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5

number of men has been coming and going from the Hotel all day. Connors came back to day, he will go to St. Louis tomorrow with Hoyr, Murphy, Thomas & Lacy. They had a larger meeting in Thomas' room about 4pm. to discuss what had better be done, they seem to think that the Company will make another proposition to them in a short time, one that they can accept without being defeated. as one of them said the company had to do something soon or they won't have an Engineer that will be fit for anything, and said there was not hardly an engine on the road that was not all burnt up or had been "soda'ed", and if they just kept up a bold front they would win the hardest strike that was ever inaugurated and one that would settle the companies from going into or forcing another. Thomas then spoke up and said what they wanted to do was to set? down on Arthur and his way of carrying on a strike, they wanted someone at the head that would have nerve because a strike like this was not won by "flowery" talk the same as Arthur had tried to force down them and if they could form an association that would bring all under one head then they could win at any time, and that there had been too much back ?.