The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-02-29
Their
Representative
A Story for Labor Day Showing a
New Way Of Ending a Strike
BY r. A. Mitchell
BY r. A. Mitchell


"Im sorry, miss, to have to tell you
that I'm going TO leave you
A girl OF twenty, whose red and
white complexion bespoke Irish blood,
stood before her mistress, lingering her
apron with evident embarrassment.
"Why, Maggie, what have doneT
Nothing, miss"
'Then why are you going to leave
me?"
"Well, mlss-the truth is-why, miss
Pm going TO be married"
"Oh. l see. Who are you going to
marry, Maggie?"
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 stakeholder and through
its president and manager, Richard
| Ainsworth.
"pm sorry TO lose you, Maggie" said
Miss Etherldge, but II you are going
TO be married, you can depend upon
me to give you whatever you will 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 Il small suit
OF rooms. Jim's wages were not very
| To. 81 do
very well till the first child came,
when they were obliged TO take a
backward step financially by mourning
a considerable bill for medical attend
ance. Then Jim was taken sick, and
that increased the Indebtedness.
Meanwhile Richard Ainsworth had
been pressing an unsuccessful suit
with Miss Etheridge. He had greatly
increased the output of the Ainsworth
| company since he took the manage
ment, and to the book value of the
stock 80 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
|
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 In
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 afIluence. 1t
seemel ~ 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"
undersell and we would be forced out
Of business"
why not appropriate a portion Of
the dividends, which are enormous, to
the operatives?"
Because of several reasons, the
most pertinent of which is that the
stockholders would object"
II am a stakeholder. You 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"
docs anybody understand themT
"Yes, one-Providence."
One day Maggie Doolan sent a pitt
full message to Margaret, scrawled in
pencil on a bit of paper, saying that
she was Ill, 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 I'm
the house. Margaret Immediately sal
lied forth with well filed 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 n table.
what is II. Jim?" asked his wife In
frightened tone.
"The strike is on" was the mournftil
reply.
"Oh, heavens!' cried Maggie in dis
may.
what are the hands striking forf"
asked Margaret Etheridge.
"Ten per cent advance all around"
sand do. you mean that you will
have no income whatever till the mat.
ter is settled?"
4 'T do"
"How much do you earnf"
"Twenty-one dollars a week."
VERY well. Every weekly pay day
i will send you. a check for thai
amount"