The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-22

Copyright, 1919 ythe Mcclure News
paper syndcate)
LOT with wrath. Mr.. Henry
Mosher, general manager of
l the Faston Arms company,
rode. up the hill to the mansion in
which the Misses Jane, Lucy and Kate
Faston lived. II had required every bit
of patience he possessed to hold his
temper in control while a committee
had been in his office WIFI demand
for recognition of the union. Now
he was on his way to report to the
three old maids who were his employ
ers and whose absurd ideas had tied
his hands and prevented him from deal
ing with the workmen in his own way.
He was ushered into the library.
Miss Jane the eldest of the sisters, sat
in the big, hgh-bacS chair at the head
of the long mahogany table. She was
Co. tall, spare. white haired and mild
looking. Her sister Lucy, who was 50,
was seated on her right and Miss Kate,
who was the baby of the household,
being only 56. sat al her left. Lucy
was rather stout and comfortable
looking. Kate was thin like her eld-
est sister. After bowling to the three
spinsters Mosher plunged right into
. his subject
'It has come about just as 1 pre-
dicted,n he said bitterly. "They have
delivered an ultimatum. Berkmann and
two others called on me this afternoon.
If we don't recognize the union by Sat
nrday they will strike in a body on
Monday. oh. there is no doubt about
their power. OF the 1016 men in the
shops, 972 have Joined the union. About
the only ones who haven't gone into it
are the pensioners We are up against
it. would know what to do If you
Indies would give me a free hand. /
would give the fools all the fight they
wanted and | would teach them les
son they never would forget But they
know you won't permit a strike and
they are sure you will back down and
recognize the union. | warn you, you
will have no peace once you do recog-
nize IL. The men who started this agi-
tation are not your employees. but out
siders. They had no basis for complaint
on the question of wages, they used
The union idea as an excuse. l could
have crushed the thing in the begin
ming by discharging the first lot of
men Berkmann got to join him, but
you would not countenance it. Now the
affair has spread beyond control"
Miss Jane sighed. "Oh, dear.' she
said Il am sure the men will listen to
reason, Mr.. Mosher. Don't you think If
you called them together and explained
how kind and Just father was all
through his life and how fair my sis
ters and 1 have tried to be they will
not be so insistent / know father was
against unions and | know you are
right in your opposition to them, but
we must not have a strike. Isn't there
some way out of the difficulty with
out having a strike? Isn't there some
way TO compromise without recognize
ing the union? Father never had a
strike and never had union men, You
know how he worked in the shop HIM
self for years and how long after he
was millionaire he used to go back
there to show he was as good a work
man as he ever had BEEN
Yes said Mosher sarcastically, Il
had that all rehashed less than an hour
ago That fellow Berkmann got the
story from some of the old men and
threw 1t up. He is an anarchist. He
told me how your father started with a
little forge and couple of men. He has
the whole tale of how they made their
first revolvers Te told me how your
rather only had $40 in the world when
lie started. He told me how your father,
When he had profit of $4,000 that he
could call his own, told his men that
lie did not believe in money grubbng and
wat If he had 100000 he would quit
business and give the shops to the men
who had helped him to make it, and he
told me how after your father had made
Sl00,0D0 some of his men recalled his
promise to him and your father said:
81 have changed my mind. I find l need
more money than l thought In order
to retire. When | get half a million, 1
Will give this plant to you and the 9TH
ers." Then he told me how your father
kept on; how he made half million and
then a million. and then more millions
and then, when he came to die, he left
the whole establishment to you, his
daughters
1t was all true. 1t was an old story.
What have you to suggest?" asked
Miss Jane weakly.
There is no compromise possible
said Mosher you will have to defy
them and bring on strike or back down
and recognize the union II We have a
strike 1t probably will be long and
hitter one. We, will lose money-a lot
of it-but that doesn't signify so much.
Every manufacturing concern has these
labor troubles more or less. Tt is cheaper
in the long run to fight. If you recog-
rize the union. you will be subject to
its dictation from that time forward.
You cant employ any one but union
man. They will force you to dismiss sucn
men as have not Joined the union. They
will make all sorts of rules for the
running of the shops. and If any of
these rules are not lived up to they will
threaten to shut down the works. You
vii! need Eew general manager, be-
cause don't intend to work under such
conditional"
Miss. Jane was in deep distress. Miss
Lucy looked as IL she would like to
weep. But Miss Kate showed no sign
Of perturbation. Her Jaw harccned. She
had good deal of her fathers spirit.
She had said nothing up to this time,
but now she entered into the discussion.
There must be some way out of this
dilemma Mr.. Mosher~ she said. We have
few days to consider. We must not
have strike and we won't recognize
the union. Now that Is settled We