Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-08-16
First Public Utterance by Head Of
Strikers Organization.
CONFIDENT OF UNION VICTORY
Conference is to Be Held with Rail
way Telegraphers,
BREACH OF FAITH ALLEGED
Head of TeIegrnphers' Union Says
officials at san Francisco
Failed TO Live Up to
Promises.

| According to President Samuel j. Small
of the Commercial Telegraphers' Union of
America, the only wires to be working ir
three days, unless there is a settlement
between the telegraph operators and the
! companies, will be those necessary to
! transact railroad business
! Mr.. Small made his first public statement
/ since leaving San Francisco in Omaha
! Thursday morning. on his way to Chicago,
where he goes to attend a meeting of the
! executive committee of the union. lie
said
In three days, unless there is a settle-
/ ment in the meanwhile, there will be no
telegraph wires working in the country exc
cept those necessary to move trains and
transact railroad business"
Mr.. Small was met at Columbus by Prcsi-
dent Graul and Secretary Kirkland OF the
/ local union and reporter for The Bee,
and discussed the situation with them all
! the way to Omaha.
President Small said one of his first du-
/ ties in Chicago. after meeting with the ex-
ecutve committee of his order, would he
to confer with the officials of the Order of
Railway Teegraphers relative to calling on
! the l25,000 railroad operators in the United
States and Canada to place a boycott on 9l
kilograms filed for transmission over tho
lines Of the Western Union and Postal Tel
/ egraph companies.
He indicated his belief that there was q
good chance Of getting the support of the
railroad operators in this matter.
Strongest Monopoly Known.
President Small says the telegraph bust
ness. is the strongest monopoly ever known,
the standard Oil company not excepted, but
he believes the union win win the fight.
II" gave out the following written interview
on the strike and the causes leading up
to 1t:
THE direct causes which led UP to thiA
strike" says President Small, "are the long
and persistent efforts of the Western
Union Telegraph company, notably and
the Postal Telegraph company incident
ally, to reduce the operators Of the country
to condition Of serltude obviously inn
possible of human endurance.
Second, the repeated violation OF the
agreements entered into by the Postal
company With it's employees and the per-
sistent refusal of the Western Union to
receive committees OF it's employees for the
purpose of discussing grievances.
Third, utter disregard OF the promises
made by Colonel Clowry in a letter to
Commissioner Neill on Jyne 90 following
the ending OF the San Francisco strike,
which ended July 10, which agreement
bears the official signature of Mr.. Clowry
and is on file In the Office OF the commis-
sioner of labor at Washington.
BInm~- San FrancIuco.
ITO the San Francisco telegraph officials
may be laid directly the cause of the
trouble. After the strike had been on in
San Francisco for month, an agreement
was signed by Ethelbert Stewart repre-
sentng United States Commissioner Of
Labor Neill, Assistant General superin-
tendent I. N. Miller for the Western Union,
Superintendent L. w. Storer OF the Postal
Telegraph company and myself presi-
dent of the Commercial Telegraphers
union, and this agreement is on file
in Washington 1t provided that the West
ern Union company should restore without
prejudice seventy men within FIVE days
and fifty-hve others within thirty days Of
the calling Of the strike. 1t was further
agreed that a few against whom charges
had been filed should be given opportu-
nifty to clear themselves The agreement
stated that married men were to return to
work first.
"Out of the first fifteen married men who
. reported for duty after the strike was de-
clared off seven were told they would have
TO report to Superintendent May in San
Francisco. Mr.. May said he did not know
what the charges against them were and
sent them TO Manager o. 'Brien at the ferry
office, who in turn sent them back to West
Oakland, or Sunny Africa, it is popu-
larly known,
Women on Night Tricks.
1.-THE women who were reinstated were
put on night tricks, which compelled them
81.
dark through quarters which are unsafe
even for men after night.
1.-The harassing and discriminating q
) petty officials became so intolerable that
p several women resigned rather than en-
l dure It, One woman, a widow, made the
long trip four times between OBriens and
Superintendent Mays Offices and finally
was transferred from branch office in
an outlying district of San Francisco to an
! Oakland suburb, necessitating removal OF
her household goods distance of ten miles.
2 Another woman sent to the Santa Fe
railroad with a note to the chief oper-
ator, who told her he knew nothing about
it. She is still without employment.
e Instead of employing men who were on
, strike, as per agreement. the Western
2 Union gave preference to outsiders and en-
ployed many OF such. They even went so
far as to guarantee employment 10 oper-
ators in other cities before they left their
! old positions A system Of espionage on
strikers was established after they returned
; to work, and many were discharged on
complaints of strike breakers. This con-
dition Was largely responsible for the pres
ent general strike
i Let the Public Know.
zone of the contentious OF the union Is
] that the public shall know the hling time
OF kilograms This would give the person
receiving a telegram an opportunity to
know the elapsed time Of handling H.
THE public has not before been apprised
I OF the shortcomings OF the telegraph com
panies, because Of the secrecy taught to
telegraph operators from infancy. No set
= Of men and women were even more IA th-
y ful ana yet endured more inhumAn treat.
ment to protect telegraph companies e.