Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-08-09
THE EDITOR STRUCK.
HE JOINED FORCES WITH THE PRINT
ERS WHEN THEY QUIT.

| creased Pay by the Force on the
| Old Dallas Times.
There are ways and ways Of settling
| labor strikes. The unions have used
| the sympathetic strike" plan, at times
! securing a settlement by calling out
| the forces of allied trades. With the
bosses the lockout frequently has
| done the business But there are meth
| DDS of erasing differences between en-
| ployers and employees which even Chi
| cago has overlooked. Strikes have
| been settled by the bosses joining the
| ranks Of the strikers, voluntarily as
| Stunning the posts of walking delegates,
! directing the movements of the strtk-
| ing army and debating the time when
| difficulties were declared off.
Proof of the power of this method
was furnished during the days OF the
| old Dallas Times. That Texas city
| was but struggling town then, with
| population that was getting close up to
| the 1000 mark. The editorial helm of
| The Times had just been seized by
| William Steritt better known in Wash
| ington's and Texas newspaper world
| today as plain Biz Steritt. the title
Colonel frequently being prefxed in
| recognition of his birthplace, Ken
| lucky.
The Times under the Steritt regime
| employed five men and one woman in
| it's manufacture. The latter was the
wife of the foreman of the printing
room and worked at the cases." while
| the printers devir' performed double
| duty by acting as the motive power of
the hand press. The foreman during
his younger days had had an argument
| with a mule, and the scars Of that bat
| tie which decorated his face had aided
| in securing his reputation of being "a
| bad man in mixup." Shortly after
| the new hand press had begun the
| molding of editorials and the sharing
of subscription donations ranging from
| garden truck to overworked farm stock
uneasiness lodged in The Times office.
| Rumors of labor troubles and of union
! organization were heard.
| We've concluded TO quit" said the
| foreman as ne staiked into the editors
| sanctum one morning backed up by the
| entire mechanical force. I'VE don't
| get union pay. and we've organized
| chapel. If you don't show up more
money, your paper don't get out, that's
| all"
Going to strike. are you?" Queried
| Steritt, who had not found promises of
direct road to wealth and Wall street
| through The Times. "Unionized, are
! you? Well, sir. I'm glad to hear it. I've
| been thinking for some days of going
| on a strike myself. The circulation of
| this concern isn't extremely feverish,
and none of the subscribers will ever
miss us, and If they do it will be to our
| benefit. The few blocks of white paper
| out there will keep. and l guess the
hand press won't object to day off.
| Yes, sir, We'll strike right here and
now. Wen Just walk around the cor
| ner and celebrate the Inauguration of
| this 'walkout' with a drink"
The foreman's wife here transferred
| her share of arbitration power on the
| masculine contingent and departed.
| The quintet expressed some surprise
at the turn of affairs, but followed Ster-
| lit to the corner saloon, where three
| rounds of drinks were put away under
| his direction.
You see," began the foreman, "we're
ready to go right back to work now IL
| you'll pay
| mo, Stree" broke in the editor.
"Why, we've just struck, and couldn't
| call things off now. Hold on, l tell
| you, and We'll win out"
| The Times office was closed up. the
windows nailed down and the Office cat
| turned loose to forage. On the fourth
| day the foreman approached Steritt
and sounded him as to the ACCESSIBILITY
of declaring the strike at an end.
Cant do it," was the answer. why,
I'm having the best time of my life.
Hang out, and Wen win, 1 tell you. II
| / could find another union around here,
we would have one of those sympa-
thetic affairs. Mop; the strikes not off,
| and / hereby issue another pronuncia-
mento to that end. Besides that the
people are beginning to find out they
| need a paper. I'm in this strike for
subscribers"
Then they liquored several times, and
| the foreman left.
On the ninth day the striking army
| of five conferred with the self appoint
ed walking delegate. They contended
| that they were ready to resume their
| end of the work of shaping public opin-
| ion at the old schedule of weekly pay.
| Steritt was obdurate and advised fur
| ther hostilities for several days. On
the fourteenth day he was called on to
| accept a most sweeping capitulation.
The next day the hand press began its
| grind, the foreman, who had not lived
| up to his reputation as bad man."
| took his wife and his followers back to
the cases" and Steritt continued the
work of gathering items and build
| ing editorials. At the close Of the days
work the force was summoned to the
Office.
Next time" advised the editor, lyon
| don't want to stop when you've organ
lied a chapel. You want to go ahead
| and organize and build a whole cathe-
| dral. That's all."-Chicago Tribune.