Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-14
BOTH STANDING PAT.
Corporations and Telegraph
 CTS Claim the Fight.
NOTHING TO ARBITRAIE, THEY SAY
Both sides In Far Extended Labor Trouble Seem to Be Satisfied That victory Will Eventually
 z. Come Their Way.

NEW YORK, Aug. If. - From the viewpoint of the employers of telegraph operators the strike situation is declar- ed to be improving hourly, and the off, cials of both the Western Union and the Postal companies announced them selves to be more than satisfied with the progress that had been made to- ward the restoration of wire communi- cation throughout the country.
 Tt is now not so much the question of restoring communication. declared one official, "as it is of re-establishing normal conditions" These officials were frank to admit that some surprise was occasioned by the action of their operators in additional cities going out, but declared that none of the strikes left them with an entirely crippled force.
 The officials of the telegraphers' un- ion, on the other hand, expressed con- fdence and satisfaction with the prog ress of the strike. They pointed to the cities in which number of operators of both the big companies had just left ! their keys and predicted that their ex- ample would influence other offices in which the men have been wavering to join the ranks of the strikers.
 President Small of the commercial union sent to Percy Thomas, his nation al deputy here, telegram in which President Perham of the Order of Rail- way Photographers was quoted as say ing that should the railroads attempt to force its telegraphers to transmit com merclal messages for either of the big ! telegraph companies general strike of the railroad men would result
 Strikes were declared in twenty-six cities in the United States and Cana da yesterday upon the order of Deputy President Percy Thomas. Chief among these was Boston, where the going out of nearly all the Postal and Western Union operators paralyzed the tele- graph business in the east.
 Even the government is affected by the strike. Although there are three leased wires from Oyster Bay and one Western Union wire to the White
 
 House, business was interrupted yes terday The Western Union wire was silent When the operators used the other wires they were interrupted by operators between Oyster Bay and Washington cutting in and calling "Scab" and "Chumpw on the wire to ? the men sending and receiving. Busi- ness was continued under these diffi- cultes.
 Many railroad operators say if they are ordered to handle commercial mes sages they will walk out
 AS far as the situation in New York is concerned but two new features have developed. One was meeting aof the Wall street chapel of the Com mercial Telegraphers' union at which it was decided to present demand to their employers today for a contract for minimum weekly wage scale of $3o.
 The other development was an offer by NJ. J. Reagan, state mediator of the department of the state of New York, to lend his good offices to bring about settlement MT. Reagan called on the officials of both the big tele- graph companies. General Superin- tendent Brooks of the Western Union declared his company had nothing to arbitrate, and Mir. Nally of the Postal made practically the same reply.
 Joseph F. Ahearn, president of the telegraphers' union, said that he had told MT. Reagan that the operators were perfectly willing to submit their case to sincere arbitration" and would readily appoint man to act for them if the companies would do the same.