ten o'clock
Ever so often in the life of every nation came these periodic outbursts of discontent , economic in their origin , and ran their course like diseases , contagious , violent and deadly . The commune always followed long and costly wars . The people would dance , but they revolted at paying the piper . The plan in Seattle had been well enough conceived ; the city light plant was to have been taken over during the early evening of February 6 , and at ten o'clock that night the city was to have gone dark . But the reign of terrorization that was to follow had revolted Jim Osborne , one of their leaders , and from his hotel bedroom he had notified the authorities . Word had gone out to `` get '' Osborne . If it had not been for Osborne , and the conservative element behind him , a flame would have been kindled at Seattle that would have burnt across the nation .