Read Online The Coal War by Upton Sinclair - Free Book Online

were sending in scores of “spotters”, and bribing and buying right and left. Only a short time before this, one of the prominent men in Harmon’s office—he would prefer not to say who—had been invited to a conference with a well-known politician, and found himself in an automobile with no less a person than the great Schultz himself. The detective had something to propose; he was diplomatic and cautious—but properly led on, he disclosed the fact that he desired to pay the union official a hundred and fifty dollars a month for selling out his organization. And when the official showed reluctance to close with the offer, the other intimated that if necessary the sum might be increased.

[17]
    In other places than union headquarters there were signs that Peter Harrigan and his associates were preparing for trouble. There was, for example, their effort to cripple the Western City “Gazette”, which, with its thirty thousand working-class readers, made it impossible for coal-camp rebellions to be suppressed in secret. The other papers of the city were already combined against the “Gazette” to the extent of black-listing dealers who sold it; the paper had to be delivered by carrier, or sold by enterprising boys. And now suddenly came a mysterious eruption of rowdies, who attacked these carriers and boys, beating them and scattering their papers in the mud. For some reason the police were blind to this eruption, and powerless to find the rowdies when called upon. Likewise the other newspapers maintained dead silence.
    This occurred just before Hal’s commencement. Happening to be in the city he went to see his friend Billy Keating, and heard the details. “For heaven’s sake,” he cried, “why don’t you get some rowdies of your own?”
    Billy answered, with a laugh, “We did, but the police saw them!”
    â€œAnd what are you doing now?”
    â€œWe’re printing the news. When you’re printing the news, the people will get your paper, even if they have to walk to the office for it.”
    To one who had been down in the coal-country, and realized how vital to the miners’ cause was the little publicity the “Gazette” could give, this situation was intolerable. Hal got hold of Lipinsky and two other members of the “Social Study Club”, who constituted themselves a committee to get legal evidence for the “Gazette”. Needless to say, the “Gazette” did not fail to “play up” this support of its cause by “prominent young collegians”. And so Hal got himself into the hottest tub of hot water yet!
    In this far western country men were still close to the frontier days; when they fought, they fought fiercely, and were not squeamish about the weapons they used. In Western City the “interests” maintained an underground scandal-sheet for the purpose of intimidating those who might threaten them; “Simple Simon” was the name of the mysterious organ, and all “society” somehow got hold of it, and rejoiced when it enabled them to believe the worst about those who attacked their privileges. In the issue of this paper following the raids upon the “Gazette”, there appeared a paragraph to the effect that a certain youth of too much wealth had become active as a labor agitator; his family, who were distressed about his behavior, might possibly find the source of his extreme ideas if they would inquire as to the visits he paid to a mining-camp damsel in the home of a sprightly member of the “smart set”, soon to be a grass-widow, if reports were to be believed.
    Hal went wild, and set out forthwith on a hunt for the editor of “Simple Simon”. But the editor was not an easy person to find—he had many people hunting him, week by week! Having failed to discover anyone more to the point than an office-boy and a janitor, Hal went to interview his