The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-17

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| John Martin, the molder. looked at
the roomfuI Of men and 1t reminded
4 him Of sea Of liquid. sputtering
\ metal. glowing with an indescribable
i heat. SO molten that 1t was thin as
\ water. and dubbed and simmered and
| jctted hot. scalding fountains here and
there over its surface, driven upward
| by the terrible fires beneath, Fused
| Tor . moment into a common agony
OF fear and helplessness. they seethed
/ and eddied like turbulent metal And
like the metal. too. John fell their will
| might be still nodded into any form
| He elevated himself slowly to the plat
/ form, and stood there beside McKich.
| ME with his hand on the table.
The hall was large, but there was
something in the bigness Of John Mar
tin that enabled him to overshadow
every man In 1t. His eye flashed, and
II seemed like stroke Of lightning to
the last man on the bench He brought
his huge fist down on the table with
| Q low thump and it seemed as though
the whole building rcyerberated.
/ Look here, now. fellows, he said
| at last when he rad cast hts spell over
them sufficiently, I diGn'. have any
thing to do with this strike When II
| started, was against It. I haven't
/ had anything to do with it, except to
keep back some OF you from doing
things that thought would hurt the
| cause more tnan 1t woi;id help But
want to tell you something. amt the
1 Organizer, | amt the President Of the
Metal Council, nor the Secretary, nor
ANYTHING, not even picket. But
reiieve In this strike. When I come
cut, put In everything. My family's
I'll broke up. My wife's out in Iowa
With part of the children. My boy
.iack's down in the country. Ny baby,
Little Wiggler, is out yonder In that
auiet place where babies don't never
/ get hungry any more. I've lost my
house that was payin' for on install
| ments And | don't tell YOU this be-
| cause ! think I've suffered more'n my
share. There's men here that's had 1t
harder'n me I'm just tellin' you how
feel
4 Every reason had for strikin' the
day | struck. I've got now And I've
got some more reasons, too Every
/ cut-throat scab that's come into this
town to take my fob away from me Is
another reason why see that I've got
| 10 stick to my union principles. Every
thing I've Euffered-my house and scat
tered family, and my baby that just
/ about starved to death, you could call
1 IL. is another reason why I'm going to
stick to the union
fellows, it's got so now that II a
| man that works ever expects to have
. family and care for 1t free and in
dependent he's got to have union con-
/ ditions. That's big reason. Then
there's others. Every one OF you
anxious men-every hungry wife and
child and empty cupboard; every bin
that's shy OF coal or potatoes Is a rea-
4 son why can't abandon this strike
and go back to work Some OF you
have got Grape on your hats since this
strike began. Others Of you didn't
i have the price to put 1t on your hats,
but you're a-wearing mourning in your
hearts. Well, those are other reasons
why I've got to stay on strike.
Now. don't know why you fell
lows come here, nor what you're going
/ to do; but. so help me God, I'm going
i 10 stay out"
He had been talking In low, even
4 AOnSb VI 6ICdl cdIucSluSSS LuhL U6uc-
trated to every corner of the room.
When he ceased speaking there was
silence for moment, breathless 81
ience, and then creaking of chairs
as men Strengthened up and drew full
hreaths again. But the expression on
every face had changed. From being
4 4 mass they had become individuals.
and from extreme excitability they had
! passed to a solemn calm.
4 Martin knew that he had poured the
4 Eetal.
j Il call for de question" said Holtz-
r,an from the back Of the house, even
his fiery soul sufficiently tanned to ex-
i press itself In unaffected tones.
Question:"
/ McKichnie put Martins motion to
continue the strike indefinitely.
/ 1t was carried with thunderous
"Aye."
And then without the formality Of
! adjournment the meeting broke up 1t
was entirely unofficial. The president
i Of neither union involved in the strike
lad presided nor had the secretary
recorded the proceedings. McKichnie
and Martin had CHANGED upon 1t. had
made themselves part Of 1t, each had
done his work and each knew as the
crowd melted away, that the day had
been absolutely won, and that II would
be long and only after another tedious
series Of hardships, disappointments
and deferred hopes that they would
have to fear another such mutiny.
John was leaning once more against
the platform, and his face had fallen
into one OF those complete distractions
i which often oyercame him.
/ McKichnie stopped down and clapped
him heartily on the shoulder. Many
crowded near and pressed his hand,
] but Martin hardly seemed to notice
them. He stood apart, silent. bowed
with some weighty responsibility, un-
seeing, unhearing like the prophet.
Ezra. at Chebar, and yet inst now, his
silence. his black. passionate abstrac-
| ton was to the men a supreme In
fuence They knew he was fighting
i this fight with his whole soul, and
4 they contented themselves, with look.