The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-01
LABOR REFoRMERs IN FICTION.
Description of Meeting from the Pages OF
..The Bread Minners.n

Description of a Meeting from the Pages OF
'The Bread winners"
In 1.-THE Bread Winners" the story sup
posed to have been written by the late Leon
ard Case. of Cleveland, now being published
in the Century Magazine there is striknglY
natural picture of a meeting OF laborng men,
which reads as if it had been written for the
daily papers as an actual occurrence. Sleeny,
an honest mechanic, is introduced by Otfitt,
a professional reformer, to the lodge-room of
the Brotherhood of Bread-winners. The
story goes:
The brothers who had taken seats where
they could find them, on a dirty bed wood
CT trunk, and two or three chairs of doubt
full integrity, grunted a questionable well
come to the new conner. AS he looked about
him he was not particularly proud OF the
company in which he found himself The
faces he recognized were those Of the LATEST
and most incapable workmen in the town
men whose weekly wages were habitually
docked for drunkenness, late hours and
botChy work. As the room gradually filed
it seemed like a roll-call of shrks. Among
them came also spiritual medium named
Bott, as yet imperfecty developed whose
efforts at making a living by dark seances too
frequently resulted in the laughter of skep-
tics and the confusion of his friends. His
forehead and cheek were even then purple
with an aniline dye which some cold-booded
investigator had squirted in his face a few
nights before while he was gliding through a
twilight room persOnating the troubled
shade of Pocahontas This occurrence gave,
for the moment, peculiarly sanguinary and
sinister character to his features and filed
his heart with a thirst for vengeance against
an unbeievlng world.
After the meeting mad been called to order
and Sam had taken an oath of a hot and
lurid nature, in which he renounced gooc
many things he had never possessed, ant
promised to do lot of things of which h,
had no idea MIR. Offitt asked IF any brother
had anything to offer for the good of the
order" This called Mr.. Bott to his feet, and
he made a speech, on which he had been
broodng all day, against the pride of So
called science, the arrogance OF unrighteOus
wealth, and the growing superstition OF
Christianity. The light of the kerosene lamp
shone full on the decorated side of his visage
and touched it to a ferocious purpose. But
the brotherhood soon wearied of his oratory,
in which the blasphemy OF thought and
phrase was strangely contrasted with the
ecclesiastical whine which he had caught
from the eXhorters who were the terror of
his youth. The brothers began to guy him
without mercy. They requested him to
cheese it," they assisted him with uncalled-
for and inappropriate applause and one of
the party got behind him and went through
the motion of turning hurdy-gurdy. But
he persevered. He had Joined the club to
practice public speaking, and he got good
half-hour out OF the brothers before they
coughed him down.
When he had brought his speech to a close,
and sat down to wipe his streaming face
brother rose and said, in a harsh, rasping
voice, Il want to ask question"
CHATS in order, Brother Bowersox," said
Ofitt.
The man was a powerful fellow, six feet
hight. His head was not large. but it was rs
round as an apple, with heavy cheek bones
plnsp-pnt ha
like the bristles OF a backing brush. He had
been driver on astreet-car but had recently
been dismissed for insolence to passengers
and brutality to his horses.
"What l want to ask is this: l want to
know if we have Joined this order to listen
to chin music the rest of our lives. or to do
somethin'. There is some kind of men that
kin talk tell day of Judgment lettin Gabriel
toot and then beginnin' agin. | amt that
kind; fined to do somethin; what's to be
done2"
He sat down with mis- hand on his hip,
Squarely facing the luckless Bott, whose face
grew as purple as the illuminated side of it.
But he opened not his mouth Ohitt an
swered the question:
II would State" he said glibly, 1.-THE OBJ
jectS we propose to accomplish: the downfall
of the money power, the rehabilitation of
labor, the"
ooh, yes!" Bowersox interrupted, 81 know
all about that-but what are we goin' to doY'
Offtt paled little but did not finch at
the savage tone of the surly brute. He be-
gan again in his smoothest manner
81 am of the opinion that the discussion of
sound principles, such as we have listened to
tonight, is among the objects of our order.
After that, organization for mutual profit
and protection against the minions of the
money power-for maxim our influence felt
in elections-for extendin' a helpin' hand
to honest toil-for rousin' our bretheren
from their lethargy which, like leaden
pail"
Il want to know" growled Bowersox, with
sulen obstinacy, ''what's to be done"
PUT your views in the form of motion,
that they may be properly considered by the
meetin'," said the imperturable president.
well, motion that we stop talkin and
commence doin'-'
do you suggest that a committee be APP
point ! Tor that purposes"
Yes anything" and the chairman APP
pointed Bowersax, Bott and Folgum such
committee.
All breathed more freely and felt as if
something practical and energetic had been
accomplished The committee would OF
course, never meet nor report, but the col
loquy and the prompt action taken upon it
made every one feel that the evening had
been interesting and profitable Before they
broke up, Sleeny was asked for his initia-
ton fee of 81, and all the brethren were
dunned for their monthly dues.
What becomes OF this money! the neO-
phyte bluntly inquired of the hierophant.
at pays room rent and lights" said Otitt
with unbashed front, as he returned his
greasy wallet to his pocket. The rest goes
for propagatin' our ideas, and especially for
| inilueucin' the press"
Sleeny was a dull man, but he made up his
mind on the way home that the question
which had so long puzzled him-how Ofitt
made his HVlug-waS partly solved.
4 Valuable Plant.
! PHILADELPHIA Record.
! The common white elder which IN tn ear
~ summer in this climate is covered with I
/ wealth of snowy bloom, and later by clusters