The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-06-26
BOYCOTT ON
TELEPHONE Co.
UNION MEN PROMISE TO DISCON.
TINUE USE OF PHONES
TODAY.
BIG DEMONSTRATE
Long Line Of Marchers In Parades In
sympathy for Organized Pioneer
Company OperatOrs-Speal1ers at Cen.
tral Park Support Workers.

The use OF every telephone in the
possession Of union men was to be dis.
continued today at o'clock il the Plo.
neer Telephone & Telegraph company
refused to grant the demands OF tho
union operators at the Ardmore Office
This was the announcement made last
night at a mass meeting of the members
of the Ardmore labor unions held I'm
Central park just after one of the great.
est labor demonstrations said TO have
ever been held in Ardmore. The crowds
at the park were addressed by Edgar
Fenton, Of Oklahoma City, president cf
the State Federation Of Labor and sew.
eral Ardmore speakers. Hundreds Gf
people carrying banners bearing In.
scriptions supporting their cause march.
ed in the big parades last night and
yesterday afternoon. The afternoon par.
ade' which moved east on Broadway
south on Caddo to Main and west o,
Main to Central Park. was a repro.
sentative assembly Of union labor I'm
Ardmore. Led by the Chamber of Com.
merce band. the parade contained many
novel features. One Of the most unique
hoats was that with a phone operator
at work at the switchboard The night
parade was also a long line of march.
ers. Torches and fireworks Furnished
the illumination.
Another meeting at Central Park has
been called for tonight. Tom Champion
and Guy Sigler have been announced
as speakers.
Willing to Discuss Dispute.
Personally, we have nothing against
the officers of the phone company" sald
X. X. Roland, chairman OF the strike
committee. this forenoon. "Our commit.
tee stands ready and willing 10 meet a
like committee from the phone company
with committee OF business men. at
any time. for full and thorough dis.
cussion OF the questions at issue No
rough or anarchistic methods will se
tolerated during this dispute. We arc
going to make a clean fight I'm the open.
Mr.. Roland said that pickets with
banners are to be placed at every house
which does not discontinue the use OF
the phones as long as the demands of
the operators remain unsatisfied.
w. H. Berry Jr., division commercial
superintendent, Authorized the staie-
ment that seven workers out OF the sew.
enty-eight employed were in yesterdays
parade, although just preceding the
parade, j. r. Thompson. general traffic
manager, announced to the pnone work
ers that any who wished to join In tho
parade might do so.
Mr.. Berry also authorized the state.
ment that every girl at the switchboard
yesterday was an Ardmore girl and that
not one OF them was from Oklahoma
City.
"All the labor unions OF Ardmore want
Is what is right and just" said Mayor
w. r. Roberts, first speaker OF the eve
ming at the park. The great number
OF people assembled, he said. showed
that the people Of Ardmore believe In
what is right and viii stand up for thelc
rights and their country. The maycr
mentioned the fact that IN the biggest
labor demonstration ever held In Ard.
more that Il was not necessary 10 call
out single policeman TO maintain
order "The members Of the labor un.
ions of Ardmore are ladies and gentle.
men" he said
"The fact that the telephone com.
pany raised the wages and promised tu
take back the girls who asked for an
Increase In wages proves that the glrlE
are right" Rev c. c. weith Of the
First Presbyterian church said. lie
counseled the workers TO sit steady in
the boat and said he believed that ev.
erything would soon be worked GU;
satisfactorily. lie outlined the condi
tions OF labor today and compared them
with former times when everything was
made In the home. "FNthers." he said.
you want 20 see that your daughter
gets whatever Is right. wherever she Is
or wherever she works" He said TIM;
better living conditions generally would
help solve the labor question. and 20
this end he gave his unqualified sun.
port TO woman suffrage, old age pen.
sions. and pensions for mothers.
Champions Address.
]. r. Champion was introduced. "Tt
Is shame" he said. ito have TO come
here In defense OF Ardmore girls. There
are two sides 10 every question. right
side and n wrong side-the telephone
girls are on the right side and the tele.
phone company Is on the wrong side In
this case" In reference 90 the state
ment that the telephone company paid
the doctors bin when the girls were
sick, Mr.. Champion said that the girls
could pay their own bills II the company
would pay them the right kind Of wages
lie said he had no ight to make against
the local officials OF the company. thnt
he liked them personally. hut that Il
is their methods that he opposed
A. ]. Hardy, county attorney. argued
for decent" wage for the girls. He
said they are worthy Of their hire. "I
am willing TO stay by the labor unions"
he said.
Edgar Fenton. president Of the State
Federation Of Labor. was next intro.
duced. He explained that the salvation
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