Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-20

over the line. Remember, you are not in
Sartwell's employ. l only Yant few words
with these men, thentwesn leave the street
to you" EFs&
The captain hesitated moment 1t was an
ominous mob. 80,
Look sharp, then, ne said. and stepped
hack 3 81
Come with u.s." cried Gibbons. 1--WE
can't talk here. Como o5the big hail. and
If you don't like what We say, there will
be no harm done. This Is. free country"
The secretary turned as IL he had no
doubt that the crowd would follow, and the
leaderless men walked after him. Gibbons
assistants mixed among them and talked
persuasively with tho strangers. Before
half an hour all the "blacklegs'' were IN
the Salvation army hall, Signing the union
roll and being put on the strike pay list.
1t was a notable triumph for Gibbons;
first blood, as sporting man would say.
Next morning, when the gates were
opened, not man entered, and Sartwell
once more found himself without an EN-
ploye After the gates had remained invit-
ingly open for half an hour they were closed
again, and a great cheer went up as the
two big iron-bolted leaves came together
Sartwells resources, however, were not
yet exhausted, for two days later the fac
tory was thronged with workmen once
more, and these also Gibbons bought from
under the manager.
Thus the game went on, and 1t convinced
the men that their secretary knew a thing
or two, being more than match for the
manager Gibbons carried himself conf
dontly and talked with grand assurance
that he was perhaps far from feeling, for
he became more and more haggard and
anxious as the fight continued He alone
knew the seriousness of the increased drain
on the resources of the union, through the
forced support OF the new hands he had
lured away from Sartwel's employ, and
which had upset all his previous calculations.
An attempt was made to tighten the burden
by trying to induce the new men to return
to their homes, and this had been partially
successful with the first lot, but the others
obstnately insisted on getting their share
of the strike pay, and refused even to con-
slider the advisabilty of returning. They
demanded what was promised them, or
threatened to enter the works in a body,
which action would have speedily put an
end to the contest. Gibbons was well sup
ported by that section of the press which
gave more than few lines each day to the
progress OF the strike. One morning the
chief Of these papers came out to the pub
lie with an appeal for aid. The case of the
strikers, battling. it might be- at first for
their own rights, but fighting in reality for
all working humanity, was most convinc-
ingly and tersely put in a double-leaded edi
torial, and the journal itself headed the
list with a handsome contribution. Would
these workers into slaves, using the weapon
OF grim starvation against them? The jour
nal did not believe such apathy existed, and
its belief was amply justified, for subscrip-
tions poured in rapidly, together with indig-
nant letters from all parts of the country.
which were duly printed in its columns.
The first pinch of the strike came on the
men when 1t was suddenly announced that
strike pay would the next Saturday be cut
down to one-quarter the amount they were
then receiving. There was a good deal Of
and some inquiries as to what
they were fighting for, but on the whole the
disastrous proclamation was received quietly, |
II somewhat grimly.
I'VE are bound &c win," said Gibbons |
when he was reluctantly compelled to tell
the men OF the reduction. THE firm is
losing nearly thousand pounds a week by |
the factory remaining idle and it is not
likely they will stand that long, even to
Dblige Sartwell."
Gibbons had not the courage to add that |
even with this reduction, the union could |
not hold out more than d week longer; that |
Il was practically at the end of its resources, |
and that future strike pay would have to |
depend on the subscriptions received from
the outside, a most precarlous source OF |
revenue, for every one knows how short |
lived enthusiasm is and how the collection |
Of hard cash destroys II,
There Is much in good generaship. and |
one OF It's aXloms Is that you should en- |
ieavor to discover your enemy's weakest |
point. Never once did 1t dawn on Gibbons |
Or any OF his leutenants that the fortress |
hey were attacking had only to be ap- |
preached in one direction, when the walls |
would have crumbled like those OF Jericho |
never did II occur to him that Sartwell was |
lighting at the same time two battles-one |
with the men and one with the masters, and |
Df the two contests he feared the result OF |
he latter most. Sartwell was between two |
ires; he had urged both Monkton and Hope |
10 quit England until the fight was over,
and leave the conducting OF II 10 him They |
in the evening Sartwell might |
have their promise, but In the morning |
hey had changed what they had pleased TO |
'all their minds. They always feared the |
worst. They saw tho factory In flames, and |
he mob shot down by the troops. They Inn
piored sartwell to come to some agreement