In the afternoon a meeting was held in the Board of Trade Building, but it was given over chiefly to vituperation and threatening directed toward their variously described employees.

With one heart and voice all affirmed with solemn, and in many cases with profane oaths that they would not yield a jot to the insolent demands of this newly organised body.
"I have already sent my answer," shouted Mr.McGinnis.
"What did you say, Mac ?" "Told 'em to go to hell, and told 'em that if any of these highly coloured committee men came on my premises, I would kick 'em into the middle of next week." Jack, who was present at the meeting, sat listening with silent and amused pity.

They seemed to him so like a group of angry children whose game had suddenly been interfered with and whose rage rendered them incapable of coherent thought.
Grant Maitland, who, throughout the meeting had sat silent, finally rose and said: "Gentlemen, the mere expression of feeling may afford a sort of satisfaction but the question is, What is to be done?
That the situation is grave for all of us we know too well.

Not many of us are in a position to be indifferent to a strike.

Let us get down to business.
What shall we do ?" "Fight them to a finish! Smash the unions!" were the suggestions in various forms and with various descriptive adjectives.
"It may come to a fight, gentlemen, but however gratifying a fight may be to our feelings, a fight may be disastrous to our business.