Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-13
HOW WALKOUT CAME.
Exciting Scenes in the Local Tele-
graph Offices.

| graph Offices.
| Conditions in the local telegraph offices
| rapidly went from bad to worse yesterday
| afternoon. and before the evening very
| old Washington was more nearly Isolated
| from the rest of the outside world in a tele-
graphic way than i has ever been since
| the great strike of 1881. The executive
| board Of Commercial Photographers Union
| No. "a in session when The Stars re-
port of the days events closed yesterday
! afternoon. and the meeting continued until
| nearly O'Clock before adjournment was
taken Some effort had been made to keep
| the committees meeting place secret. but
It was not long until scores of operator
| who were walking the streets and anxious
| to keep posted on all developments learned
| the ruling spirits Of their organization We're
| gathered in the Columbia Hotel, lab Penn
| sylvania avenue and from that time on
| ward the hosiery was the mecca for scores
| of men and women operators. who We're ad-
| mittedly anxious to receive first news of the
| issue of a strike order by the board
AS the rainutes rolled round without an
| announcement Of any kind from the labor
ing committee the signs of Impotence and
! dissatisfaction spread through the little
| knots Of operators who we're gathered on
the sidewalk. TEL them to hurry up and
| do something, or We'll show them,' cried
| one key man to another. just after Old Sol
had let out few extra links for the after
noon and was making over the avenue into
a fair semblance of an oven.
Primed With Fresh News
Then every few minutes there were new
! arrivals from the different telegraph Of
fees. most of them primed with fresh news
| gathered from "wire-talk' with the oper-
| ators in other cities. philadelphia has
| just gone out" painted corpulent. per-
| spring messenger about o'clock-and the
news was scrubbed on piece OF paper and
/ thus placed before the committee in room
10. Another half hour passed without
| sound from the conference, and then A. s.
Groves. president of the local union. came
out alone and headed up the street. A
dozen questions were shouted after him, but
| to all queries for news he merely shook his
| head.
What's the matter with you mollycoddles
up there" finally cried one hot-head radical.
You'd better tell them to get busy when
you go back there, or we will show you how
to order strike on our own account"
Voted for Delay.
About 4:3O o'clock the executive board
| left the hotel and it. was announced they
| had voted to wait until Wednesday at noon,
| thus allowing two more days for the re-
| ceipt OF orders from headquarters In Chi
| cago.
Notice of the action of the committee.
| which is composed Of ]. A. OKeefe, chair
| man; E. NJ. Wilmington, E. N. Cullin. Miss
| Gibson. Fred Klotz, Edward Brown. G. M.
McEnee, E. S. Castella, and Ernest Walden.
was posted by President Groves on the bull
| letin board in the Postal office.
| ALL afternoon yesterday the operators in
| both the big offices had little work to do.
because the strikes in other cities left the
| wires silent, and the rooms which are usu-
ally hives Of industry were veritable pic
| mic grounds. With nothing to do the senti-
! ment in favor of tho strike seemed to
| grow. and the predictions were fairly made
| that the executive committee, unless 1t
| pronounced for immediate action. could not
| hold the operators.
Following announcement of the commit
| tees decision In favor of a waiting cam
paign there was a general murmur of DIS
| content, and in the traffic room of the Pos
tai telegraph Company the first tangible
| sign Of an intention to act without regard
| to the wishes Of The committee was the
| circulation of round robin requesting
yes or no signatures to a question call
| Ing for an immediate strike.
| International Vice President Beattie. who
! was one of the day shift at the Postal. real
| lied when this round robin was started
| that there could be only one outcome. and
| to crystalline sentiment on the problem he
arose and called for a vote.
| IAN those in favor OF an immediate strike
say aye
| Postal Operators Out.
The answer was unanimous, and it need
| ed no other signal for the operators to
| close their keys. don coats and hats and
| troop into the street. Manager Prosser
! heard of the walkout and hurried to the
| traffic ROOM but was powerless. The clerks
! and check girls, having nothing left to do
| inaugurated a separate sympathetic strike,
and walked out after the operators.
| President Groves went Immediately to
| the long distance teleph hone office and
tablished communication with Percy
Thomas. acting deputy president for the
east. Mr.. Thomas gave orders for gen.
eral walkout
Almost the entire striking force from the
office of the Postal Telegraph Company
marched in a body to 14th and F streets
and halted in front of the Western Union
office. Their cheers undoubtedly carried
knowledge of the strike to their brethren
in the upper floor of the Western Union
| building. and when one of the young men
dropped a piece of paper on which was
written the words Come up and blow the
whistle" there was a general rush to get
it. Two or three men were toppled over
in the scramble but the best of feeling pre-
vailed. The reading of the message was
the signal for another demonstration, and
several of the younger men started across
the street intending to get into the West
ern Union operating room by almost any
means.
c. A. Thompson. a Western Union op
orator who resigned voluntarily yesterday
morning because he was directed to re-
ceive a message from New York which was
being transmitted by a "scab." was sought
out by Mr.. Groves. To him was given an
official communication ordering all opera
tors employed by the Western Union to
strike.
Wanted No Demonstration
Mr.. Groves said he wished above all |
things to avoid any dramatic demonstra- |
lions. and by allowing Thompson to take |
the note into the office he believed the |