The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-02-05
EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE TOHER
The Amalgamated Spirit
BY Mary Heaton worse.

By Mary Heaton worse.
/ first saw it in union meeting III
Philadelphia. j didn't even know ITS
name at the time. In small room at
the top of a steep flight of stairs in a
converted private house swarm Of
girls were packed in together at union
Meeting of the Amalgamated. There was
sense of excitement in the air. Not
the exeitment of disturbed human
beings milling around, but OF a pur-
poseful excitement of people who had
gotten together to accomplish some
thing. It was creative, hopeful, vigo
rous. | had not been informed as to the
issues involved in this meeting. So l
didn t even understand what it was all
about. But l understood the people. 1t
was something that drew me irresisti-
bly,. Here were people that one could
work with Here was something grow
ing; something alive. Later | found out
what it was that had so gripped me.
1t was the Amalgamated spirit.
next saw it in little mining town
with a group of shining excited little
girls, American born and of VICIOUS
decents. There were Lithuanians, Poles,
daughters of Welsh miners, and of
Pennsylvania Dutch stock. Splendid
straight militant youngsters brought
lup with the old mining conflicts still
echoing in their ears.
l remember one excited youngster
saying to me:
81 know how to- act when you are
on strike. You get pan of rocks and
nail scabs with them She had heard
her father tell of the old days. We had
ITO convince her that we didn't believe
in "naiing scabs with rocks"
l 1t is the Amalgamated spirit which
|, shouted "No!" to the employers sever
impossible demands, and backed up thii
shout with the call for million dolla
fighting fund.
You find this spirit in the crowded
halls where one shop meeting succeed
another. There is no yielding in th
faces of the men who assemble Their
today, there is no furry, there is n,
, particular excitement. The crowd solid
settled, fixed Ask anybody how tn
spirit of his shop is and he will lool
at you in surprise. He takes it as
matter of course that the Amalgamate,
spirit is strong there.
4 Monday morning is always the criti
cal time in any strike. Then if eve
: the employers are going to use ever,
cimeans to intimidate the pickets, the
, if ever they are going to bring in thei
paid strike breaners, they are going 1
see to it that the pickets are arrested
This strike has been punctuated wit
4. violence of this sort; gangsters are for
: ever prowling on the outside of tn
: crowds. There have been arrests of fift.
at time,
This Monday morning before light
big crowd gathered outside the Ney
Casino waiting for the doors to b
opened at six o'clock. Sleepy men, me-
, shivering little in the morning chill
/, A policeman hustled up.
6 "What's all this!" he said. "lIav
you got permit to open this hall s.
: early9 What are you holding a meetiu
+, for at this time of dayl0 lie had 1
} phone to the police precinct to fin
out if it was all right.
Then, after brief instructions,
stronger army than ever marcred oui
The picket lines increased steadily
ithey started to the many shops.
Il The firm of ]. Friedman never fail
to furnish excitement Monday morning
If there are any thugs they are aroun
his shop, if there are any srrests the
2 occur there. II is he who also furuishe
the comic relief.
/, Two weeks ago was the only snow o
the year. When the usual procesSio
started ont TO picket the factories
discouraging gray had taken the plae
S of dawn, slush under foot and a pens
D trating rain hat,dampened everything
It could not dampen one thing and tha
was the Amalgamated spirit,
!, I went with the pickets who went !
y patrol the clothing shops Of j. Fried
1 man. What a glorious spectacle me
{ our cyesl One would have supposed tha
Il lall rle policemen in New York ha
been called out to guard the preciou
products 81 ]. Friedman. One woul
Z ehave thought that he was that he wa
guarding diamond factory on On III
=, A Moscow report states that lara
u balances have been recovered in the v
G manner do the Allies supply relief 10