The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-16
hats we're pulled low over their eyes.

hats were pulled low over their eyes.
| They staggered with d dissolute air
as they walked and appeared like men
| about to do some desperate. reckless
deed
They're goin' to the big hail." said
Denny, marking the direction they
took at tho corner.
Does McKichnie know!" mustered
Martin hoarsely.
McKichnie was. the organizer, who
had come from international headquar-
tiers to conduct the strike.
He soon will. IL he don't. answered
Denny. It's regular stampede,
See: they amt stoppin' At the Union
Hall. They are Eoin' on to the bis
place
| Is there meeting calleds'' muir.
INJURED John.
don't think 80: they Just passed
the word and are driftin' there .ikc
cattle Humans are like cattle, AMI
strikers are herdwise. The longer
they re out, the moro catfish they be-
come I'm that way right now.
don't know single, blame reason tor
! Quittin except that all these other Eel.
lows feel like It, and that tugs at mo
like forty-horsepower.'
The men milled round In the great
hall like cattle For a time there was
no order. No one assembled the plat
form. The meeting was without leader
ship. A man climbed upon chair
and began to make speech. but he
talked at random. He dared not say
| what was in his heart to say and what
! he knew was in the hearts of all to
say. that common impulse poured them
In here together. The men perceived
his embarrassment and turned away
impatiently to listen to another voice,
but the second speaker had launched
into TRADE against capital and against
employers generally. The men stamped
and jeered him down. It was bod!;
less voice In the heart Of the throng
that began to shout, Vote! Vote!
Vote!''
/ Nobody had named the question, but
they knew what they wished to vote
4 upon.
4 Just then McKichnie came through
the door and fought his way desper-
ately toward the platform. He was
pale, except for a touch of color that
always lay in veinous patch upon his
high cheek-bones, and his blue eyes
sparkled brilliantly, while his nostrils
4 played distendedly like the thorough
bred he was.
McKichnie was unrecognized by
more than those Immediately about
him till he climbed upon the plat
form. Vote! vote!" they were still
calling, when the gavel smote sharply,
4 once, twice.
What is 1t you wish to vote upon?
Make your motion and will put the
\! question, said McKichnie His words
were as sharp and incisive as the
blows of the gavel, but they carried to
the hearts OF men a sense Of new
csponsibility their responsibility.
It was a steadying thought.
Once again the gavcl fell. i'm
patiently.
DO heard the n6otion?" asked
Mckichnie.
strange, sickening silence. He had
4 hooy Joortn0 u,,iotixy fnct ~ 10 4.
form
II move you, Mr. Chairman" he said
addressing the chair, but facing the
were deliberately weighed. in ringing
electric vibrant quality of them, "tha,
it be the sense Of this meeting that the
strike be continued indefinitely"
1t was the exact opposite Of the vii
OF the mass.
"Secondt!" shouted Hoffman from
out in the middle of the house.
1t was Holtzman's word that raspet
them. He was unpopular. A hant
reached up and pulled him down
There were cries of MOI" Not" ''Th,
strike is lost!p We've been be
trayed!"
In the psychological sequence OF In
cidents and emotions the crowd ha,
found its true and proper tongue.
I'VE want to quit!" Were goin
back to work. I'VE want to vote!
"vote!" "vote!" they shouted.
Again men leaped into chairs, blu
this time to bawl out the swelling sen
timent OF their hearts, to launch int
TRADE against the leaders, agains
the way the strike had been conducted
against everybody and everything, Il
any word to cover up the cowardl
fear in their hearts, anything except I
own that they had been beaten, no
by the bosses, but by circumstances
by starvation, by hardship. by the sigh
OF weakening wives and sickening chi
dren, by the every day witnessing O
that wan hunger for peace and fire,
dom from want, which they saw i
each others eyes and felt In thei