The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1893-10-18

acted az leader, and a still harder looking
fellow as foreman. Each lsbOrer was given
q wheelbarRoW and the long line worked in
unison. One man was expected to do as
much as another. When the Swede yelled
all up each man was supposed to have his
Wheelbarrow full and was compelled TO fol-
low in the line out Of the trench. Every
mans work was governed by that Of the
leader, and when he said all up it mesnt
that he had his wheslbarFOw full. He had
worked for McArthur Brothers for years,
and was used TO that kind of labor. He was
probably not fit for anything else. He could
Rll his barrow in about half the time that
we could, and when we came up out of the
ditch the hard hearted foreman would curse
us in the vilest way, and apply to US the
worst epithets."
They continued: ave got nothing TO
drink all the morning, and when pail of
water was finally brought, the foreman
gave it TO the Poles and Huns, and refused
US drop. When We respectfully asked for
water, the foreman told US we could get
water only when he SAID 30, and that if we
didn't like il We could get out, accompany
ing his words with an oath. Our condition
was intolerable, and there was only one
Of two things for US to do, get water or fall
in our tracks. We were almost insane from
thirst, and we quit. Neither OF us had
worked in the sun for over ten years, and
it's glare, combined with the intense heat,
fairly melted Us and gave us an unquencha-
BILE thirst. When We quit we were soarcsly
able to stand. Poor fellows who were in
like condition stood around with tears in
their eyes and wondered what their families
would do, now that their last chance for
work had gone. II was awful. The tread
mill was mere play beside it.
But this was not all. They said: "One
poor fellow who had been turned out of his
house the day before stood to his work like
a hero, until he tainted, and had to be car
ried away. An old man with tottering steps
came up, and the head boss said TO our
foreman, Have you got place for this old
MANI Our foreman replied, yes, send
him here, I'll soon fix him. which was
true, for the old fellow soon suocumbed to
the hard labor, and the inhuman treatment
and abuse. The scenes were hard to look
upon. In a short time men could be seen
lying about on the ground exhausted. It
was more like convict camp than snything'
else that can think Of. Men who had
never worked in the sun before, and who
had been out Of work for weeks or months,
with not enough food, worked there as they
had never worked before, and were urged
on by curses and the vilest oaths.
At length the men reached the climax of
their story. They said: "The reason of
this cruel treatment was because we were
citizens. AS soon as a man would come on
the dump, he would be asked the question,
Are you OitizenP If the reply was in the
affirmative, his troubles commenced at
once. The bosses simply did not want US
out there. They own the groggeries and
lousy, bed-bugRy boarding houses, which
make up the camp, and between the two
kinds Of business, they manage TO get hold
Of about every dollar that the workingmen
earn. We were citizens, and spent our
money at home in the support Of our fsmi-
lies. They got no share of it. Hence this
enmity. This statement shows the real
cause Of so many men quitting soon after
they began work. When the truth is known,
no one can Oensure US for quitting"
All the above has been fully verified. The
contractors, especially McArthur Brothers,
propose to use the men sent there to work
to enrich themselves, and when they can'5
An Ahnh khnu r,nnnnnn ko c,ak rid nP than in