STRIKE AT GORDON'S MINE 237 



July morning that the men had struck work. 

 Gordon did not understand* the reason of it, but 

 he expressed himself as being heartily glad, for 

 financial reasons, that the men had gone out. 

 He had more than enough coal on the surface 

 and in cars to supply the demand for the next 

 three months, and it 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 arrange- 

 ment ; 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 prac- 

 tice, 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 de- 

 mand that this onerous tax be removed ; and, to 



