race and
consider the strike matter closed.
have heard nothing of tearing down of
Western Union signs in upstate towns
We are rapidly Strengthening out the
kinks in the service" he said
Roosevelt Has Trouble.
From the Postal spokesman, Vice
President E. J. Nally, comes this state
ment: 81 believe the backbone of the
strike already is broken"
President Roosevelt in his Oyster Bay
summer capital has been having diff |
cation with the White House. The |
Union, after several COM
plants, has succeeded in stringing a |
direct wire which runs through none |
of the railroad Geographic offices. Off
cial messages are now free from the |
punctuations interposed by |
sympathetic railroad operators. The |
only remaining operator in the Oyster |
Bay office struck on receipt of the gem
eral strike order.
Only Seven Men Went Out.
Chicago, Aug. 1.-THE telegraphers' |
general strike order. has had apparentzl
ly effect in this city. The Western |
Union people today claimed that its |
only effect was to call out seven men,
has not had the slightest effect in in |
terfering with their work. The union |
officials continue to assert that the tel |
egraph companies are hopelessly Grip |
pied. The peace makers are making
no progress in any direction.