n a cold afternoon, when everything was grey and it
threatened to snow, the papers announced that the men had been called
out on all the lines. Being so utterly idle, and his mind filled with
the numerous predictions which had been made concerning the scarcity
of labour this winter and the panicky state of the financial market,
Hurstwood read this with interest. He noted the claims of the striking
motormen and conductors, who said that they had been wont to receive two
dollars a day in times past, but that for a year or more "trippers" had
been introduced, which cut down their chance of livelihood one-half,
and increased their hours of servitude from ten to twelve, and even
fourteen. These "trippers" were men put on during the busy and rush
hours, to take a car out for one trip. The compensation paid for such a
trip was only twenty-five cents. When the rush or busy hours were over,
they were laid off. Worst of all, no man might know when he was going to
get a car. He must come to the barns in the morning and wait around in
fair and foul weather until such time as he was needed. Two trips were
an average reward for so much waiting--a little over three hours' work
for fifty cents. The work of waiting was not counted.

The men complained that this system was extending, and that the time
was not far off when but a few out of 7,000 employees would have
regular two-dollar-a-day work at all. They demanded that the system
be abolished, and that ten hours be considered a day's work, barring
unavoidable delays, with $2.25 pay. They demanded immediate acceptance
of these terms, which the various trolley companies refused.

Hurstwood at first sympathised with the demands of these men--indeed, it
is a question whether he did not always sympathise with them to the
end, belie him as his actions might. Reading nearly all the news, he was
attracted first by the scare-heads with which the trouble was noted
in the "World." He read it fully--the names of the seven companies
involved, the number of men.

"They're foolish to strike in this sort of weather," he thought to
himself. "Let 'em win if they can, though."

The next day there was even a larger notice of it. "Brooklynites Walk,"
said the "World." "Knights of Labour Tie up the Trolley Lines Across the
Bridge." "About Seven Thousand Men Out."

Hurstwood read this, formulating to himself his own idea of what would
be the outcome. He was a great believer in the strength of corporation