The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-09-21
Their
Representative
A Story for Labor Day Showing q
New Way Of Ending a Strike
By r. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.
By r. A. Mitchell

/ III sorry HISS, u nave " teh gol
that I'm going to leave you"
4 girl Of twenty. whose red AM
white complexion bespoke Irish blood
stood before her mistress, lingering heI
apron with evident embarrassment
"Why, Maggie, what have doner
Nothing miss"
"Then why are you going to leave
met"
well, mlss-the truth is-why. miss
I'm going to be married"
"Oh. l see. Who are you going to
marry, MaggieT
"Jim Doolan, that works in the Aims
worth factory"
THE Ainsworth factory?"
"Yes, miss"
Margaret Etheridge, the girls mis-
tress, was interested In the Ainsworth
company as a stOckholder and through
its president and manager, Richard
AinswOrth,
I'm sorry 10 lose you, Maggie" ;" said
Miss Etheridge. "but II you are going
to be married, you can depend upon
me to give you whatever you win need
In the way Of clothes, household linen
and other things, to enable you to set
up housekeeping"
Thank you. miss"
Maggie was married and went to
live with her husband in small suit
OF rooms. Jim's wages were not very
large, but the couple made them do
very well till the first child came,
when they were obliged to take a
backward step financially by incurrlng
considerable bill for medical attend
ance Then Jim was taken sick, and
that increased the Indebtedness.
Meanwhile Richard Alnsworth had
been pressing an unsuccessful suit
with Miss Etherldge. He had greatly
Increased the output of the Alnsworth
company since he took the manage
ment and to the book value of the
stock 70 per cent had been added. In
deed, Richard Ainsworth had come to
be considered one of the smartest
young business men In the state. But
there were differences between him
and Margaret Etheridge that prevent
ed her from accepting him. Those
business qualifications for which the
world applauded him did not appeal
TO her. She did not understand the
methods by which that silent partner,
capital, was made to absorb the lions
share Of the profits of business. She
saw the operatives-men, women and
children-going to the works early Id
the morning and, having worked hard
all day, return In the evening to their
shabby homes to repeat the process
day after day. The were working to
pay dividends ON her stock, while she,
who did nothing, lived In aftluence. 1t
seemed to her that there was some
thing wrong. She appealed to Richard
Ainsworth for an explanation, but his
explanations were not satisfactory.
His reasons convinced her, but her
heart her sense Of justice, were un-
moved by them.
'Why can't you pay your operatives
enough to enable them to live more
comfortably" she asked Mr. Aims
worth.
Because of competition"
Explain"
"Other concerns would be able to
undersell and we would be forced out
of business"
"Why not appropriate a portion of
the dividends, which are enormous. to
the operatiyesT
Because OF several reasons, the
most pertinent of which is that the
stockholders would object"
Il am stOckholder. YOh may cut
my dividends in half. giving one half
TO the operatives"
"You are one among hundreds; the
rest, instead OF being willing TO give
up their profits, are bowling for more.
My dear Margaret, you don't under
stand such things"
Does anybody understand themw
Eyes, one Providence"
One day Maggie Doolan sent a pitt
full message TO Margaret, serawled in
pencil on bit of paper, saying that
she was i'll, her husband was away at
his work all day, the children had NO
one TO take care OF them, and Jim's
wages were pledged for debts. Be.
sides this, there was nothing to eat In
the house. Margaret Immediately sal
lied forth with well filled purse and
stopping at the provision shops by the
way, carried comfort to the distressed
As she was coming away. Jim came In
with rueful countenance and, throw
ing himself into chair, dropped bis
head in his arms ON table
What is it, Jim?" asked his wife in
a frightened tone.
''The strike is on" was the mournfu
reply.
"oh. heavens!'' cried Maggie in dis
Day.
What are the hands striking forg
asked Margaret Etheridge
"Ten per cent advance all around"
"And do you mean that you will
have no income whatever till the mat
Ter Is settledT
II do"
How much do you earnT'
''Twenty-one dollars a week"
"Nery well. Every weekly pay day
will send You a check for thai
amount"
Margaret left, leaving a relieved and
thankful household behind her.
The strike proved to be prolonged
one One evening while It was in