FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  
there's no money in it, not unless it is organized and run on a percentage basis. There are a few French Canadians, but no real Frenchmen on the road, and the Dagoes never take to it." "I wonder why?" Hamilton queried. "I purpose writing a monograph upon the subject of the nationality of the Hobo Empire," the 'Windy Duke' broke in, "and therein I shall enlarge upon my theory that the life of a tramp requires more independence and more address than any profession I know. I find that usually those who adopt this unromantic gypsy career are the men who will not drop to the level of the horde below them and who consequently take to the life of the road in protest against the usage of an ill-arranged social state. That, for example, is the condition of my two friends here." "Would you mind my asking what made you take to the road?" said Hamilton, turning to the first speaker. "Not at all," 'Hatchet Ben' replied. "It's a very usual story. I'm a steel worker by trade, an' when I was workin' I was reckoned among the best in the plant." "What did you quit it for?" asked Hamilton. "Slovaks," the man answered. "Every year or two the Pittsburg operators would get together an' pretty soon gangs of foreigners would start comin' to the West. They seemed to know where to come, an' started work the mornin' after they got there, without even seein' the boss." "But that could hardly be, I should think," said Hamilton; "that would be importing contract labor and they would be stopped at Ellis Island." "Not much fear of that," the steel worker answered "the operators keep men in Europe just trainin' the foreigners what to say. These men come over in the steerage with the immigrants, advance them, if necessary, the amount of money to enable them to land, buy their railroad tickets at this end, an' all the rest of it." "Dangerous business if they got caught at it!" "They're paid to take chances," the other replied. "Then, when these foreigners come, they know nothin' about the scale of wages in America only that the pay is so much larger than anythin' they can get in their own country, an' they live even here in so cheap a way that no matter what wages they receive they can put money aside every week. The boss doesn't see any use in payin' them at a high rate, when they work just as well for small, an' down goes the wages." "But they get a poorer grade of labor that way," objected Hamilton, "I shouldn't think that wou
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Hamilton
 

foreigners

 

replied

 

worker

 

operators

 
answered
 
immigrants
 

steerage

 
importing
 

mornin


started

 

Europe

 
Island
 

contract

 
stopped
 

trainin

 
chances
 
matter
 

receive

 

poorer


objected

 

shouldn

 

country

 

Dangerous

 

business

 

caught

 

tickets

 

railroad

 

amount

 

enable


America

 
larger
 

anythin

 

nothin

 

advance

 
workin
 

requires

 
independence
 

address

 
profession

theory
 

enlarge

 
career
 
unromantic
 

Empire

 

French

 
Canadians
 

organized

 
percentage
 

Frenchmen