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Updated: May 20, 2025
Carmichael, the deputy state mine-inspector, to urge him to take some action; and the leader of these protestants, Huszar, the Austrian, who had been one of Hal's check-weighman group, had been taken into custody and marched at double-quick to the gate of the stockade!
They'll no longer be slaves, and what they make won't be wasted by idlers. And take it from one who knows, Mary for a workingman or woman not to have that faith, is to have lost the reason for living." Hal decided that it would be safe to trust this man, and told him of his check-weighman plan. "We only want your advice," he explained, remembering Mary's warning. "Your sick wife "
During this long period of waiting, Hal had talks with members of his check-weighman group. They told what had happened while he was in jail, and this reminded him of something which had been driven from his mind by the explosion. Poor old John Edstrom was down in Pedro, perhaps in dire need. Hal went to the old Swede's cabin that night, climbed through a window, and dug up the buried money.
The tipple-boss was a man with a big black moustache, which made him look like the pictures of Nietzsche. He stared at Hal, frankly dumbfounded. "What the devil?" said he. "Some of the men have chosen me check-weighman," explained Hal, in a business-like manner. "When their cars come up, I'll see to their weights." "You keep off this tipple, young fellow!" said Peters.
Hal had told Tom Olson that he would not pledge himself to organise a union, but that he would pledge himself to get a check-weighman; and Olson had laughed, and seemed quite content apparently assuming that it would come to the same thing. And now, it rather seemed that Olson had known what he was talking about.
It sounded reasonable, Hal had to admit; but he thought of the stories he had heard about "walking delegates," all the dreadful consequences of "union domination." He had not meant to go in for unionism! Olson was continuing. "We've had laws passed, a whole raft of laws about coal-mining the eight-hour law, the anti-scrip law, the company-store law, the mine-sprinkling law, the check-weighman law.
You know about that check-weighman business!" exclaimed the reporter. "I got a hint of it that's how I happened to be down here to-day. I heard there was a man named Edstrom, who'd been shut out for making trouble; and I thought if I could find him, I might get a lead." Hal and MacKellar looked at the old Swede, and the three of them began to laugh. "Here's your man!" said MacKellar.
He had merely tried to be a check-weighman, nothing more! He had told Tom Olson he would not go in for unionism; he had had a distrust of union organisers, of agitators of all sorts blind, irresponsible persons who went about stirring up dangerous passions. He had come to admire Tom Olson but that had only partly removed his prejudices; Olson was only one agitator, not the whole lot of them!
Under the state law, the miner had a right to demand a check-weighman to protect his interest at the scales, paying this check-weighman's wages out of his own earnings.
His manner was equally business-like. So the would-be check-weighman came out and sat on the steps to wait. The tipple was a fairly public place, and he judged he was as safe there as anywhere. Some of the men grinned and winked at him as they went about their work; several found a chance to whisper words of encouragement.
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