Evening star., 1896-12-19

bring about amicable understanding.
Won't you at least make the attempt, Mr..
Hope?"
My dear Marsten, the way of the self
appointed arbitrator Is hard. I was read
ing in this mornings paper about your
charming meeting last night, and / no.
ticed that one man who interfered was
kicked off the platform and thrown out
into a side street. That is the working
mans idea of how an intelligent discussion
should be terminated. I love the working
man myself, but / sometimes wish ne
would not argue with his hob-nailed boot.
By the way, did you see this interesting
episode? You were there, I suppose?"
Ies. Braunt who was kicked out, is one
of the best workmen in the factory. but
very hot-tempered. He lost control OF
himself last night under strong provoca-
ton, and when he was outside tried to
batter in the door The police interfered.
and he knocked down three of them This
was disastrous, for he was fined 10 this
the money that he need not go to prison.
but we are in the minority-he exasperated
cur fellow workmen-ahd l am not getting
on well with the subscription list"
Barney sprang to his feet.
Knocked down three, did he? Good man.
That's something like. It's Il most deplor-
able trait in my character that l somehow
enjoy an assault on the police, and Yet
| recognize the general usefulness of the
force. Five pounds, did you say? Then
there will be the costs l don't understand
much about these things, but l believe
there are usually costs, on the principle
of adding. insult to injury. l suppose. W III
a ten-pound note see him through? Good.
Here it IS. Three-pound-odd policeman
is not expensive when you think now much
some luxuries here below cost. don't you
know. No thanks, Marsten, l beg OF you.
It's pleasure, I assure you"
AS Marsten took the money servant
came in and said in low voice: Simo-
son wants to know if he may go, SIR:
7 ha IA
long ago. Simpson is my ornamental six
footer at the head of the stair. Perhaps
you noticed him as you came IN. roo.
fellow, he's not allowed to do anytmns
but stand there and look pretty. so L sup
pose it gets wearisome. Imagine sucn
| boy-stood- d-on- n-the-burning-deck devotion al
| this end of the nineteenth century! ma
| forgotten him. absorbed in your ln.eres., esa,
sorry 1 can't arbitrate. but drop In again
and let me know how things go on Good
afternoon"
On Saturday the men took their We'll
earned nav. one by one and went out of the
gates quietly, If sullenly During the days
that had interviewed between the meeting
and the strike neither side had made ad-
yances to the other. If Sartwell had pre-
pared for the struggle. these preparations
had been accomplished so secretly that
Gibbons failed to learn of them The sec
retary of the union issued a manifesto to
the press setting forth the position OF the
en- in temperate phrase that had the ef-
feet of bringing public sympathy largely
to the side of the workers. 1t was an ad-
mirable documents, and most of the papers
publ shed it. some Of them editoriaily re-
GREETING the fact that in this enlightened
country and this industrial age some hun
nGc nf "a
land willing to work, were forced to go
into the streets in protest against tyran-
ny that refused even to discuss their alleged
wrongs. The newspapers pointed out that
whether their grievances were just or not
was beside the question, as the point was
that the manager had refused to see dep
utation, and this high handed conduct the
papers expressed themselves as forced to
deplore.
Both members of the firm thought this
manifesto should be answered. The mana
ger did not agree with them, so it was not
answered
Pickets were placed before the gates, and
a few extra policemen appeared, as IL by
accident, in the neighborhood; but there
was nothing for either policemen or pickets
to do. On Monday some Of the men loung-
ing around the place looked up at the tall
chimneys, and saw them, for the first time
during their remembrance, smokeless. They
had never noticed the smoke before, but
now it's absence created an unexpected void
IN tne muTky OUTLOOK. II was as IL the M
ger of death had touched those gaunt. lofty
stacks, and the unusual silence of the place
the men had always known to be so busy
seemed to give the situation lonely feeling
of solemnity they had not looked for.
On Tuesday some dray loads of new ma
chinery arrived at the works, and these the
pickets attempted to stop. but without sue
cess. Gibbons was consulted. but he took d
sensible and liberal view Of the matter.
Let them put IN all the new machinery
they wish. That will mean employment for
more. men when we go back. We will not
irterfere with Sartwell until he tries to fill
the works with other employees
For the remainder of the week the shops
echoed with the clang of iron on iron. but
no smoke came out of the tall chimneys.
"CaH this a fight" said one of the men
over his mug of beer. Il call 1t bean
feast"
On Saturday strike pay was given out at
headquarters, each man getting his usual
wage, for the union was rich. 1t was ip-
deed a bean feast-all pay and no work.
The first week had enabled SartW ell to
make repairs and to add machinery that
had long been needed. but it had another
effect which he considered more important
still. 1t allowed Mr. Monkton and Mr.. Hope
to recover their second wind, as it were.
These good but timorOus men had been
panic stricken by the going out of their