The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-02-02

pa rolled over and groaned In Aia
berth, and went to sleep and snored
bag, such az horses eat out Of, pulled
over pas face.
| The Queerest thing that ever hap
| pened in the circus business in this
country took place at Germantown,
Pa. The teamsters went on strike
at Pittsburg, for increase in wages and
shorter hours and for two days the
management had great time.
We had to get drays to haul the
stuff from the train to the lot, and
then our teamsters got the local dray-
men to join them, and when we got
| ready to haul the stuff back to the
train nobody would do any work, and
the walking delegates from the Team
sters' union just took possession OF
the show, and we were stuck, like an
automobile when the gasoline gives out.
We had got to looking at the team
sters as of no particular account when
they walked out, but when they
wouldn't work, they became the most
| important part of the show, and after
the show was over the managers who
had told the striking teamsters to go
plumb, found that they had gone
plumb, and they had to rush all over
| Pittsburg and find them, and grant
their demands, and get them to go to
| work.
| Do mi nr1f tn nd N
them, and it cost pa over $50 to get
them out Of beer garden, and back
/ TO the lot, and it was almost daylight
| before we got our train started for the
next town.
Well, at the next town we could see
the animals. They acted as though
they had lost all interest in the sue
cess of the show, and wouldn't do
any OF their stunts worth a cent. Tho
elephants went through their act
carelessly, and when they were scolded
or prodded with the iron hook, they
got mad and wanted to fight, and when
they got back from the ring to tho
animal tent they wouldn't eat the
baled hay, but threw it all over the
tent, end acted riotous.
The kangaroos would not do their
boxing act, the horses kicked at their
hay, and wouldn't eat their oats, the
scared the people who passed by where
they were tied to stakes, the sacred
| cattle got their backs up and acted
as though they, being pious, couldn't
swear, but would like to hire the n.y.
| enas to swear for them; the CRATES
laid down and curled their necks so
they were no attraction to the show,
cause a giraffe is no curiosity unless
he stretches himself away up towards
the top of the tent. The zebras rolled
in the mud and spoiled their stripes,
so people couldn't tell them from COM
mon mules; the grizzly bear walked
his cage, and kept giving vent to bear
language, and the big lion was howl
ing all the time
The show was failure at that town,
and when we loaded the train the
managers held meeting in our car
to decide what in thunder was the
matter with the animals. All kinds
of theories were advanced, such as
poison, malaria from Indiana, and
pure cussedness. After they had dis
cussed the matter awhile, pa came in,
and they asked him what he thought
about it, and that tickled pa, cause
as foolish as he looks, he helps the
show out of lots of bad holes. Pa
| lit cigar and put it in one side of his
mouth, put his hat up on one side OF
his head, like he was tough, and
looked wise, and said:
Fellow fakirs, I have been watch
ing the animals all day, and while l
do not say they understand enough of
the ways of human beings to be post
ed on labor unions, and all that,
want to tell you they are on a strike.
and that grizzly and that lion are
the walking delegates that are STIR
| ring them up to mischief. They may
| not know anything about the team
sters' strike, but they know something
has happened, and they are displeased
at something, and they have lost re.
spect for the employer. They are on
strike, and the very devil is going to
pay tomorrow, unless the cause of
the dissatisfaction is discovered and
| mutual concessions made"
Gentlemen, you hear me-" said pa,
and he sat down on the edge of the
arm of the car seat.
They gave pa the laugh, but finally
told him to take charge of the strike
and settle it quick, but they wanted
to J1now what he thought animals
would be dissatisfied about, as long as
they got food enough to eat.
Pa said: "Pll tell you. You feed
/ the horses and other hay-eating ami
mails on musty baled hay, bought
| from contractors that may have had
it on hand for five years. How would
you like it if you were served with
| breakfast food that had been stored
in warehouse until it was widowed?
A horse or an elephant has feelings.
Give them baled hay, and wien they
are trying to pick out mouthful that
is not spoiled, you drive along with a
load of nice new-mown timothy or al
falfa, and see them make rush for