When I returned to town I sent this “ad.” to two papers:  “Wanted:  Ten good carpenters to go to the country.”  The Sunday papers gave a lurid account of the sentiment of the Carpenters’ Union and its sympathetic attitude toward the striking hoisters.  The forecast was that there would not be a nail driven if the strike were not settled by Tuesday night.  It seemed that I had not moved a day too soon.  On Monday thirty-seven carpenters applied at my office.  Most of them had union tickets and were not considered.  Thirteen, however, were not of the union, and they were investigated.  I hired seven on these conditions:  wages to begin the next day, Tuesday, and to continue through the week, work or no work.  If the strike was ordered, I would take the men to the country and give them steady work until my jobs were finished.  They agreed to these conditions, and were requested to report at my office on Wednesday morning to receive two days’ pay, and perhaps to be set to work.

I did not go to the farm until Tuesday afternoon.  There was no change in the strike, and no reason to expect one.  The noon papers said that the Carpenters’ Union would declare a sympathetic strike to be on from Wednesday noon.

On reaching Four Oaks I called Nelson aside and told him how the land lay and what I had done.

“I want you to call the men together,” said I, “and let me talk to them.  I must know just how we stand and how they feel.”

Nelson called the men, and I read the reports from two papers on the impending strike order.

“Now, men,” said I, “we must look this matter in the face in a businesslike fashion.  You have done good work here; your boss is satisfied, and so am I. It would suit us down to the ground if you would continue on until all these jobs are finished.  We can give you a lot of work for the best part of the year.  You are sure of work and sure of pay if you stay with us.  That is all I have to say until you have decided for yourselves what you will do if the strike is ordered.”

I left the men for a short time, while they talked things over.  It did not take them long to decide.

“We must stand by the union,” said the spokesman, “but we’ll be damned sorry to quit this job.  You see, sir, we can’t do any other way.  We have to be in the union to get work, and we have to do as the union says or we will be kicked out.  It is hard, sir, not to do a hit of a hammer for weeks or months with a family on one’s hands and winter coming; but what can a man do?  We don’t see our way clear in this matter, but we must do as the union says.”

“I see how you are fixed,” said I, “and I am mighty sorry for you.  I am not going to rail against unions, for they may have done some good; but they work a serious wrong to the man with a family, for he cannot follow them without bringing hardships upon his dependent ones.  It is not fair to yoke him up with a single man who has no natural claims to satisfy, no mouth to feed except his own; but I will talk business.