Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-13
MAY CLOSE ALL WIRES
TELEGRAPHERs NOW THREATEN
A GENERAL STRIKE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star
CHICAGO. August l3.-It was rumored
early in the day that Secretary Russell OF
the .r.l.craphers' Union had called general
strike Later Mr.. Russell said that action
would await the arrival of President smaii
tomorrow night
A general strike would bring out every
operators in the United States and would
paralyze not only the railroads. the news
papers and commercial telegraph COM
panies. but business generally.
Today Commissioner Neill and Secretary
Easy of the National Civic Federation are
quietly gathering facts on which to base
action upon the arrival of President Small,
while Gompers and Mitchell will attempt 10
adjust any internal strife In the CONNER
cial Photographers Union, that is, an IN
Outstanding between the conservative and
more hot-headed members Partial returns
from l35 Locals In the country voting on the
,trike question are overwhelmingly In favor
of a general strike. This ballot was car
ried on secretly by the local union to test
the pulse OF operators everywhere Com
pIete returns will not be in until tomorrow
There are several disquieting reports
from railroad telegraph circles which are
regarded by the commercial telegraphers
here as indicative of a growing spirit of
restessuess among The railroad operators.
e. Dial Jones local representative of the
railroad men, said there no danger at
present of a stampede sympathetic strike,
although the men In his union were enthu-
siast!c in their support of the strikers.
"The arbitrators." including the labor
leaders are received with more or less con
tempt by Chicago strikers and the cry mo
arbitration is sim the keynote. The lack
of any street disturbances is stnl notice
able and Is further assured by the with
drawal by the strikers OF their pickets near
the s:rlke-bound corporations buildings
For one thing, the pickets became exceed
ingly weary and the strike managers, after
talking the matter over decided they could
get along Just as well without them, as the
uniorists said the corporations were not i'm
porting any strike breakers in numbers.
Spread of the Trouble.
As to developments in the spread of the
strike itself the wave reached high tide
last night, and today probably will deter
mine whether the nation as a whole is 10
be shaCKled by the key men or whether
mediation measures will prevail. Shortly
after : o'clock the Associated Press men
left their keys eleven in number. to be fol-
lowed by New York, st. Louis and Cincin-
natl.
The only development so far which may
be considered favorable the agree
neHt reached by brokers with leased wire
men iusurng the safety OF the market re-
ports
As was the case yesterday both tele-
graph companies assert that their Condi-
lions are improving and that the additional
strik,s did not greatly aggravate the situa-
ton
Hourly additions to their working forces
are being made. according to General Supts.
CapCu and Cook. Mr. Capen said many
of the striking operators had asked TO be
tAken back. He added that about twenty
Tejoined the Postal squad yesterday but
whether they were union men was not Of
Acially stated. The policy of both compa-
niles, it sarl, was to refrain from press
ing the point in engaging an operator.
The exact attitude of the companies IN the
mater Of arbitration is hard to determine
Prom each company comes the statement
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