would be money in his pocket to
dispose of his coal without having to pay for the labor of replacing it.

During the day the reason for the strike was announced. From the
establishment of the mine it had been the custom for the miners to have
their tools sharpened at a shop built and run by the property. This was
done for the accommodation of the men, and the charge for keeping the
tools sharp was ten cents a week for each man, or $5 a year. For twenty
years no fault had been found with the arrangement; it had been looked
upon as satisfactory, especially by the men. A walking delegate, mousing
around the mine, and finding no other cause for complaint, had lighted
upon this practice, and he told the men it was a shame that they should
have to pay ten cents a week out of their hard-earned wages for keeping
their tools sharp. He said that it was the business of the property to
keep the tools sharp, and that the men should not be called upon to pay
for that service; that they ought, in justice to themselves and for the
dignity of associated labor, to demand that this onerous tax be removed;
and, to insure its removal, he declared a strike on. This was the
reason, and the only reason, for the strike at Gordon's mine. Three
hundred men quit work, and three hundred families suffered, many of them
for the necessities of life, simply because a loud-mouthed delegate
assured them that they were being imposed upon.

Things went on quietly at the mine. There was no riot, no disturbance.
Gordon did not go over, but simply telephoned to the superintendent to
close the shaft houses, shut down the engines, put out the fires, and
let things rest, at the same time saying that he would hold the
superintendent and the bosses responsible for the safety of the plant.

The men were disappointed, as the days went by, that the owner made no
effort to induce them to resume work. They had believed that he would at
once accede to their demand, and that they would go back to work with
the tax removed. This, however, was not his plan. Weeks passed and the
men became restless. They frequented the saloons more generally, spent
their remaining money for liquor, and went into debt as much as they
were permitted for more liquor. They became noisy and quarrelsome. The
few men who were opposed to the strike could make no headway against
public opinion. These men held aloof from the saloons, husbanded their
money, and confined themselves as much as possible