The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-04-14
WOMEN in STRIKES
HOW A WOMAN SAVED THE DAY
FOR THE A. II. e.
She Threatened to Leave Her Hus-
band If he Betrayed His Fellow
men-The Sympathies of Women
Have Aided Many Unions During
"a Strlke-They Can Make or
Break Any Man at Pleasure.

"A story in the Evening Herald not
long ago about women in war;" said
one of a group of union men in the st.
Louis Hotel the other evening, reminds
me very much of an instance in Chi
cago during the A. r. U. strike. 1t
shows the influence women have over
men in exciting times
II was standing at the Great West
ern depot one morning while the strike
was at it's hottest. The company had
offered large sum of money to the
crew who would pull the first train out,
and thus break the tie. up.
"A large number of strikers and
sympathizers had assembled near the
depot and were kissing and jeering the
engineer and fireman who were exam
lining and oiling the engine before pull
| ling out. Everything was excitement.
Squads of soldiers were standing about
at the gates near the engine and on the
platform. Everyone expected trouble
when suddenly little woman was
spied walking swiftly towards the en-
CINE. "A soldier attempted to stop her
hut the bra kema nas Id him the she
Twas the fireman's wife and he allowed
Iher to pass on. e :Er* 81 # st5
when she met her husband who
was then standing on the tender step,
she said, Jim are you going to scab
for few paltry dollars?' If SO take
them, your job and everything else,
but keep away from me- II do not
want to be branded as the wife of a
traitor to the cause Of labor
This was too much for the fireman.
| Ito, 3@1o ~ t. nd he
stuck to his home.
| Maybe the boys didn't shout when
the heroic little woman and her hus-
and left the train. Two husky switch
men ran up and lifted her on their
shoulders and carried her up and down
the street, while the crowd cheered and
saluted her with joy.
"She saved the day, for the engineer
would not pull out the train without
an experienced fireman, and none could
be secured that day. e.. a.:
"Yes,'' said the second Of the group,
another like instance occurred during
the street car strike. in Duluth last
year: One of the non-union men who
seemed to glory in the fact that he
had 'scabbed' in sixteen strikes was
placed on the West Duluth run. He
worked three days, and it 50 happened
that his car would catch the clerks and
factory girls when coming and going
to work. He was a rather nice looking
fellow and in the past had been a
'masher.' = The girls were commenting
on his looks, and spoke loud enough for
him to hear such a remark as, but oh,
II he's a scab.' r. +.
1T kept up each day until the end of
the third, when, making the six o'clock
run for West Duluth, he stepped off
the car at the Twenty-sixth avenue
barn and handed his badge to the fore
man, saying, I have scabed lin many
strikes I like to work when there is
some excitement, but I'll be damned If
care to stand on the rear end Of
street cars and have every woman
sheer and edge away as If was a
criminal. will never scab again. You
can rest assured that the women are
always on the right side .
"On the other hand" said another,
II know Of case where woman
j threatened to leave her husband unless
he returned to work so that she could
have money to buy clothes with. Yes,
you can bet q man is exactly what a
woman makes him. They can make or
break any man at their pleasure.