Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-17
CHAPTER FROM A STRIKE
THE MAN WHO "ScAsBEo~ AND
WAS SORELY ASHAMED OF 1T.


Street Railway Company in an Effort
to Keep Up Their Slaves Hours and
Starvation Wages for Others.
sit shows how providential the strike
was, anyhow" said the woman.
YES" said the husband, with queer
smile, most people would say that was
one of the times that Providence was on
my side, because was ready to drown
my conscience and do almost ANYTHING
for money. l don't know as l would
have robbed or committed murder for
gain that day, but 1 suppose 1 should
have been ready to in little while.
The men had Struck you know, for
twelve hours for days work and
dollar and seventy-five cents for DAYS
wages. l knew they We're right. No
man can live in the city and raise a
family, tidy and decent, on anything
less; and the object of society, the pur-
pose God had in establishing the church
and founding governments on earth,
believe, was the welfare of the many,
not the qualification of the few. The
company said they wouldn't grant the
demand, and I went and took one of
those mems places just because was
out of job and you were out of food.
l helped the owners to grind the
workers down to dependence and weak
ness. 1t was the meanest thing l ever
did, Hannah, but as quick as l did it
providence turned on my side, you
see. L simply obeyed the natural, uni
CQrca1 10 NEi 4 i
what l could get without heed for 9TH
ers rights or needs l didn't blame the
men for what they did to me afterward.
thought while the horses were drag
glng me round over the cobble stones,
after they had upset the car, that they
couldn't serve me any worse than l had
served them. But was taking care of
number one, and so Providence was on
my side, because Providence helps them
that help Themselves if they are mean.
That is really the lesson of our Chris
tlanity; take what you can get so long
as the law don't interfere, no matter
who's hurt by your taking it. 1t doesn't
mean to encourage evil; its purpose is
entirely benefcent; but in order to Sc
cure the patronage of the strong it has
to be little blind to their foibles. The
company finally conceded part of what
they knew was only right and they could
we'll afford to allow; but they stuck to
Us 'scabs' because we'd sold ourselves to
help them refuse the whole. That's what
men call nonor among thieves, you see:
they let US keep our places because we
had helped them keep what everybody
knew they ought to have yielded That's
the reason they let this young fellow
take my run as substitute"
"Well, Jonas, that isn't the reason this
man sends you the money every week,
is it?'
The wife spoke with an air of triumph
now.
There, you've got me, Hannah, own
up. can't see any possible reason why
he should do it unless it is to help fell
low that needs help. 1 don't believe he's
detective, and what other reason he
can have for mixing up in the matter
can't see. He rode with me every day
and sometimes two or three times a day
for week during the hottest of it. We
talked the strike over good many times
and told him just what l thought about
that and some other things, too / don't
know what would have become of me
that day they made the raid on my car
if it hadn't been for him. He seemed to
take as much interest in the affair as any
body, and think got more of the stones
they threw than l did. 1t was he who
stopped the horses, picked me up, and
finally lugged me back to the sidewalk
and stood by while l had my coughing
spell. When it was over l saw he was
looking at me pretty serious like, and be-
ing afraid he'd say something soft, which
would have been too much for me Just
then, said, merely to divert his atten-
ton, You know:
"'Well, mister, what do you think of
this?'
Towards" he said through his teeth.
l saw his fists We're clirched, and one of
them had a cut on the knuckle from
which the blood was dripping. l knew
was hurt pretty bad and thought it
was probably the end of my job, but /
wasn't going to show any white feather,
80 said, Yes, it was cowardly, but it
amt any more'n I deserve 'How's
that he asked, and l said: These men
were getting just enough to starve com
fortably on and wanted little more.
They ought to have had it. put in and
got the place, not because the pay was
what it ought to be or the hours reason
able, but because l hadn't anything to
do and no prospect of anything. To
keep myself from starvation helped the
company keep up its slaves hours and
starvation wages for others. And this is
what I've got for it,
"The crowd on the sidewalk was most
ly strikers and strikers wives-women
are always worse'n men at such times
always egging 'em on. Some of the men
cheered at what said, for they all knew
it was true, and one of the cops who
was righting up the car said, We'll,
vow'-only, you understand, it wasn't
'v"w' he said at all but one must be po-
lite these days if he has to lie to do it
you're cool one,' said he, if you are
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