The Labor enquirer., 1885-02-21

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1ssvr - = y. s 3
Out d hsd anhour or two eatlier than
usnat % Tuesday morning the tenth
Instant ! hastily swallow my break
III lkisa my wifs and boy good bye and
make precipitous rush for the dspok
/ an juss in time 70 set myself snsconsed
10 ! seat in the smoking car Vhen the
CONDUCTOR issnes that uY which has
found 50 many varied responses from the
hearts Of millions Of travellers since the
days Of railroads = AL aboard +,
Ny ticket reads Denver to Leadville,D ?
but am going first to Rosita. and | ask
the conductor for : ''lay-over" at Canon
City, which is very politely given, to-
gethsr with the information have re-
luested about the branch trainto Silver
Cliff, snd tho stage connection at that
point for Rosita After have satisfied
myself on. this score, I settle down in my
corner for quiet smoke and perusal Of
the morning paper.
The monotony Of garbled teiegraphic
news, local melange and editorial soph-
istry is unbroken for an hour or more as
the train speeds along over the frosty
rails through barren ranches and across
dry gulches and bleak foothills sBut
just as am concluding reading Of the
uneasiness of Gladstone and parliament
over the shaky condition. Of British in
terests IN Egypt, India and at home, and
have about made up my mind that the
English government has "bit Of more'n
she can chaw," II am aroused byla remark
made by my nearest neighbor in the car,
who has been for some time en-
gagged in conversation with fellow
passenger-though it seems that the
latter is hardly more than silent party
to the discussion. The gentleman who
is talking. and whom the conductor ad.
dresses as captain" is saying:
Il have been connected with railroad
and coal companies for a great many
years in Colorado, and though I have had
more or less trouble with workingmen,
I have never failed to make them come
to time when put my foot down. This
strike of the coal miners down south is
needlessly prolonged, because of a lack
of ability in handling men. If / had
control of those minesI would have them
at work, no matter what the union or
anybody else said"
Nothing is said for moment the con-
ductor, who has just come up to our end
of the car, looks at me out of the corner
of his eye Che is the only one aboard
that knows who ami and the ex-
preston on his face seems to say "there
will be - here in minute.a
A young man with wooden face,
sitting opposite the captain, says, swell,
/ am from Trinidad, and / know all
about the business, and know that the
miners were well paid and treated all
right
Yes says the captain. "they were
making more than workingman has a
right to expect in these duh times /
think Danforth is making mistake by
prolonging the fight for no reason but to
compel the men to accept as their ply
sician man they do not want; but, all
the same, ! would settle that thing and
make those fellows 60 to work, or I'd
turn the whole lot of them cut of doors
as the company owns most of the houses
in the camp"
but that wouldn't be just right to-
wards the women and children" sald a
quiet, good-looking gentlemen who sat
just opposite myself
fright or no right" says the captain,
81 do business on business principles. l
had charge of those same properties
down there in 1S7-[the exact date has
slipped the writer and we had trouble
just like the present. 1 ordered every
miner to vacate the company houses
within twenty-four hours. Some of
them refused to obey, and I Just got me
double-barreled shotgun, loaded it
good and heavy, and Just dumped the
whole lot fthem out into the snow bag
and baggage women and children, and
you bet they knew I meant business after
that"
/ was getting pretty warm, and the
conductor was anxiously gazing at me,
but waited; the time had not come for
me to speak.
The wooden-faced young man straight
ened himself up, in weak imitation of
the ignorant, arrogant attitude of the
captain, and said:
"The trouble with the miners down
there is, they belong to an organization
which works them up to aIstrike, and
then, when they are in trouble itleayes
them to get along the best they CAM
Icould stand it no longer, SC ] said /:
"You will excuse me for speaking un-
solicited upon this subject, but | happen
to be in position to know all about this
affair of which you are talking, and par
ticularly of the organization to which
the young man undoubtedly refers and
so far as his remark is concerned / desire
to say it is without a particle of truth