The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-07-25
THE EDITOR STRUCK.
HE JOINED FORCES WITH THE PRINT
ERS WHEN THEY QUIT.

/
The Winning Manner In which Bill
steritt Handled a Demand For In
creased Pay by the Force ON the
Old Dallas Times.
There are ways and ways of settling
labor strikes. The unions have used
tho 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 strik-
Ing army and debating tho time when
difficulties were declared Off
Proof of the power of this method
was furnished during the days of tho
eid hniias Timas That Texas city
was but Il struggling town then, with q
population that was getting close up to
the 1000 mark. Tho editorial helm of
The Times had just been seized by
William Sterltt. better known in Wash
ington's and Texas newspaper world
today as plain "Bilr' Steritt, the title
colonel frequently being prefixed In
recognition OF his birthplace, Ken
lucky.
The Times under the Sterltt regime
employed Ave men and one woman In
Its manufacture. The latter was the
wife of the foreman of the printing
room and worked at the cases." while
the printers devil'' performed double
duty by acting as the motive power of
the hand press. The foreman during
his younger days had had an argument
with mule. and the sears 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
uneaslness lodged In Tho Times Office
Rumors of labor troubles and of union
organization were heard.
We've concluded TO quit" said the
foreman ms he stalked into the editors
sanctum one morning backed up by tho
entire mechanical force. I'VE don't
get union pay. and We've organized q
| chapel. If you don't show up more
money, your paper don't get out, that's
| all"
| Going to strike, are your queried
Sterltt, who had not found promises OF
| II direct road to wealth and Wall street
through The Times. "Unlonlzed, arc
| YOU? Well. sir I'm glad to hear II. I've
| been thinking for some days Of going
| on strike myself The circulation of
| this concern isn't extremely feverish
and none of the subscribers Will ever
miss us, and If they do 1t Will be to our
benefit. The few blocks OF white paper
out there VIII keep, and | guess the
hand press wont object to day of
| Yes sir Wen strike right here and
] now. Wei Just walk around the cor
| ner and celebrate the Inauguration OF
this 'walkout with drink"
The foremHn's wife here transferred
her share of arbitration power on the
masculine contingent and departed
| The quintet expressed some surprise
| Mt the turn of affairs, but followed Ster-
| 1T 20 the corner saloon, where three
rounds of drinks were put AWAY under
| his direction.
"You see" began the foreman, we're
ready to 20 right back TO work now If
you'll pay
mo, Stree" broke In tho editor.
"Why, we've Just struck. and couldn't
call things Off now. Hold on, I tell
you, and well win out"
The Times Office wns 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 advisabillty
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. | tell you. II
| could find another union around here,
we would have one OF those sympa-
thetic affairs. Mop; the strikes not of,
and ] hereby issue another pronuncia-
mento to that end Besides that the
| people are beginning to find out they
need II paper. I'm In this strike for
subscribers"
Then they llquored several times, and
the foreman left.
On the ninth day the striking army
OF five conferred with the self appoint
cd walking delegate. They contended
that they were ready to resume their
end Of the work Of shaping public opin-
lon Mt the old schedule of weekly pay.
| Steritt was obdurate and advised fur
ther hostillties for several days. On
the fourteenth day he was called on TO
accept n most sweeping cnpitulation.
| The next day the hand press began it's
| 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 "itcms" and build
ing editorials At the close OF the days
work the force was summoned to the
office.
Next time" advised the editor, you
don't want to stop when you've organ
lied chapel You want TO go ahead
and organize and build whole cathe-
dral That's all."-ChIcago Tribune.