The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-16
\ GENERAL STRIKE
TELEGRAPHERs OF FRENCH POST
 OFFICE QUIT.
Five Thousand of the Employes Were Present at Meeting and Action to Strike Was Unan-
 iu6us


 Paris, March 16.--A general strike l of the telegraphers of the Postomce Department was declared this evening bfollowing a meeting of the general as1 sociation of postal telegraph employees at which 5000 were present.
 The resolution to strike was voted without q single dissenting voice ana orders were issued Immediately TOT the withdrawal of all operators employed in the telegraphic bureaus Of the de- | partment.
 action is taken as a protest against the arbitrary and tyrannical admin- | tstration." and that the decision was urecipitated by an insult addressed by M. Simyan, Under Secretary or fosts and Telegraphs. to the omctais oi tne association. Some time pro, 70 1 in9 n vote, the general association or 1 eu1ployes issued . statement protesting 1 viroreusiy against M. siutyan's char gss l that the movement was anArohistic. They declared that it was designsd solely to protect their interests. Ine resolution adopted also pledges .no man,bers of the association to resist- anoe unttl all measures of repression have been withdrawn and provides that an urgent appeal shall be issued 10 tne' telegraph in the provinces 10 1oin 1 in the movement. - | The meeting disbanded without ois- turbance of any kind and the services of a heavy force of reserves of police and mounted municipal guards aoout the building were not required. The | committees of the various branches or the service immedia tely declared them | selves "permanent" and began actiVe work in organizing the strike. NeVer- theless, the general opinion was,
 the men ana women returned to their homes. that the strike would only pc partial, and that 1t would probably be short lived. Many of them admitted that 1t was simply a demonstration. | At the meeting of the general asso. oiation all the speeches indicated .hne the Indignation of the telegraphers wa. directed principally against Sec rotary simyan, who Is exceedingly un- nonuiar. not only with the post teie- rrephers employed, but with the pup | lie. on account of the execraoie teie- phone service. , .n.
 The girl operators employed Ill tne telephone bureaus in the atte.hoon tSa tSs unanimously decided to abide oy Ine dacision of tonIght's meeting. while ako railway clerks, due to leave on outgoing trains during the course or ths evening also decided to await that decision. The strike, therefore, m wolves the various branches or tno services. The branches are no" nloFe or less crippled. but by no means pa' lvxed Less than third Of the raiI- n,av mail clerks failed to report for duty. .., ovarv eg- | ,ort to nreserve international communi- cation. but the central telegraph sta tion was demoralized tonight ana prac l ticaly out of commission, coHlhuhl- cation abroad through this stat'on was l demoraliZed .u, ,NA clans union, who had openly threaten | ed to call out the electricians mace no | move to do so. The real test or the extent and seriousness of the s'rlke will come when the day shift reports for duty at o'clock tomorro" HoFn- | ing. .,xotc com.. l rnnnIcotion with London was greatly ,ntarrunted not 80 much on account of the strike however. but because or A fierce storm. which prevailed durlhs inc night Some of the London cores nondents are sending their dispatches l bv way of New York to which ooth land lines and cables remain:
 Eight railroad mail clerks were hrom9ht up in police court today charged with insulting M.Slnyan. In the discharge of his duties. The hear ing was a tumultuous one
 | M. Thibault. one of the leaders. made q stump speech in his own behalf. In snite of the protests of the Judge. He declared that system of tyrany existed tn the nostal service and that promo l tlon depended upon favoritism He satd men holding socialistic or clerical opinions were kept down and insisted l that tho real cause of the trouble was i to be found in tnis injustice.
 1 An the accused were sentenced to | innrtsonrnent for six days. When the operators at the Central Station learn ed of these convictions, they indulged In violent manifestation. Nj, Leptne, 1 and A deta achment Of police entered the building and arrested four of the 1 leaders.