The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-15
life WITHOUT WIRES.

" Z WI HUI WlHES.
1t is characteristic of the American
public to take its crises calmly, almost
cheerfully. The strikes which have re-
Gently disturbed the whole economic
system of the country and threaten to
involve tremendous losses on every
class by the uncertainty and difficulty
attending business without Geographic
communication, would naturally be
| expected to precipitate some sort of
general demonstration. Instead, the
philosophic American serenely accents
conditions, pockets his losses, trusts
TO kind providence for an ultimate way
out of the trouble and takes it for
granted that, like measles or any other
epidemic, the strike will run its course
in due time
Usually in situation of this kind the
newspapers are mere spectators or
chroniclers, with no direct concern in
the crisis or particular anxiety as to
the outcome; but this time they are
getting a taste of the problem that
confronts other employers when they
are involved. The Associated Press
newspapers. comprising about 500
dailies and including nearly all the most
prominent publications of the coun-
try, became involved by a strike of
the Associated Press operators who
handle the Geographic news reports for
the association. The news operators
are an unusually intelligent class, US
ually the best men in their calling. and
they thought they ought to get more
money than has been paid them. With
this idea in their minds, they presented
demand to the general manager of
the association and gave him twenty
four hours TO concede the demands.
The general manager in his reply
pointed out that the increase asked
would amount to about 100000 a year,
that the sum involved was too large
to be passed upon in twenty-four
hours, that he had no authority to in
crease the salaries without the action
% the board of directors, fifteen pub
fishers scattered over the country; and
in view of these facts he asked time
TO present the matter to the directors
for consideration. 1t is probable the
matter would have been adjusted annie
ably, since most of the operators IA
vored the extension of time asked for:
but the southern operators, notably
those in Texas, walked out and the
others followed rather than work the
wires with men who have to take the
places of the strikers. The result has
been to curtail the news service of
most of the newspapers of the coun-
try temporarily and leave the people
whom they serve with very little in
formation as to what is going on in the
outside world.
Meanwhile the public is discovering
that it can get along fairly well with
out news of the Cars scars. the mas
sacre of the Moors. the sinfulness of
the Leopold administration in Congo
land and the debates in The Hague con-
ference. 1t is a little embarrassing
for the spectators to remain in ig-
norance as to whether they are rich
or poor, whether copper is going I'D
or down, or wheat is anywhere within
range of the price it had a week ago.
But in spite of this Inconvenience
there is no dearth of real news and the
strike itself in its local ramifications
furnishes diversion enough to fill what
ever space may have been left vacant
in the columns by the absence of COM
plete telegraphic reports.
Just how long the difficulty will last
is, as Dundreary would say, one of
those things no fellow can find out.
The telegraph companies claim to be
filling their larger offices more rapidly
than they had expected; the railroad
telegraphers have signified their in
tention TO help the strikers with their
reserve funds, but they have not talked
of tying up railroad service. The head
of the commercial telegraphers. in an
Ogden interview with The Herald YES
terday, says the strike will be made
general if no arrangements are made
for arbitration through the govern
ment. In the last analysis the strike
has settled down to a trial of strength
between the labor organizations and
the two big telegraph companies at the
expense of the general public, and
about the only gain to anybody prom
ises TO be an increase in the revenues
of the telephone companies and the
postoffice department of the United |
States government. So long as Uncle
Samuel keeps on doing business the |
commercial world will manage to get
along fairly well, even if it does have