The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-06
STRIKE SPREADS ON
WESTERN UNION WIRES
CONTINUED from page -

the day before or after for the nation
wide telegraphers strike.
But possibly 1t may come sooner. he
indicated today.
Administration officials were keep
ing in close touch with strike develop
ments. That President Wilson VIII
take hand was believed likely here.
II he does act, labor leaders believe
he will refer the trouble to the war
liz Dor board, removing It from the
Jurisdiction of the postoffice depart
nient- This would be satisfactory to
Konenkamp, he says,
THE meat of the whole matter is
that we can no longer believe any.
thing Burleson promises" said Konen-
kamp today. He never keeps his
promises"
Normal Conditions.
NEW YORK, June 6-Reports from
Augusta, Ca, Memphis and Nash
vile, Tenn, Raleigh and Roanoke, Va,
stated that condition were normal,
Carlton declared and that not a single
man had gone out at those places.
AS far as the company is concerned,
the walkouts today scarcely amounted
to the daily turnover, Carlton added.
Referring to Postmaster General
Bprleson's ruling that employees join
ing the telegraphers union should not
be Disseminated against Carlton
said:
"Our employees can join anything
they want to- Only 10 of about 40.
600 eligible to join the telegraphers
union have signed up. 1t would be
obviously unfair to discriminate
against those who joined under assur-
ences given by the postmaster gen.
eIal
"Our first obligation IS to carry on
telegraph service This We intend to
do Interruption win not be toler-
ated.
Carleton also announced a meeting
or Western Union employees associa-
ton and company officials was to be
held in New York at two p. m. today.
The object OF the meeting was to
devise a method of profit sharing
whereby the employees of the COM
pany shall share in its earnings, he
saia.
Many Operators Quit.
ATLANTA, June 6.-The Western
Union here had no reports from the
situation. Reports from union sources
to Mann were declared by him to
show the following condition:
At Windsor Salem, n. c.. all OPP
orators were declared to be out, with
80 per cent reported out at New
Orleans. Meager reports were re-
ceived from Jacksonville. The en-
tire force at Tampa, including some
chiefs, was reported out. At Knox
ill oil
The offices at Moultrie and at Rome,
Ga, were reported to be closed. The
entire force at Spartanburg. S. c.,
was declared out Seventeen OF a
total of twenty-one men at Birming-
ham were reported to have quit.
Nineteen men were said to have
struck at Savannah.
General Manager H. C. Worthen,
of the Western Union, declared al
$3.50 a. m. 1t was impossible to com
pile any definite statement regarding
the strikes effect before this after
noon
I'VE have only received three or
four reports thus far, which are very
good from our standpoint" declared
Worthen. "All business is being
accepted subject to the usual prompt
dispatch"
Many striking telegraphers are re-
ported being employed by the Postal
Telegraph company TO handle tele-
grams diverted to that company by
business concerns and individuals.
Number is Disputed.
NEW ORLEANS, La, June g.
Western Union officials claimed not
more than forty responded TO the
strike order, while union leaders ridi-
culed their assertion, stating that 312
out of force of approximately $50
quit.
All But Two Out.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, June g.
Nineteen of the twenty-one telegra-
pliers employed by the Western
Union in Birmingham walked out to-
day, according TO union officials.
Fourteen girls employed on auto
matte machines continued at work
Officials of the Western Union
here insisted that their service was