The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-06-13
Officials Say Strike of Telegram
ers Has Failed Com
pletely.
CONFLICTING STATEMENTS
Carlton Says Only 166 An
swered Call to Strike; Ko.
nenkamp Says That Number
Quit in Chicago.

Chicago, June 12.-Union leaders
declare that the first day response
to the call for nationwide strike of
commercial telegraph operators
gave promise that the tie-up will be
complete in three days, despite
claims of company officials that the
strike has failed.
Reports received from many towns
In various sections of the country in
| dicate that commercial telegraph
business was not seriously interrupt
ed in most districts.
statement by President Carlton,
| of the Western Union Telegraph
company, that only about 1866 per-
sons. 121 Of them operators. answer
ed the strike call, brought from S.
j. konenkamp, international presi-
dent OF the Commercial Telegraph
ers' Union of America, remark
that more than that number of Wes-
tern Union employees in Chicago
alone had Joined the strike.
Konenkamp's Claims.
Reports up to late yesterday
point to 80 per cent response in the
Postal Telegraph company service
and a 20 per cent response from
Western Union employees" said Ko-
nenkamp in a statement to the Asso-
| ciated Press. "The east has shown
| up surprisingly well and in the
| southeast alone the number of
| strikers now exceed 5000. Tele-
phone workers have added to the
strikera' numbers in Philadelphia,
| New Orleans. Columbia, s. c., and
| Brunswick, Ga. When the electrical
workers went on a nationwide strike
Monday, additional telephone work
ers also went out Railroad tele-
graphers in all parts of the country
are refusing commercial business
and trouble anew is impending in
| Canada because of refusal OF Cana
dian telegraphers to handle Ameri-
can business"
| In statement declaring only a
| few Western Union operators had
quit. Edward F. Walsh. deputy vice.
president of the Association of Yves
tern Union Employees, said the 30.
| 600 members of that organization
were not connected with the G.. T
U. A. demands. Sixty-hve per CEN
of all Western Union employees ar,
represented in the association, h,
said
! The association has an agree
ment with the Western Union where
by IT is recognized and is permitted
to bargain collectively for wages ant
hours" he said. 1--WE obtained
five and 10 per cent increase under
Postmaster General Burleson and ar,
promised adjustment OF certain
parts of a schedule entered into will
the company which was not fulfilled
by the postmaster general.
w. U. Men son job"
Reports from locals in all sec
tions of the country show Westerr
| Union employees on the job with a
few exceptions. which are negligi
BILE" To substantiate his claim
Mr. Walsh displayed kilograms from
association officials In various dis
tricts saying conditions were normal
He said not a single operator in
the Western Union Chicago office
struck and explained that empty
chairs were merely for use when
emergency relay sets were in opera
tion. To this Konenkamp asserted
that "the vacant chairs were occu-
pied before the strike"
T.. w. Collins, general superin-
tendent of the Postal Telegraph com
pany in Chicago, admitted that a
large number OF their 800 operators
had quit, but insisted that IL the
"agitators about the building were
driven away, many employees would
| come to work"
Many Street Clashes.
Police protection was asked by the
Western Union here after numer-
! Gus street clashes of a minor char
| acter. Delivery service was ham
pered late in the day when all West
ern Union messenger boys at the
| main office, with the exception of