fternoon before the police heard of
it, and came and cut the ropes, and so relieved the imprisoned inmates.

This happened for a morning or two, and then the practice stopped, for
the police watched the doors throughout the whole night. This
preoccupation of the police was taken advantage of to raid again old
Hairyfithill's potato field, and also to pay a visit to the bing for
coal, and a very profitable time was thus spent by the strikers, even
though the blacklegs were at their work in a few days.

What was happening in Lowwood was typical of almost all other mining
villages throughout the country. Everywhere high spirits and
cheerfulness prevailed among the men. As for the leaders, the situation
proved too big for some of them to cope with it, the responsibility was
too great; and so they failed at the critical moment. The demand of an
increase of a shilling a day, for which the men had struck, had been
conceded by some of the owners, whilst others had offered sixpence. Some
of the leaders were in favor of accepting these concessions, and
allowing the men at the collieries concerned to resume work, and so be
able to contribute considerably to help keep out those whose demands had
not been met. Others of the leaders refused to agree to this, and
insisted that as all had struck together, they should fight together to
the end, until the increase was conceded to all. This difference of
opinion was readily perceived and welcomed by the coalmasters, and
stiffened their resolution, for they saw that disagreement and divisions
would soon weaken the morale of the men, and such proved to be the case.

No one can imagine what Smillie suffered at this time, as he saw his
splendid effort going to pieces; but being a big man, he knew that it
was impossible to turn back. His plans might for the moment miscarry;
but that was merely a necessary, yet passing, phase in the great
evolution of Industrialism, and his ideals must yet triumph.

As the result of the differences among the leaders, the strike
collapsed at the end of seventeen weeks. The men were forced to return
to work on the old terms. In some cases a reduction was imposed, making
their condition worse than at the start. The masters sought to drive
home their victory in order to break the union. In many parts of the
country they succeeded, while in others the spirit of the men resisted
it. Generally it ended in compromise; but, so far as the Union was
concerned, it was a