The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-08-15
STRIKERS AWAIT
intervention Of
NATIONS RULER
President, Small Decides to
Defer General Strike
Until Tonight
MERCHANTS ALARMED
Prospective Move of Union
Chief Threatens All
Fields of Trade
ARMED MEN POSTED
Are Placed Near
Western Union Building
in West Oakland

The crisis in the telegraphers'
strike will be reached by II
o'clock tonight. If by that time
the federal government has not
interceded with a request for ar
bitration, the strike will be made
general throughout the United
States. Messages received last
night from President Samuel
Small in Omaha brought the in
formation that only government
intervention would prevent a call
for complete tieup of the lines
of the Western Union and
the Postal. At the same time it
was reported from Oyster bay
that President Roosevelt was not
prepared to take an emergency
step.
Both sides claimed gains last
night, but the situation was almost
the same as it was the day before.
single wire between here and Los
Angeles became congested and mes
sages stacked UP in the offices of the
companies. In eastern cities as far as
New York the companies were in a
badly crippled condition. The Asso-
ciated Press sent out messages to the
effect that it had been able to serve
every large city with the exception of
Toledo. Ohio.
ARMED MEN GUARD BUILDING
Armed guards have been posted
around the Western Union building at
west Oakland and have been given or
ders to prevent the approach of any
person not identihed properly.
The local telegraphers said late last
night that it had not yet been decided
to call out the stock brokerage oper-
ators. but that II necessary such action
would e,be taken. This action would
virtually tie UP the mercantile and
financial business of the entire country
The Western Union officials charge
that the railway telegraphers have
been interfering with the circuits.
Should the railway telegraphers be
called out, the entire train service
of the land would be paralyzed The
-s4 g- mt
possibilities. The telegraph has come
to be an indispensable feature of the
life of the nation and it was pointed
out yesterday by merchants that well
nigh incalculable losses must ensue
from a general tieup.
During the day and last evening both
sides to the controversy remained firm
in their contentious. The telegraphers
asserted through their representatives
that the companies could not hope to
conduct their business without the
union men. The officials of the com
panies declared, however. that they
We're receiving additions to their force
and intended to break the strike.
At the main Offices in San Francisco
and Oakland only few operators were
on duty. Broker" operators were at
work during the day and leased wires
from the east were manned.
SPEAKS FOR WESTERN UNION
The following statement was issued
last evening by l. n. Miller Jr. acting
superintendent of the Pacific division of
the Western Union company:
The situation in the Pacific division
tonight, as far as the strike of the
operators is concerned. is very much
improved, but we are still suffering
from Inconvenience from interference
of our circuits in joint railroad offices,
evidently due to the order of railway
telegraphers sympathizers This inter-
ference. however, is much less marked
than on previous days, aud the full
distribution of the genuine messages
sent out by Secretary Quick of the or
der of railway telegraphers will un-
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