The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-13
LACK OF FUNDS ASSIGNED
 AS REASON FOR ACTION
Percy Thomas, Head of the New York Strikers, Declares the Men Will Continue the Strike and Says
 Small Acted Unsdvised.

New York. October 12.- Especial 1.-The strike of the commercial telegraphers, which has been in progress throughout the country since August 1, took an extra ordinary turn tonight National Presi- dent Small of the Photographers union sent a message to all the cities of the country asking the locals to vote at once upon the proposition of calling off the strike. When this became known to the local leaders in New York they raised a storm of protest, declaring that they would continue to fight to the end in spite of the national president. Mir SmalIs telegram went out on the wires at the end of a con- ference with Commissioner of Labor Neill. The commissioner came on from Washington to make final effort to ln- duce the Western Union and Postal com panies to arbitrate at least some of the strikers demands. When the mission failed, Commissioner Neill assured Presi- dent Small that the position of the com, pauies remained absolutely unchanged. and that there was no hope in that dlec- tion
 Message From Srai.
 The message that followed from NIT. Small read:
 aPfoniinent New Workers have appealed 10 me to call the strike off. All efforts at negotiations are exhausted and the companies say they will fight to a tinsE. The treasury is depleted, and there are no more funds available. Requests for relief from all sides are heavy and ur- gent The strike having been ordered without the presidents sanction. I recon- mend that the locals vote upon the prop osition'
 Apparently this telegram was dis patched without either the knowledge or consent of the local strike leaders, for all of them at headquarters denied that there was the slightest intention of calling off the strike
 Percy Thomas head of the New York strikers, said:
 'ls Small intimated more than that we would hold an important meeting here tomorrow. he has been acting withouc consultation with us. We have no inten- ton of ending this fight now or any time until we Win
 Later this statement, purporting to have been SlSnel Dy Dolii ilitiohe'i Nii' 'N0-- strike leaders. was issued:
 "A letter embodyng our demands in modified form will be sent to the board Of directors of the Western Union and Postal Telegraph companies. We are doing lnls because we believe the gentlemen at the head of the telegraph companies are try ing to do a telegraph business and not strike breaking business.
 New Demands.
 "our ncv demands will be that we re- turn to work under the eight-hour day, leaving all other demands to arbltra- tion Having decided 10 arbitrate we believe that the end of the strike is now in sight The demands whl we nave agreed to arbitrate are the demands for l5 per cent increase in wages cias- sification of wires and free typewrters
 eve have decided to make conces- sion. because we know the companies will meet us half way. Besides sending comics of the arbitration of offer to the hoard of directors of the telegraph com nanies we will send copy 10 each or the members of the boards. The arbitrd- tion offer win be submitted to the board of directors of the Western union cohl- pany next Wednesday"
 Simultaneously it became known that the usual weekly distribution of funds ,o the strikers did not take place today. The men who applied for relief were told that in view of the important meet ing to be held in Cnilton hall tomorrow it had been decided to withhold the week ly allowance until the result or that meeting should be known.
 No dates have yet Teen fixed in tils city or elsewhere for the vote or the locals on Mir. Smalls proposition to call off the strike.
 On Monday it il have been in pro gress 10 weeks in New York City and from F to 15 eeks in the other big clties of the country. During that time l9,00o onerators have been continuously idle. No strike of telegraphers before ever lasted half as long or involved half as many men and women, and whatever the re- sul. it will go down in history as the greatest of all telegraph strikes.