The Sentinel=record., 1918-07-02
ACTION WILL BE TAKEN
 AS MILITARY PRECAUTION
Threatened Strike Of the Teleeraphers Has Had Bearing on the Action, AL impending Trouble by the President
 though No Reference Is Made to the

Washington, July 1.-Legislation to authorize government control and operation of the telephone and tele- graph systems during the war was approved by President Wilson and leaders at the capitol prepared for it's immediate consideration. Secretaries Baker and Daniels and Postmaster General Burleson were invited to ap- pear tomorrow before the house in- terstate commerce commission to ex- plain their views as to the necessity for action at this time. It was in response to a letter from Represen- tative Simms, of Tennessee, chair man of the commission, that the president and cabient' offices ex- pressed favorably their opinions. The presidents statement was in a note to Chairman Simms approving a letter from Postmaster General Burleson. There was no direct ref erence in any of the correspondence to the call sent out by the Commer- cial Photographers Union for strike of Western Union operators July S.
 Mir. Burleson, however, wrote that he deemed the legislation necessary, "at this time when paralysis of large part |of the sytem of electrical communi- cation is threatened with possible consequences preiudicial to our mili- , q f Nrn rl activities that might prove disas- 'rous "
 NJ statement was forthcoming in executive quarters as to whether the president plans to make immediate use of the proposed power. It was intimated, however, that he probably would await results of the strike call The Western Union Telegraph company today issued the following statement in connection with the strike of telegraph operators called ty the Commercial Photographers Union for July &:
 The Western Union Telegraph
 company has so far not declined to follow the instructions of the Ma | tional War Labor Board. There has
 been no decision by that board with
 which we are at variance.
 An order has been issued to | Western Union employees to strike
 July 8. There will be no response to
 this order for the reason that our
 employees cannot be misled at such a time as this and because they ere
 not members of the union. It is stated
 that under the direction of the Order
 Of Railway Teegraphers the govern
 ment employees handling commercial
 messages at railway stations will decline to handle such messages ! The Western Union has no difference
 with the Order of Railway Teleg- | raphers; they have worked freely
 for years ir our forces and with oul
 employees. The contracts for handI- ing commercial messages at railway offices now are with the United 1 Sta es government and we have nC l dou1t that they will be carried out
 Ut would therefore appear that the 1 situation sums up about like this: 4 union without membership in ou |! forces proposes to declare a strike ir
 order tha the government employei handling commercial messages ma,
 sympathetically strike. This situa
 tion has no importance save in it novelty. The prime object which tn
 union seeks to accomplish is nov being carried forward by Westerl
 Union .employes, creating their owI lassociation with unrestricted right
 as to collective bargaining, workin
 conditions, compensation, etc"
 | The statement was given out b | Newcomb Carlton, president of tn Western Union.