The Washington herald., 1907-08-13
STRIKE EMBRACES
ENTIRE COUNTRY
coXrINuEp FRoal &c oNE.


The union men had announced that only
l25 OF a force OF 800 had remained in the
Western Union main once and that 30
per cent of all the Postal company's
forces. both in the main ONCE and in the
Broad street branch. had joined in the
walkout
The figures advanced by the companies,
which were furnished by the various
managers Of the operating rooms, showed
wide variance with the union census.
mot more than 40 per cent Of the en-
tire working force quite on the signal Of
the whistles" said Belvidere Brooks
general superintendent of the Eastern
division. There were in round numbers
200 telegraphers that struck In the op-
Grating room on the seventh floor sew
enty-six men remained at their instru-
ments. On the eighth floor sixty-hve
operators continued 20 take messages over
the wires. At the time that the whistles
were blown a number Of the staff were
at lunch. When these returned and were
notified that strike had been called
iorty-two Of them announced that they
would remain at work"
Hurt in Financial District.
their branch ofice in the financial dis
trict, at Is Broad street There cable
men and commercial telegraphers work
in the same building OF the ninety
Morse operators in that building. sixty
i've walked out as soon as the cali for
wslk-out was flashed 70 them from the
central ofice on Broadway
IN ala. kr--rA
aln ths financial district and in al of
the uptown branch Offices. almost with
out exception, the operators stuck to their
jobs. None Of the cable men in the An
glo-American, the Western Union. or the
United States direct-cable Offices, all Of
which are more or less directly a part
Of the Western Union system. was af-
fected by the walk-out
The cable operators, Mr. Brooks ex-
plained. are not Morse telegraphers. and
they have no alliance with the union
that has gone on a strike.
At ; o'clock an hour and half after
the strike. there were - operators, men
and women. IN the main operating rooms
of the Western Union al 1e5 Broadway.
The general manager said that I25 more
were expected 70 arrive from uptown
Offices end nearby country points by 5
o'clock. Mr.. Brooks said that before the
night force was due 70 so on there would
be 500 operators IN the central Office. a
number larger than was required 70 run
the business.
Postal Not Prepared.
~
well prepared for the walk-out as the
/ Western Union. because until its men sud
denly went out in Chicago Friday after
noon there had been no warning given Of
the imminence Of strike. At o'clock
Vice President Charles Adams and Gen
/ eral Manager Z. J. Nally gave out the
! figures OF the Postal loss in operators.
At the time Of the walk-out, at $50.
there were 10 operators at work on the
top floor Of the Postal Building. All quit
/ their keys except thirty-five men and nine
women. IN the branch Office on Broad
I street the proportion OF employees quit
+ ting their Jobs was about the same Few
OF the branch Offices were crippled BY
the strike.
/ The Postal officers said that immedi-
ateiy after the walk-out thirty-twO Off
ciais and clerks n the building who were
| able TO man the keys were put at the
/ instruments left by the strikers. Be
/ tween o'clock tonight and O'Clock to-
morrow morning there Wepld be Us
! strike breakers at the keys said Mr.
( Adams IN the meantime the company
/ hoped to keep the press Of business down
/ by bringing operators from most OF the
/ lS2 branch Offices in Greater New York
down 10 the central Office.
No Trouble at Cable once.
/ The Postal Company had no trouble al
j their cable Office. 20 Broad street All OF
/ the cable operators. Ike those on the
Western Union cables. remained at their
keys
| None Of the regular commercial teleg
/ raphers quit the Broad street branch.
but four operators quit their keys at the
| Cotton Exchange.
! Late tonight Vice President Adams, OF
the Postal. reported that though most Of
! the night force had gone out with the
| strikers, he had secured enough men in
| the operating room TO duplicate the num-
/ Der OF union men who had deserted
! There were ninety~ive operators in the
main operating room. sixteen Of these
/ being chief operators who were taking
/ their tricks az the key.
The Postal Company suffered heavier
/ than the Western Union in the first hours
| following the strike, because the Offices
/ Of the former concern were more closely
unionized than the Western Union has
ever been in New York. Postal officials
said to-day that 30 per cent OF their
telegraphers were union men, and as a
/ consequence the walk-out left that COM
pany practically stripped Of operators.
Three Specific Causes.
At the Office of the New York LOCAL,
No Is, Commercial Telegraphers' Union,
| Daniel II. Russell, chairman Of the locals
board Of strategy, and President Ahearn
named the three specific causes which led
Western Union.
One was the remark attributed by some
Of the papers 10 Superintendent Barclay
that the nine discharged telegraphers,
whose reinstatement the union has been
| seeking, were let out for drunkenness.
A second immediate cause of aggraya-
tion, so the union officials explained, was
the fact that when the telegraphers went
! ~ WIN a. tAS NCStSlA CAlOti SeLttl a
operating room to-day they found twelve
special policemen stationed there. That
was an insult they could not brook
The third and most grievous offense
against the union was that In this morn
ing's papers the companies advertised for
strike-bre akers. needless OF the warning
! embodied in q motion passed at the meet
i ing Of the local or Sunday.
! BelViders BROOKS, general manager Of
the Eastern division Of the Western
Union, announced shortly after o'clock
tonight that during the three hours pre-