Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-03-03

Who'll suffer? The mine owners?
What if they do lose a little property
UP here? Haven't you got sense
enough to know that it is only one
item out of thousands for them? But
it's the whole thing for you. and if you
weren't u lot of bIOckheaded dummies
you would know that the result of
pulling up the pumps will be simply
to give me more work to do in mending
your cracked skulls and sewing up a
lot Of gunshOt wounds in your useless
bodies, and l tell you I've got my
hands full now without having a lot
of extra work piled on me just because
you want to have a little picnic with
those pumps. And after you've pulled
'em up and about a hundred of you
are killed or get what few brains you
have left knocked out what will you
gain besides that? How much chance
will there be for mining in the spring
with all the SHIRTS flooded? Do you
want to kill me with all this prepara-
ton for blOodshed? Tell you what
I'll do. Any man here that wants
me to amputdte an arm or leg or fix
his brains back into his empty head
after he's gone and got himself mixed
up in Il fight with the militia can just
take my word for it here and now
that l will turn him over to the job
work Of these stranger doctors that
have been practicing on you since the
fever struck in this winter. Hear
that? l simply wont do a thing for
yOu
I'm as mad as you are at the mine
owners. I think that, with the eXcep-
ton of Mr.. Duncan here, they will
have q heavy account to settle at the
day of judgment. But, sure as death,
you won't gain anything by trying to
improve Gods punishment for 'em.
You know WhatIl happen if the mines
close down for good in the spring. The
owners will have to open if you let the
pumps alone. and you can go back at a
rise over old wages. The pressure for
ore will force the companies to re-
| sumo. But once you ruin the mines,
/ and what will you do? The babies cry
! for food in the cabins now, you say
! but it viii be worse than that if
! The doctor SOftened his voice for q
/ minute. The effect of it was magical.
Stuart could not believe and will not
as long as he lives that Dr.. Saxon was
talking for the next few sentences He
has never heard him with that voice
/ since. Tile babies that lie out there
on the great slope will never hunger
again. | have watched hundreds of
| them leave this unsatisfactory world
this winter and not one of them that
did not pull ny heartstrings with his
little fingers as death won him from
me. But God is merciful. There is no
doubt of his justice. There isn't Il
man here who doesn't know love him
| and would never counsel an act that |
WHs not sure would be for your good
and the good of the wives and children
in the long run. Why, every one of
you knOWS"-here the doctor resumed
his voice that The miners knew so we'll
and every one started and came back
again, staring Mt the great rough coat
ed fgure-"that even Ajax has more
sense than to 90 and kick over the
measure that contains his oats. But
that's what you plan to do. | always
said that the stupidest numskulls that
eve: lived could be found in De Mott
where I've looked into more cracked
craniums than anything else and I've
made up my mind that after this wher
I've broken heads to fix up I'll use cot
ton or wool or something like that t
stuff the vacant places find"-
Just then there was a disturbance
/ down by the door, and the next mo
ment a voice broke the silence of thu
crowd: rs the doctor here? He
wanted at once outside. Been a row
and Pat Penryck has got a broker
head. Tell the doctor to come RICH
out"
Hear that" rOared the doctor. Il
you pull up pumps, I'll 90 right NJ
and get killed with the rest of yO1
when the militia fires, and after w
gone who'll come and pump life int
you when death has YOU by tn
throat? And if l don't get shot T.
leave you and go down to Chicago
where i won't have to furnish tn
| brains for the whole cOmmunity-'
Without another word the docto
Jumped down off the platform an
worked his way outside, where h
: cared for the wounded man as skillfu
} ly and tenderly as if his patient ha
been the president of the republic.
] AT first Stuart had started to go OF
: with the doctor. Then he suddenl
t changed his mind and decided to re
: main. The doctor had made a decide
] impression on the men. They wei
e used to his rough, uncomplimentar
) invective, and they loved him as pc
haps they never loved any one els
and he had put the matter so plainl,
| even if it had been flung at them S
i roughly, that they were compelled [
e think.
e The next half hour in that old ha
e that night witnessed the closing chal
: ter in the great strike. Man after ma
l. rose and declared that it would be mae