Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-08-28
ELEVENTH INSTALLMENT
CHAPTER xvml.


That so many Of the strikers had
had the narrowest kind of an escape
from being blown to pieces by dyna-
mite did not make their feelings for
kehr and his men any friendlier, but
one thing was certain. II harm came'to
the girl who had risked Ter Ilfo to warn
them Of their danger it would have
70 come to her over their dead bodies.
Wherever she went among the
strikers she was welcomed with q
kind Of gallant alteration. Something
about her seemed, when she entered
q room, to pull the Tudest and the
most ignorant men to their feet.
Everywhere she went she preached
her gospel, softened hearts and made
men and women hopeful of better
things. And presently only those who
were naturally bloodthirsty and who
loved violence for its own sake talked
openly Of attacking the stockade. It
seemed to Celestia that the strikers
demands were not unjust, and she de-
termined to end the strike by persuad-
ing Kehr and the men he represented
to meet their demands
Elections were coming on, and the
best way to secuEe the labor vote was
to see that labofs envelope was bet
ter filed than ever before. With
new form Of government in control
Of the nations most disinterested ana
able men there would be such a saw
Ing of national waste that doubling
the pay Of every laborer in the coun-
/ try would be but drop in the bucket
Tommy could not see any possible
good in Celestia's form Of millennium.
He felt that, innccently, Of course,
and with the best intentions, she was
trying TO betray labor into the hands
OF capital, and he fought her doctrine
tooth and nail. But what she seemed
TO offer was so gli,toring and alluring
20 the poor and needy that Tommy's
opposing arguments found few listen
ars in Bitumen.
Celcstia preached that government
Of the people by the people and for
the people had been proved a gigan-
tic failure. for two excellent reasons
%, it isn't by tie people, and 90 it
isn't for the people. The fathers who
set down some very noble aspira-
tlons in black and white were jn-
stantly succ6eded by politicians, who
twisted their aspirations to their own
ends We are today a government Of
the people by the politicians and for
the politicians. Patriotism, if it isn't
dead has gone to sleep. There are
patriotic Virginians, patriotic Yer
monters, too, but there are very few
patriotic Americans.
10 business run as this United
States is run could possibly be
4 success. No employee Of such bust
ness could be blamed for failing in
respect for his employers or in 10y
atty to them. So, do we want our
country to be respectable and sue
cess or don't we? Let it be run with
the same American efficiency with
which The Standard Oil company has
1 been run, and nobody win be poor and
no part Of any city win be dirty and
fun OF disease.
If there were no waste there would
be plenty Of money for everybody, or
at least OF the things money can buy.
Celestia was insistent on this, and
personally / am hanged IL I don't
think she was right. We waste every
tbing-raw material. finished product
health and brains.
In the face Of Kehrs stubbornness
It was not easy to make progress
toward O settlement Of the strike, and
at last Celestia telegraphed to Cor
don Barclay and asked for definite
/ power to speak for the coal companies
ana treat with the labor leaders
fia answer was flying Trip 20
Bitumen.
lie was very sharp with Kehr, hum
JleG him and brow beat him, caused
Cunsdorg ana the %. r leaders 10 be-
released. ana ttcn actzr 4 long. secret
renee with -iIieer, he
la tl sle aaed