Evening star., 1907-08-19
LAST STRIKE CALL
BEFORE THE SIEGE
Two Cards Still Remain in the
Telegraphers' Hands.
THREATEN LEASED WIRES
May Also Tie Up the Long Distance
Telephones.
FEW CABLE OPERATORS QUIT
Companies Claim They Are in Good
Shape and Ready for
Long Struggle.
FEW CABLE OPERATORS QUIT
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch 10 The Star.
CHICAGO. August 1s.-As a final &C
tion before settling down to the long
struggle. the strikers are exerting every
effort to secure walkout of the remain
ing leasedwire men whose firms have not
signed the union contract and brokers
throughout the country have been given
until noon today to sign agreements or
suffer the consequences.
Three hundred operators employed by
the American Telephone and Telegraph
Company in the southwest may be called
out before night, unless a 10 per cent In
crease in wages is granted. These two
moves seem to be the remaining cards In
the union hand. as the reported walkout
of cable operators has not noticeably ma
terialized. and aside from a few check
boys and employees of minor Importance
every man or woman the union can COM
mand has already Joined the strikers Set
tlement of American Telephone Company
trouble will probably have to be made by
officials of the company in New York
reported. will 60 out here today.
President 8. ]. Small of the Commercial
Telegraphers' Union made his direct ap-
pesl to organized labor yesterday for funds
20 carry on the operators strike and the
situation now has resolved itself into a
struggle of endurance between the striking
telegraphers and the Postal and Western
Union Telegraph companies Co!ucident
~
announced that commencing today the teleg-
rRphers will settle down to a steady and
long fight.
We have made up our minds he said.
Ito be prepared for a sixty-day. and. II
necessary. a nlne-day fight. The telegraph
companies apparently are desirous of MAX
ing II a decisive battle and We are pre-
pared TO meet them
In his speech before the strikers mass
meeting the union president declared that
he favored the raising of an immense fund
of from S1OOO0.OIo to $4,000 900 to be used
by united labor forces OF the country in
conducting any just strike. This sugges-
tion may be taken up by the board of d.
rectors of the American Federation of
Labor. meeting in Washington today.
Officials of the Postal and Western
Union maintain their unrelenting attitude.
and IL peace comes II will not originate in
Chicago. In order to observe the strictest
economy. 800 unmarried operators will be-
gin tonight to camp out at the Desplaines
campmeeting grounds. where they said
they will live in tents and subsist on Is
cents per capita a day.
The women strikers equally jealous
and have made arrangements to send a
committee of two or more young woman
operators to solicit aid from Miss Helen
Gould and submit to her their grievances
together with evidence which they believe
shows that the telegraph companies are In
the wrong.
While the strikers announce their deter
mined position, the telegra ph cOmpa MES are
equally optimistic on the situation -Tweptv
six operators from the east augmented tho
Western Union working force TODAY and
extra men will be allotted to the crtnnIad
board OF trade service
General Superintendent Csnen of tho
Postal said that his force IN Chicago h.d
reached a point where he could say he was
ready TO continue the battle indefinitely
Both superlntendents say their operators
are getting eight hours sleep a day and
that congestion in the offices is slowly hut
surely disappearing.
To AVOID any break in the union ranks
and any desertions the strike leaders have
arranged every possible diversion TO br.a K
the strain on the idle operators In addi-
tion to the camp for the men base hall
games and entertainments have been plan-
ned. and To keep the enthusiasm up the
executive council OF the American Fedora
ton OF Labor, which meets today In Wash
ington. VIII be asked 10 assign its best or
saniZers 10 the various cities where strikes
are on To make daily addresses at the
strike meetings.
The companies declare that, in spite OF
the leaders, many OF the former employees
are returning to work.