The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-12
BIG MASS MEETING HELD IN CHICAGO
 YESTERDAY AFTERNOON
Order of Railway Photographers Offer Moral and Financial Support. Claim to Have $1,ooo,ooo.
 News Agencies May Also
 Be Involved in Strike.


 Chicago, August 1.-The strike of the union commercial telegraphers will be universal throughout the United States and Canada within twenty-four hours, according to National Secretary Russell, of the Photographers organization This statement was made by MT. Russell, after he had been informed of the action taken by the men in New York, who at a meeting there today decided to hold walk-out in abeyance until the latter part of the week.
 This strike movement" - said MT. Rus sell 'has come to the point where there can be no back-down The telegraphers have been trodden upon long enough by the companies and we are going to use all our strength to enforce our demands. ! For several weeks President Small and / myself have been holding the telegraphers back and have been advising conciliation, but they have taken matters in their own hands and we are going to stand by them. No union man will be allowed to work with any one not belonging to our organization and this means that tomor row morning when the business of the ! sunfversaf. We cannot go half way in this matter now. The strike has been precipitated by the men themselves With out the sanction of the national officers, but we are now all working in unison and anything that the officials of the various unions throughout the country have done in calling strikes meets with our hearty cooperation"
 This announcement was made by MT. Russell at mass meeting of the strik- ing telegraphers held in Brands hall this afternoon The hall will seat l50O persons and several hundred of the strik- ing operators were unable to gain ad- mittance to the building and remained on the streets in the vicinity until some of the early arrivals had left the hall. The Order of Railway Photographers was represented at the meeting by their na- ..onal secretary, MT. Quick. MT. Quick informed the strikers that his organza- :. tion was at their disposal, both morally anl financially. We have $1.000,O00 in Jour treasury" said he and 1t is at tyour disposal Your fight is ours, and i've will stand with you until the end
 Leased Wire Men.
 Before the mass meeting a meeting of the 320 union telegraphers employed by the companies using leased wires was held At this gathering brokers, news agencies and commercial organizations. including the big packing houses, were represented A resolution was adopted declaring that this class of labor was underpaid and that the various firms ba a1 fo ciU and also to employ none but union tele- graphers It was decided to let the private wire men prepare and present their own schedules to their employers. The broker men will present their schedule at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. The broker men will ask for minimum wage of so0 q week.
 The men employed by the press asso- ciations presented their request at I:3o Q clock tonight, and stated that the cn;- ployers would be given twenty-four hours to comply with the request The schedule will call for S35 a week for six nights d week. and 70 cents an hour for overtime, eight hours to constitute a days work, with half an hour for lunch. The oper- ators employed by the news companies and newspapers in the day time will ask for S30 a week and 60 cents an hour over time. eight hours to constitute a days work and the regular lunch hour. These reouests will be presented to every news gathering organization in the United States and Canada If at the end Of twenty-four hours the demands have not met with a substantial response they will report to the union officials, and they say a strike will be ordered to enforce the demands
 To Newspapers.
 Tn regard to the newspaper end of the controversy Secretary Russell issued the following statement tonight:
 ''To All Publishers, United states ana
 Canada: .aThe Commercial Photographers union does not desire to in any way whater to hamper the newspapers of the country We are fighting for our rights, however and believing that the telegraph operators employed in this service are underpaid we have authorized our men to present schedule to their employers, asking for what we consider reasonable recompense for their labors. If these demands are not met with by the various news gather ing organizations within a specified time the men will be ordered to quit work N Officers Make Statement. ' In Chicago today the officials of bo'' companies declared that they had more men working than they needed.
 !, Sunday is quiet in the telegraph busi- bess,'' said one of these officials, but tltcould have handled twice as much bus
 ; as we did. In fact we sent several
 ators home as we did not need them Capen, general superintendent of i\ Postal said:
 Me first break in the strike has oc-
 h. A union man has applied for his
 sition, and has been reinstated. We
 ndling all the business that comes