Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-24
SAYS TELEGRAMs
CO ON TRAINS
PRESIDENT OF UNION ISSUES
STATEMENT
Conditions in San Francisco Quiet.
Leader Says Battle viii Be Fought
If Necessary, In Legislatures
and in Congress
RY Associated Press.

BY Associated fTeSS'
SAN FRANCISCO, June 2S.-Ev-
erything was quiet in the telegraphers'
strike today. S. ]. Small, president OF
the Commercial Telegraphers unlon'
said:
"The real fight will begin Monday,
when the early week rush of business
is on. The few out of-town managers
and chief operators who can be in
duced to take the places OF the strlk-
ers will have arrived in the city by
Monday or Tuesday, but should tney
go to work, the companies, with the
additional force, will be in a worse
predicament than they were on Friday
and Saturday, days. on which tele-
graph business is. light
"Our reports from various points
show that the tieup is complete. Los
Angeles was 1900 messages behind at
midnight Saturday. From Portland
comes the tip that there is blockade
of business on the northern route.
Messages Go by Train
"By Wednesday of this week the
congestion of telegraph business be-
tween the Pacific and Atlantic coasts
will be as great as during the earth
ouake-fire period. All reports are
coming to us that kilograms are be-
ing mailed in bundles to eastern points.
Upon receipt at Denver Los Angeles
or Portland the messages are put on
the wires, if there is room for them, If
not they are reshipped to the next re-
peating point nearest their destination.
I'VE estimate that every one can
take care of himself financially until
July 1. After that we will pay weekly
strike benefits. Before leaving the east
l arranged with the general secretary
treasurer to send me certified check
IL.
ury is strong, therefore our boys and
girls are not worrying about the finan-
cial end of the trouble.
I'VE have the best of the bargain so
far. There were two desertions from
the Western Union force at Oakland
Saturday morning and others will fol-
low.
1.-The telegraphers Of this country
have it within their power to either
bring the telegraph companies to terms
or force governmental ownership of the
telegraphs. None are so familiar with
the inside workings of the telegraph
system of this country as the operators,
and none so loyal to the interests of
their employers. For many years we
have borne with patience the many
abuses existing in the service. Things
have changed since the Commercial
Telegraphers' union became a power in
the trade union movement. We have
decided to secure justice, first through
conferences between employer and en-
ploye, and if that fails we will then
start national campaign in favor of
government ownership, and at the same
time have bills introduced in congress
and state legislatures having in view
the improvement of the telegraph SER
vice. Two of the most important mea-
sures we expect to father and work to
have passed are:
"Giving the interstate commerce
commission the power to regulate tele-
graph rates, and another requiring that
both the filing and receiving time be
shown on all kilograms.
AT the present time the receiver of
telegram has no way of knowing how
many hours a telegram has been en-
route"
Storror Makes Statement
L. w. Storror. general superintendent
of the Postal Company, said:
1.-THE Postal Telegraph company has
made no effort yet to employ nom
union telegraphers, and its officials be-
rators will cure itself, as they
generally do. Things will probably re-
main chaotic for a few days to come.
Then telegraphers will begin to drift
in from different outside points and no
trouble will be experienced in filling
the places vacated. 1t will not take
the union operators very long to realize
the mistake they have made by strik-
ing and come back to us.
1--WE have already received a num-
ber of applications for places, but SO
far have not accepted any of them. The
coming of other operators here re-
gard almost as certain as nXed
natural law, and this and the defec-
tions that are bound to occur in the
ranks of the strikers will ultimately
end the trouble and bring about normal
regard the strike as most
unjustifable and ill advised"
ST. LOUIS, June 23.-By a unani-
nous vote local No. 8, composed of 500
members of the Commercial Telegraph