Construction industry -- Fiction; Labor unions -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Strikes and lockouts -- Fiction
"I guess I'll pull out," he said, standing up. "Champagne ain't never
been the same to me since me an' Morgan went off in his yacht, an' the
water give out, an' we had to wash our shirts in it." He looked through
the door into the bar-room. "Say, Barney, if these roughnecks want
anything more, just put it down to me." He turned back to the men.
"So-long, boys," he said, with a wave of his hand, and went out through
the bar-room.
"The man that beats Buck Foley's got to beat five aces," declared Jake
admiringly.
"Yes," agreed Connelly. "An' he don't keep a strangle holt on his money,
neither."
Which two sentiments were variously expressed again and again before the
bottoms of the bottles were reached.
If Foley was slow in getting started, he was not slow to act now that he
was started. During the following two weeks any contractor that so
wished could have worked non-union men on his jobs for all the trouble
Foley would have given him. Buck had more important affairs than the
union's affairs.
Foley's method of electioneering was even more simple than Tom's. He saw
the foreman on every important job in the city. To such as were his
friends he said:
"Any o' that Keating nonsense bein' talked on this job?" If there was
not: "Well, it's up to youse to see that things stay that way." If there
was: "Shut it up. If any o' the men talk too loud, fire 'em. If youse
ain't got that authority, find somethin' wrong with their work an' get
'em fired. It's your business to see that not a man on your job votes
again' me!"
To such few as he did not count among his friends he said:
"Youse know enough to know I'm goin' to win. Youse know what's the wise
thing for youse to do, all right. I like my friends, an' I don't like
the men that fight me. I ain't likely to go much out o' my way to help
Keating an' his push. I think that's enough, ain't it?"
It was--especially since it was said with a cold look straight into the
other's eyes. An hour's speech could not have been more effective.
Foley made it his practice to see as many of the doubtful workmen as
possible during their lunch hour. He had neither hope nor desire that
they should come out and vote for him. His wish was merely that they
should not come out and vote for Tom. To them his speech was mainly
obvious threats. And he called upon the rank and file of his followers
to help him in this detail of his campaign. "Just tell 'em youse think
they won't enjoy the meetin' very much," was his instruction, given with
a grim smile; and this opinion, with effective elaboration, his
followers faithfully delivered.
When Foley dropped into his office on the Tuesday night before election
he found Jake, Connelly and the other members of his cabinet anxiously
awaiting him. Connelly thrust a copy of Tom's letter into his hands.
"Now wha' d'you think o' that?" he demanded. "Blamed nigh every man in
the union got one to-night."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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