The advocate., 1894-05-02

shops haQ been working short time:
when they were notified that the rail
road company intended to reduce their
already meagre wages. The men had
protested in vain, and their committee,
including John Cotterel, when they
had attempted to call upon the general
manager, who was then in the city, had
been cOntemptuously refused admission
and had been discharged for their insO-
lence. The shop men held a secret
meeting to discuss the situation, and
all except John and conservative Nick
WitherS favored an immediate strike.
Jonn thus addressed his excited COM
rades:
"Men, I've lost my job already; so
you'll not accuse me of being tender
foot about a strike because I'm afraid
I'll lose my place. What's the good of
striking? Unless you'll look the ground
over in advance, step by step, and then
resolve to go clear through like men,
you'll only have to suffer and make
your folks suffer for nothing. Now,
you've seen and heard of strikes enough
to know how they work. Wequit work,
then the police and the deputy sheriffs,
and maybe, the PinkertOnS, come to
guard the company's property and the
'scabs' that are to be brought in. New
men come to take our places, and if we
try to speak to them we're driven off
by these law-and-order cusses. Then
we've either got to fight them and beat
them, or give up; then the strikes
broken and we're out of a job and
blacklisted to boot. Now, you know to
a dead certainty that's the first thing
we've got to meet if we strike. We've
got to fight these capitalistic hounds,
or we've got to give up the strike right
off. What's the sense of striking, then,
unless we've made up our minds to
ightY"
"We aoiU fightY' exclaimed some ex-
cited men; and the sentiment was
wildly cheered.
81 haven't been shown any arsenal
yet. If you've got one anywhere,
you've kept it secret from me. But
let's suppose you whip the police, and
the deputies, and the Pinkertons.
Then next thing is the militia. The
governor will call out the national
guard, and they'll likely fetch their
angel-making machine-a gatling gun.
They'll take the place of the police, the
deputies, and the PinkertOn's you've
driven off; and they'll put out senti-
nels so you can't get near the shops,
and the 'scabs' will come in and work
under cover unless you whip the
militia"
"Who cares for them kids?' asked
an excited man derisiVely; and there
was uprOarOus applause.
"But," said John, "these kids will
have guns, and they will know how to
use them; and these kids represent the
state, for which you have such religious
respect. Unless you're ready to fight the
militia that's treason if you don't
win and make a successful revolution
instead of strike-What's the sense Of
striking at allP For you know as well
as l do that these things are dead sure
to come if you strikeP'
1.-The militia can't stay always" said
some of the more radical. "We'll wait
till they're gone, and then make it
warm for the 'Scabs,'"
"Yes, that's been tried before" said
John. "How often have you heard of
its succeedingP Let me tell you, men,
the government and the employers are
on the same side. The government will
take care of the railroad company if it
has to murder the last one of us.
That's what governments for. Idon't
see that it ever gets over on our side of
the fence. It's rich folks concern,
and it knows its business. We could
change all that if we had sense enough
to do it. We could vote our own
friends, instead of capitals tools, into
control of the machine, and turn it
'tother way awhile; but we'd rather be
republicans or democrats than men of
l. - L.. Il =. 4