The Press unanimously supported him,
for it was felt the strike had its origin in foreign influence, and as
French Canada had no love for the United States there was journalistic
opposition to the strike. Carnac had telegraphed to his father when the
strike started, but did not urge him to come back. He knew that Grier
could do nothing more than he himself was doing, and he dreaded new
influence over the strikers. Grier happened to be in the backwoods and
did not get word for nearly a week; then he wired asking Carnac what the
present situation was. Carnac replied he was standing firm, that he would
not yield a cent increase in wages, and that, so far, all was quiet.
It happened, however, that on the day he wired, the strikers tried to
prevent the non-strikers from going to work and there was a collision.
The police and a local company of volunteers intervened and then the
Press condemned unsparingly the whole affair. This outbreak did good, and
Luc Baste was arrested for provoking disorder. No one else was arrested,
and this was a good thing, for, on the whole, even the men that followed
Luc did not trust him. His arrest cleared the air and the strike broke.
The next day, all the strikers returned, but Carnac refused their wages
for the time they were on strike, and he had triumphed.
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