They had come out for an increase in wages, and whilst it was
recognized that they had been beaten and forced to go back to work
suffering wholesale reductions, yet a newer perspective was beginning to
appear to the miners of Scotland.
"We'll never be able to beat the maisters," said Tam Donaldson, when the
cloud first appeared upon the industrial horizon. "The English strike
gied us a lesson we shouldna forget."
"How's that?" enquired Peter Pegg, as he sat down on his hunkers one
night at the end of the row, while they discussed the prospects of the
coming fight.
"Weel, ye saw how the Englishmen fought unitedly, an' yet they were
beaten, an' had to gang back on a reduction. We'll very likely be the
same, for the maisters are a' weel organized. What we should do is to
ha'e England an' Scotland coming out together, an' let the pits stan'
then till the grass was growin' owre the whorles. That would be my way
o' it, and I think it would soon bring the country to see what was in
the wind."
"That's richt, Tam. It would soon bring the hale country to its senses;
for nae matter what oor fight is, we are aye in the wrang wi' some folk;
so the shock o' the hale country comin' out would mak' them tak' notice,
an' would work the cure.
Pages:
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159