Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-10
THOUSANDS AWAIT
NOTICE TO STRIKE

CONTINUED from First Page.)
the strike, should it be called, within
short time. They say that the union does
not control over 80 per cent of the tele-
sraphers here and that the union treasury
is empty. President Ahearn denied today
that the local union was without funds and
said that the teiegraphers could finance
long strike.
Clowry Stayed Home.
Col. R. c. Clowry. president and general
manager of the Western Union Telegraph
Company. did not come to the general Of
fees of the company today. as he felt that
the situation was such as to demand his
personal presence. He remained at his
country home al Elberon. N. J. The gem
eral officers of the company expressed
thems elves as quite content with the situa-
ton: they were sending a large volume of
business between New York and Chicago.
and they thought that the situation would
be distinctly better by Monday.
Walkout in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS. August 1O.-With few
exceptions every Western Union telegI aph
operator in Minneapolis left his instru-
ment and walked out Of the office today.
This includes the Western Union opera
tors who handle the quotations in the CHAM
Der of commerce, The trouble came when
n NJ Hansen. an operator in the main
was ordered to work a wire to Chicago
He refused to do so. saying that he would
not work with non-unton man. This had
been agreed upon at the meeting of the
local branch OF the lie egraphers MON last
night.
The chief operator then discharged Han
sen. When Hansen was discharged all Of
the other men in the Office except two or
i'm frnr no nffp
Western Union operators at the other
offices in Minneapolis walked out as soon
as they heard OF Hansen's discharge
1t is stated that the employees of the
pany will follow the same plan ii ord red
to work with any point where the union
operators are on strike.
About sixty operators of the Western
Union are now out. including those at the
chamber of commerce. Private wire firms
had lines In operation, but were particular
not to handle any busiress that might be
contraband. The Postal and North Amer
can men seemed undecided this morning,
but finally went to work
Both Companies Involved.
NEW ORLEANS. August 1O-AU Of the
operators in the employ of the Western
Union Telegraph Company walked out here
this morning at 10 O'Clock in conformity
with an order issued after a vote had been
ers' union.
The strike of Postal Telegraph operators In
this city extended today when the day
force did not go to work. About sixty
men Of the Postal are affected. Local Of
ticials Of the Postal company announced
that they were bringing in men from the
outside and that by tonight they expected
to show a material Improvement in the
subject to delay. Superintendent Porteous
with two assistants, succeeded last night In
clearing up the business that was on hand
when the Postal men walked out.
Strike in Houston.
HOUSTON. Tex, August 10. - ALI the
Western Union operators here struck today
The union and nor-union teiegraphers of
the Western Union Telegraph Company
struck here today in sympathy with the
strikers at Dallas. The men refused to work
with non-uniOn men in the Dallas Office.
FIFTEEN operators are out. leaving three in
Guiding one woman. at the keys. The night
force is expected to join the day force
The Cities Affected.
So far as could be learned last night. with
the telegraph service so badly crippled. the
following cities have been affected by the
strike:
Chicago. LEO; Kansas City. 200; Cleve-
land 80; Cincinnati. 100; Helena. 40: Salt
Lake City. 20: Los Angeles. 30: Dallas. lO5:
1OofauO springs, SPOKANE, 81, fmlnS-
ham, Sc: Butte, 30: FL Paso. Is; Denver, IS.
Total. $3.50.
Reports from New Orleans and St Louis
say that the operators there are on the
verge of striking.
There was large meeting of dissa tisfied
employees of the two companies in St Louis
last night and sentiment favored a walkout
Telephone Information from St. Louis to
this effect was expected at the headquar-
ters of the local telegraphers' union before
The only wires permitted to operate In
Chicago by the strikers are those leased, |
which carry for the most part stock quota
tons between Chicago and New York and
between Chicago and other cities No COM
mercal messages may be sent over these
wires. but because the operators are paid
by private firms the union has not put them
under the strike mandate.
Leased wires also run into several news
paper offices. These carry special dis !
patches from New York and neighboring
Cities but nothing else. The Associated |
Press leased wires remain in operation I'M
der the same agreement which affects the |
other leasedwire operators
Meanwhile the attitude of the union tel |
egra piers who walked out Of the Western |
Union main office a midnight Thursday and
Of those who followed in their wake yes |
terday was altered somewhat. Instead OF |
the incident in the Los Angeles |
office Of the Western Union Company as the |
primary cause of the strike, they asserted |
that they were in fight for better wages |
meaning the 10 per cent increase in pay de- |
months ago.