Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-08-23
WIRE STRIKERS
NEED S2,00O,000.
PRECTCETT SMALL SAYS UEEGC
WI HAVE THIS sum III
TWO MONTHS.
HINTSA LONG STRUGGLE.
Operators Chief Does Not Say Where
Money Is Coming from in Ad-
dress at Chicago.

CHICAGO, Ill, Aug. 1.-Two mil
lion dollars for a strike fund President
Sylvester j. Small Of the Information
Telegraphers' union declares that the
telegrapers will have that sum in their
war chest within the next two months.
1t was the first time an officer of the
union had expressed an opinion that the
struggle would be protracted one. 1t
indicated that the national leaders APP
preciate the gravity Of the situation, if
the rank and file do not, and are max
ing prepations for it.
Mr.. Small furthermore observed that
talking would not win the strike; that
plenty sof hard work would be demanded
Of the officers and members.
When Strikes Are Justified
In an extended statement issued later
Mr.. Small enunciated his doctrine of the
right to strike, as follows:
Il do not believe III strikes any more
than l do in murder but | do believe III
justice and i'll the first great law of ma
ture, which is self-preservatiOn, and when
justice cannot be had nor self-preserva-
ton maintained without, resort to
either or both OF these harsh remedies,
then harsh measures will be justified.
Il have right to kill you, when, and
only when, you are about to kill me, III
order that | may preserve my own life.
This is the law, the external law, the
first great principle Of human existence.
SO. too, in times Of great commercial or
industrial strife when you have COM
bineG your power and your wealth to en-
slave and to destroy me wholly, L have
the right to combine my power and my
wealth (Which is my labor to destroy
YOU"
Source of Fund Not Told
The energies of the union from now
on will be directed toward gathering in
the strike fund. 1t was not stated by
Mr.. Small, where the $2,0OO,OOO would
come from, or whether it would be from
voluntary subscriptions or strike assess
ments.
There ere 100000 members of the
fedora ton of labor, but under their CON
stitution the order cannot be assessed
more than 10 cents year for each mem
Der Other labor organizations have SIM
liar provisions in their charters. This
matter will be taken up by Samuel Com
perS. president of the National Fedora
ton of Labor, at the meeting OF the eA-
ecutive board in Washington next week
Companies Make Boast.
The strike today had all the appear
ances of a waiting game on both sides
The companies claim to be in better
shape than on any preceding day, and
they certainly We're handling more bust
ness at their main offices here. The Of
ficials of the union asserted, as they have
since the commencement of the strike,
that the telegraph companies are hope
lessIy crippled. The peacemakers We're
making no progress in any direction.
The general strike order issued yes
terday by the union had apparently no
effect in this city either yesterday or to-
day. The Western Union today claimed
that the only effect it had exerted on the
strike was to call out seven men in
twenty different states from which they
had complete returns. The number may
be slightly increased when every office in
the United States is heard from but both
the Postal and Western Union declare
that the order has not had the slightest
effect in interfering with their work.