Omaha daily bee., 1892-09-19
HE BOWLED WITH The BOYS
A Texas Employer Who Went Out on a
Strike With His Strikers,
HIS PATRONS NEVER MISSED THE PAPER
Tale ofa High ola Time In Which Poker
Reigned and Won the amc-A strike
Settled In an Eminently sat-
isfactory Manner.

in the Kansas City Times:
No man in Washington can spelk of
Texas without being reminded at once
OF William Green Sterrett, the corre-
spondent of the Galveston and Dallas
News. Starrett is man of wide aud
manifold experience.
"Once," remarked Sterrett, "when L
was in Dallas was getting out II paper
literally getting it out at that. l had
four printers to help, but aside from
their aid | did all the rost. | was the
editor, the local force, and when ii came
to the counting room | was also found to
be the business big chief, was, to tell
the truth, having rather hard pull.
Advertising was scarce and elu
sive, subscribers were not coming in
professions by any means, and it was cer-
tainly q struggle, Sull, | was getting
along. joined very select poker
club, and driven by the stern necessity
of four printers who must be paid |
shuiiled aud dealt and held hands
enough through the week TO generally
make up what the epaper failed to of the
pay roll. Time and again I've sat up
all night as sleepy as tired pup play
ing poker TO get those fonr print rs
their money, but somehow they never
seemed to regard 1T.
Most men look back with pride on
something" continued Sterrett, land
even now I'm proud to say my Office was
u union Office. Some fellow did come
into Dallas once and try to rat my four
printers, but he couldn't make it. It's
u long time back and [ don't just recall
whether the union hung him or burned
him or just tarred him somewhat, but
anyhow there were no rodents AS
result of his coming, while he
himself was Il good deal less.
Ono day, however, trouble struck me.
1t was Saturday night-the printers
Saturday night-and my four men were
present with their strings and | was
busy dividing among them the product
OF "a full hand and three 'flushes' which
had fallen to me the night before. All
at once the foreman addressed me while
the other three fell back dignified step
and listened.
"'Bill, said my foreman, this is q
union Office and l am instructed by the
union to tell you that hereafter the
rates have been raised to 45 cents
thousand ems.
This was raise of cents thous-
and, but stood it.
"'All right, JIM I said, you and the
boys know me. Illmeet the demands of
the union and pay the raise. 1t only
means few more hours at poker. and a
little more heartlessness occasionally
when [ "raise' on sure thing, and I'll
have the money!
This was all right and matters swung
along for three or four weeks more One
Saturday my foreman tackled me again.
Bill said ne, the chapel's had
meetin' an it's been decided that you've
got to pay 45 cents, or union rates, for
the five monts last past-since the 1st of
last February.
''Well, JIM replied, getting pretty
hot, Il don't care If the cathedral had
meeting. I'll just not pay it. It's all
out your 45 cents a thousand ems and
glad to doit; but you mustn't spread it,
jim. This February business don't
''go." | don't play retroactive poker
nor get in on any ex-post facto games,
you can see that yourself. You must
think these thing over different, jim.
But Jim was very gay and allowed L
needn't try to run any Latin bluffs on
the. union, and wound up by assuring me
there'd be a strike
"'You pay up ever since February H.
said jim, or we walk out on u strike
right here, an go an get drunk.
".All right, Jim,' l said, this is good
enough for me; don't think Dallas will
miss the paper much, and If you'll wait
until put on my coat I'll go and fill up
with YOU.
''Of course, Jim and the boys we're
glad of my company, and we locked the
door and launched ourselves on sea of
dissipation. For four days the strike
continued and ragged unabated. Every
one OF us had splendid Texas time,
but at last jim and the printers began
to falter. Their money gave out the
first day, and now their credit was gone
This stringency brought them to sue for
peace.
"'Bill, said Jim, on the fifth morn
ing, I've been thipkin' this yere thing
up am down, an the chapel's had anoth-
er meetin', am we've bout decided may
be you can't stand that February bust
ness. So we've settled that we'll let her
go and return with you an get the pp-
per out on ole time lines.
Its all right, Jim,' | said, but
couldn't the chapel put this reconcilia-
tion off day or two? I'm havin' some
fun myself, an my credit is good for IL
week yet, and hate to shock people by
any abrupt and unlocked for termination
of good thing, such as this little dab
of recreation really is. I've been work.
ing too hard, jim
"Jim said that was all right, but
still he hoped I'D come back and go to
work.
''He told me the boys were broke and
couldn't get anything TO drink, or of
course to please me they'd just as soon
keep up the strike for month, but as
matters stood they couldn't stand it.
So we called in the boys and all took II
drink and stopped the strike right
there.
For the next three or four days after
we went back | naturally looked for u
kick from some of my subscribers. on
account OF not having received any
paper for the four proceedings days, hut
there was never kick. It's fact. |
don't think a man in Dallas noticed thaB
the ma per had stopped at all -