Talk of tommy, that was hard fare, but we were
holding out for our rights, and that's sauce for any gander.
And I'll tell you what, sir, that I never knew the people play
yet, but if a word had passed atween them and the main-masters
aforehand, it might not have been settled; but you can't get
at them any way. Atween the poor man and the gentleman there
never was no connection, and that's the wital mischief of this
country.
"It's a very true word, Master Nixon, and by this token that
when we went to play in --28, and the masters said they would
meet us; what did they do but walk about the ground and speak
to the butties. The butties has their ear."
"We never want no soldiers here if the masters would speak
with the men; but the sight of a pitman is pison to a
gentleman, and if we go up to speak with 'em, they always run
away."
"It's the butties," said Nixon; "they're wusser nor tommy."
"The people will never have their rights," said the stranger,
"until they learn their power. Suppose instead of sticking
out and playing, fifty of your families were to live under one
roof. You would live better than you live now; you would feed
more fully, and he lodged and clothed more comfortably, and
you might save half the amount of your wages; you would become
capitalists; you might yourselves hire your mines and pits
from the owners, and pay them a better rent than they now
obtain, and yet yourselves gain more and work less.
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