Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-06-12
KEY MEMS
PRESIDENT
OPTIMISTIC
OF |SSU UE
Union Leaders Say First Days
Response to Call for Walk
out Satisfactory; CON-
panies Deny This.

Chicago, June ll.-Union leaders
said the first days response to the
call for nationwide strike of com.
mercial telegraph operators gave
promise that the tie-up will be conf
plete in three days, despite claims
of company officials that the strike
has failed
Reports received by the Associ-
ated Press from many towns in
various sections of the country indl-
cate commercial telegraph business
was not seriously interrupted i'll
most districts.
A statement by President Carl
ton of the Western Union Teie-
graph company that only about loo
persons. l21 of them operators, anA
swered the strike call in Chicago
brought from S. J. Konenkamp, In
ternational president of the Com
-mercial Telegraphers' Union Of
America, remark that more than
that number of Western Union en,-
ployes in Chicago alone had joined
the strike by noon Wednesday.
Says East Shows up Well.
Reports up to late Wednesday
point to 90 per cent response in
the Postal Telegraph company
service and a 20 per cent response
from Western Union employees,
said Konenkamp in a statement to
the Associated Press. "The east
has shown up surprisingly we'll, and
in the southeast alone the number
of strikers now exceeds 5000. Tel
ephone workers have added to the
strikers numbers in Philadelphia,
New Orleans, Columbia, S. c..
and Brunswick, Ga. When the
electrical workers go on a nation
wide strike Monday additional
telephone workers also will go out
Railroad telegraphers in all parts
of the country are refusing COM
mercial business and trouble anew
is impending in Canada because of
refusal of Canadian telegraphers to
handle American business"
Says 10000 Not Involved.
In a statement declaring only
few Western Union operators had
quit, Edward F. Wach, deputy vice
president of the Association OF
Western Union employees, said the
10000 members of that organization
were not concerned with the c. T.
U. A. demands. Sixty-fve per cent
of all Western Union employees are
represented in the association he
said.
Later Mr. Konenkamp said his re-
ports definitely showed more than
5000 telegraphers out, with the in
dications that the number approx
mated 10000 By Thursday, he
said, he expected that IS per cent
of the Western Union forces would
be out
"We're we'll satisfied" he said,
"but we have realized only a des-
perate strike would get US any
thing" -
AS to Postmaster General Burle-
sons statement that he could not.
go beyond the rulings of the war
labor board. Mr.. ,Konenkamp said:
IF Mr.. Burleson had been will
ing to abide by the decisions of the
war labor board there would have
been no trouble. 1t comes with,
poor grace from him now to try To-
hide behind the board" ;
Without Justification"
Washington, June 11.-Declaringj
the strike of wire employees which
began today was wholly without
Justification" Postmaster Burleson
said in a statement that mo amount
of pressure will avail to make the
wire control board extend or 70 be-
yond' rules or regulations affecting
employees laid down during the war
by the national war labor board.
Mr.. Burleson said his information
was that telegraphic traffic had not
and would not be delayed. Governs,
ment business, which makes up the
bulk of that handled by the teie-
graph companies here, was reported
moving as usual today and at the
State department it was said there
had been no interruption of cable
communication with Europe.
- All Fail to Respond.
San Francisco. June 1l.-PaciGc
coast commercial telegraphers in
the Western Union and Postal com-