The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-16
TELEGRAPH BUSINESS GOES ON
SOME STRIKERS ARE BACK AT
WORK, COMPANIES SAY.
Union IL Figuring on supply I'M Demand and
sets q Month as Inc Limit OF the Conn
panies' Endurance Plenty Of Money
90 Ftght-"COnversiOns'' Reported.

UHUltN hhtbu w - hE1tty VI UIIO
90 Fight -'C0nverxiOns'' Reported.
The men and women Of Newly ork Local No.
10. Commercial Telegraphers Union. spent
thefourth day Of the strike against the West
ern Union and Postal telegraph companies
dancing and humping a piano In their
headquarters at 81 East Fourth street.
The officers Of the telegraph companies
Tilted back in their chairs and told how well
they were getting along without their union
t~elegraphers. Both sides said they were
winning and both adduced figures and re-
ports to back their assertions.
Stripping these announcements Of excess
weight Of ~partisanship IL may be said that
the companies are still doing business.
though under some difficulties, and do not
seem dependent upon making any COM
promise with the strikers for continuing
70 do business with more ease as they gather
their forces. IL has not yet developed
whether or not the supply OF non-union
t~elegraphers lie sufficient to meet the de-
mand OF the companies.
The situation resolves itself to this one
question Of supply and demand. Officers
Of the telegraph companies say tina they
will soon have every wire In the country
covered by a non-union operator. The
strikers seem confident that there are not
enough men and women in the country
outside Of their organization who know
how to handle a key, and they set a month
as the limit Of the companies endurance
without their aid.
We have enough money in sight to keep
up this strike for a month" said Daniel
F Russell, chairman OF the board Of strategy
Of the local. I'VE nave $50 600 In the bank
and the operators in Wall Street who have
recently had their wages raised have prom
ieed US that the difference between their
former earnings and what the brokers
allow them, according TO the schedule
put in force Wednesday, will be contributed
each week to the treasury Of the local.
This will amount TO between SIC, 900 and
$4,000 a week. We will not nave TO call
on the national body Of the organization
for a month. and the strike will be over
by that time"
A determined effort was made by the
radical element to stampede a mass meet
ing Of the union into passing a resolution
calling out all the operators in the brokers
Offices and on leased wires in newspaper
Offices and elsewhere including those who
had recently obtained contracts vDh EN-
ployers.
Ehl otNoiaA Jul u WIuu&bbk thV ~
ponents of the motion won out and it was
tabled.
The first break in the ranks Of the strikers
came yesterday when, according to Vice
President Charles Adams Of the Postal
company, ten of the strikers wer q taken
back on their urgent pleading and got
places among the strike breakers in the
main operating room. The striking teleg-
raphers stopped playing the piano long
enough TO deny emphatically that one Of
their number had been coward enough
to turn "scab."
One Of the officials Of the Western Union
told a story yesterday that represents the
darker side Of the unions outlook. He
met a man who had been in the employ
Of the Western Union since the strike Of
1853, but who had gone out with the rest
OF the younger operators in the moment
of excitement Monday because be be-
longed to the union.
L haven't the face to 60 back and ask
the company for a job" this man said,
and I don't dare to be called a scab. /
guess I'll have to sell my home, which
cost me fifteen years savings, and my
wife and | will live of that money as
long as it lasts"
The union is planning to hold a benefit
performance at the Hippodrome next week.
Besides the vaudeville programme it is
designed to have some of the union orators
expound the cause of the strikers. SO far
no answer has been received to the chal-
lenge issued by the teIegraphers to the com-
panies that they should send representatives
TO debate the merits Of the strike on a public
platform. so the strikers are going to put
up their side OF IL anyway.
IL was also announced yesterday that
the telegraphers are going to organize the
messenger boys and the telegraph Office
clerks into solid organizations and launch
them on a strike OF sympathy some time
next week. Most of the Postal messenger
boys who decided on an amateur strike
last Tuesday have returned to work.
The committee appointed by the union
to lay the ~deiinquenoie5 OF the telegraph
companies before ACKNOWLEDGEMENT jack
son with the plea for some sort OF action
against them consulted with him yesterday
afternoon In his office at 200 Broadway.
After an interview the Attorney General
would not make any statement OF h he
purposes doing in the matter, IL anything.
President Clowry OF the Western Union
gave out a statement for his company
yesterday afternoon. He said:
From our point OF view the strike Is over.
We are working a full force Of men in this city
and We have already refused several OF the
strikers who applied for their old positions be-
cause we are working full handed. The
strike has been badly mismanaged. The
president, the executive committee and the
locals have all been working at cross pur-
poses and the result has been a failure. This
company does not yet know what good
grounds its employees in New York had
Tor calling a strike.
T. J, Nally, vice-president and general
manager Of the Postal. issued this state
ment.
The Postal Telegra ph-Cable Company re-
ports improved conditions at all points, in
the East and West especially. where business
Is running smoothly as usual and where the
francis well up. All points report an increase
IN the number Of men and three of the strikers
returned, explaining that they felt they had
fulfilled their obligations as members Of the
union by going out when called, especially
since the call turns out to be Illegal and I'm
authorized. and they realize that the fight IL
a hopeless one.
We resumed business on the floor OF the
tmcago Board of Trade this morning. Seven
branch offices were opened In New York yes
trrday, making a total OF forty-fve. Fifteen
additional will be opened to-day and We
expect all to be opened by the end OF the week.
Acting Police COMMISSIONS O'Keeffe
swore in twelve special policemen yestsr-
nay morning at the requestof the Western
nhlon. They wete stationed in the ground
hoo. Office OF the building and every person
seeking access to the elevator uD TO the