The members of the unions came to the massmeeting reading the story of the
tragedy as the Sun colored the affair. They stayed sullenly to listen to
red-hot speeches against the leader of the trust, and gradually the wrath
which was simmering in them began to boil. Ridgway, always with a keen
sense of the psychological moment, descended the court-house steps just as
this fury was at its height. There were instant cries for a speech from him
so persistent that he yielded, though apparently with reluctance. His fine
presence and strong deep voice soon gave him the ears of all that dense
throng. He was far out of the ordinary as a public speaker, and within a
few minutes he had his audience with him. He deprecated any violence; spoke
strongly for letting the law take its course; and dropped a suggestion that
they send a committee to the State-house to urge that Harley's candidate be
defeated for the senatorship.
Like wild-fire this hint spread. Here was something tangible they could do
that was still within the law. Harley had set his mind on electing Warner.
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