The Washington herald., 1907-08-17

Chicago, Aug. I6.-Coupled with the dec
laration Of President S. ]. Small of the
telegraphers' union. that he and his fol-
lowers are ready 10 starve in the gutter
before they will surrender to the tele-
graph companies. the strike situation in
Chicago to-day became even more serious
with the threatened waIk-out of a number
Of allied trades men.
President Small declared that the op-
orators never would surrender to the tele-
graph companies, and that the only pos
sibe way to secare their return was
through the telegraph companies conced-
ing the demands Of the new wage scale.
The men and women OF the telegraph
companies are ready to starve. They will
sleep in the street il necessary, and 1 will
go with them, before they will surren-
der" said the chief.
The Chicago and Milwaukee Telegraph
Company's operators walked out during
the session on the Board Of Trade to-
day Two men composed the floor force
of the company. Two operators in the
offices Of Hulburn. Warren & Chandler,
one of the private wire houses which had
not signed the new union scale. also went
out.
Wires TO outside markets were not
working In better order than on pre-
yious days. The Western Union and
Postal had their wires to New York, ST.
Louis. and Memphis manned by two
operators each.
strikers Ranks Augmented.
The ranks of the strikers were augment
ed by 100 operators employed IN packing
companies throughout the country ieay-
ing their keys. Another waIk-out occurred
in the private wire systems of the Stand
ard oil Company. Two hundred Stand
ard oil men left their posts whe
received the call from President
ordering a general strike.
II was said at union headquartei
all the telephone and telegraph
panles had met the demands OF
for 25 per cent increase in pa
that the question Of the eight-ho
would be settled without trouble. At
the Office Of the superintendent of the
company it was denied that any Increase
had been made.
The ENJOYS who have been in Chicago
since the strike spread TO Eastern cities
gave up the fight for arbitration Charles
p. Neil said that now that general
strike had been ordered, the trouble can
not be settled in Chicago. 1t can only
be settled in New York now he said.
President Clowry. of the Western
Union. is the only man that can act at
this stage. / Will leave Chicago for
Washington at 2:45 p. m"
Peace ENJOYS Depart.
President Gompers. of the American
Federation Of Labor, with President
Mitchell. the miners chief, left on the
same train with Mr. Neill for the East.
President GOmpers and MIR. Mitchell will
attend the executive council meeting of
the Federation in Washington on Monday
The determination OF the strikers to re-
main out until their demands are met by
the companies was evidenced In a state
ment given out by Mr.. Small at the teleg
raphers' headquarters. In it the operators
chief declared:
Now that the strike has been made
general, We will make the most deter |
mined fight ever waged. 1t will extend
all over the country The men and WON (
EN- Of the telegraph have suffered so long
that it is no wonder they have finally
broken the bonds of slavery. They viii |
starve and, If need be. sleep in the streets
before they will surrender. and l Will !
starve and sleep in the street with them |
rather than suffer defeat"
A conference between Small and Presi- |
dent Gompers resulted In renewal of
the arbitration talk that grew unpopular
with the Chicago strikers early this week 1
President Small said he would accept the
offices Of the general board Of arbitration /
Of the Federation