The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-05-25

all round or they would not work
a strike was on.
Deliver an UItimatum
Shine-in-the-Sun set forth their
grievances in a most eloquent and
earnest manner. The work, he said,
was very hard and the pay small
Work on the roof was very danger
GUS, since in getting their feet muddy
they might slip off the roof. The bod
carriers might slip off the ladder and
be killed (the climb being 10 feet)
They asserted further that they were
expert workmen, deserving of the in
creased pay they demanded.
I was very much interested and
somewhat amused at the earnest
manner and odd appearance of the
strikers. Most of them were dressed
In short calico shirts and breech-
clouts, bare-footed and bare-legged,
the better to enable them to mix the
mortar.
told them that while their work
was satisfactory for Indians, that
six white men could do all of it. The
Blood Indians had often asked for
work. and that would hire them.
One of the Indians, Laughing Dog,
replied that the Blood Indians had
gone north three days before, and
that there were no white men in the
country to take their places. This
was all true, too.
I then informed them that I would
allow them the advance in wages
which they asked for that day IL they
would go to work, which they did at
once.
Women Strike Also
The women workers were much
interested in the outcome of the
strike, and was waited on by two
of the older women, one of whom,
Two Stars, demanding 81 per day for
the ladies on the job. They asserted
that the work was very hard and
that they cut their hands on the
rough logs.
I told them that there were too
many women wanting work, but that
if they would select IL women from
their number who could do the work
the men were doing, I would pay
them $1.25 per day, beginning with
the next morning. / enjoined them
to be on hand early, before the men
came.
In the morning the IL women
were on hand long before the men,
and they started work promptly.
Pretty soon Shine-in-the-Sun and
Dog came to me, COM
planning that the women had taken
possession of the mortar holes and
refused to give them up unless /
told them to do so. I replied that /
had hired the women to take their
places.
"The women cannot do the work
as we'll as we can," said Shine-in-the-
Sun. TELL them to get out of the
mortar holes.''
I declined to do so, and later the
boss of the women, Dfving-to-the-
Shore, came to me complaining that
the young men were throwing hard
mud balls at them. I then hired two
guards, Running Eagle and Crow
Face, to protect the women, which
they did.
That evening the ousted men
workers came and offered to go to
work at the same wages I had paid
ShOLh pClOIC. iiudiiy d6i ecu ~ 49,
hem do so. The next morning the
strikers and the strike-breaking wom-
IN were working together harmon
ously, and the job was soon finished.
That ended the first strike / ever
heard of In Montana.
Years later I met Shine-in-the-Sun
with a band of Piegans, and he re-
nembered me as soon as he saw me.
He told me of the poverty, which had
oefallen his people. After time
heard that he was dead. With the
passing of the buffalo had gone my
friend, the strike leader, an Indian OF
much native ability. J.