The Sentinel=record., 1915-04-14
INDUSTRIAL PROBE
 Of TELEGRAPHFRS
COMMISSION PUTS IN DAY LIST EWING TO MEMBERS OF UNION
 AND TELEGRAPH OFFICIALS.
Charge is Made by Official of West ern Union That Strike Was Called by Union Officials After Agreement Had Been Reached.

inquiry by the United States commits sion on Industrial relations in session here, was presented from widely di- vergent views todav
 The witnesses were $. J. Konon- hamp, president of the Commercial Photographers Union of America, who completed his testimony; Belvdare Brooks, vice president and former general manager of the Western Union Telegraph Company; Henry Lynch, telegraph operator, wny claimed that his unionism forced him into exile in Winnipeg, Canada, to find work, II B. Perham presiden. of the Order of Railroad Telegraphers; Edgar c. Barrett of DOwners Grove Ill.,, a Western Union employe who confessed himself a former SD cial agent or "spotter,' and Edward c. Reynolds, general manager of the Postal Telegraph and Cable Company
 Mr. Konenkamp was on the stand only long enough to draw tcgetler bose threads of his previous testi- mony.
 Mr. Brooks made plain his opposi. tion to the Commercial Photographers Union as at present constituted
 "l will not say that we object to the present officials but that inference may be drawn he remarked. Thirty years ago our company op- posed the union. but just prior to 1907, when a strike was called which cost us $5,000000 the union became rejuvenated, and we made no protest Then came strike talk and We offered arbitration on June 20. 1907. through the instrumenta.ity Of Dr. Neil, com. missioner of labor, and participated in by Mr. Perham and Mir. Konen- kamp. then member Of the eXecu. tive committee of the union-S. J. Small was president-ap agreement was reached The very next day a strike was called in San Francisco which eventually spread all over the country. Since then We have not cared to employ men interested in the union"
 The witness repeated considera le testimony similar to that given by President Newcom0e Carlton of the same company yesterday. as for in stance, that wages were nov higa enough
 We cannot deal with an orsaniza- tiun like that as we could do with one head by a man like Mr. Peyham Of Commissioner Garretson, he said.
 Mir Perham took the stand 10 ex- plain that when the strike was called $. J Small was on the Pacific coas and could not be reached with news of the agreement and the men in san Francisco walked out in ignorance of it.
 Mr. Reynolds said that the welfare of the employees of the Postal Com pany were his personal and special consideration He spends much time making visits Co the various offices. There is a union within the company he said. officers of which take up grievances with heads Of the com uany Vacations with pay are al lowed, and there is benefit system.
 "Iu 1907 members of the Conner cial Photographers Union were em. pluyed by us, but the strike was fore shadowed when the union men began coerciye tactics. They made errors fo~ the purpose of placing their ucn- union companions in a bad light, and when they struck they did so without having made a single complaint or de-. mand to the company. the witness said
 We were merely informed that they had been ordered out It dam aged the company greatly and would have wrecked it had not some old timers like myself been able still to| send the Morse alphabet"
 Mir Reynolds disagreed with the Western Union witness on the wage question
 "They are paid as much now as they would be able to earn in any other line of endeavor," he said He said that he had aided in fighting loan sharks from whom the men were chronic sufferers. and he had provided sanitary working quarters for em- ployee.
 Our men are satisfied absolutely he concluded.
 Barrett said that while engaged as "spotter" he visited various cities, but Oklahoma City was the only place where he found union men and so re- ported to the company's chief special agent, named Shoemaker To get the information he joined the union.
 "I used honest methods to get the information" he asserted Commis- sioner OiConntn then read his appli- cation for membership dt bound the member to keep faith with fellow members, to do nothing to njre them. and contained other pledges oi loyalty.
 T didn't read all that stuff A