\'Gentlemen,IhavemerelysketchedthepowerofoneofthesevengroupsthatconstitutethebrainofthePlutocracy。*Yourtwenty—fourbillionsofwealthdoesnotgiveyoutwenty—fivecents\'
worthofgovernmentalpower。Itisanemptyshell,andsooneventheemptyshellwillbetakenawayfromyou。ThePlutocracyhasallpowerinitshandsto—day。Itto—daymakesthelaws,foritownstheSenate,Congress,thecourts,andthestatelegislatures。Andnotonlythat。Behindlawmustbeforcetoexecutethelaw。To—daythePlutocracymakesthelaw,andtoenforcethelawithasatitsbeckandcallthe,police,thearmy,thenavy,and,lastly,themilitia,whichisyou,andme,andallofus。\'
*Rockefellerbeganasamemberoftheproletariat,andthroughthriftandcunningsucceededindevelopingthefirstperfecttrust,namelythatknownasStandardOil。Wecannotforbeargivingthefollowingremarkablepagefromthehistoryofthetimes,toshowhowtheneedforreinvestmentoftheStandardOilsurpluscrushedoutsmallcapitalistsandhastenedthebreakdownofthecapitalistsystem。
DavidGrahamPhillipswasaradicalwriteroftheperiod,andthequotation,byhim,istakenfromacopyoftheSaturdayEveningPost,datedOctober4,1902A。D。Thisistheonlycopyofthispublicationthathascomedowntous,andyet,fromitsappearanceandcontent,wecannotbutconcludethatitwasoneofthepopularperiodicalswithalargecirculation。Thequotationherefollows:
\'AbouttenyearsagoRockefeller\'sincomewasgivenasthirtymillionsbyanexcellentauthority。Hehadreachedthelimitofprofitableinvestmentofprofitsintheoilindustry。Here,then,weretheseenormoussumsincashpouringin—morethan$2,000,000amonthforJohnDavisonRockefelleralone。Theproblemofreinvestmentbecamemoreserious。Itbecameanightmare。Theoilincomewasswelling,swelling,andthenumberofsoundinvestmentslimited,evenmorelimitedthanitisnow。ItwasthroughnospecialeagernessformoregainsthattheRockefellersbegantobranchoutfromoilintootherthings。Theywereforced,sweptonbythisinrollingtideofwealthwhichtheirmonopolymagnetirresistiblyattracted。Theydevelopedastaffofinvestmentseekersandinvestigators。Itissaidthatthechiefofthisstaffhasasalaryof$125,000ayear。
\'ThefirstconspicuousexcursionandincursionoftheRockefellerswasintotherailwayfield。By1895theycontrolledone—fifthoftherailwaymileageofthecountry。Whatdotheyownor,throughdominantownership,controlto—day？TheyarepowerfulinallthegreatrailwaysofNewYork,north,east,andwest,exceptone,wheretheirshareisonlyafewmillions。TheyareinmostofthegreatrailwaysradiatingfromChicago。TheydominateinseveralofthesystemsthatextendtothePacific。ItistheirvotesthatmakeMr。Morgansopotent,though,itmaybeadded,theyneedhisbrainsmorethanheneedstheirvotes—atpresent,andthecombinationofthetwoconstitutesinlargemeasurethe\"communityofinterest。\"
\'Butrailwayscouldnotaloneabsorbrapidlyenoughthosemightyfloodsofgold。PresentlyJohnD。Rockefeller\'s$2,500,000amonthhadincreasedtofour,tofive,tosixmillionsamonth,to$75,000,000
ayear。Illuminatingoilwasbecomingallprofit。Thereinvestmentsofincomewereaddingtheirmiteofmanyannualmillions。
\'TheRockefellerswentintogasandelectricitywhenthoseindustrieshaddevelopedtothesafeinvestmentstage。AndnowalargepartoftheAmericanpeoplemustbegintoenrichtheRockefellersassoonasthesungoesdown,nomatterwhatformofilluminanttheyuse。
Theywentintofarmmortgages。Itissaidthatwhenprosperityafewyearsagoenabledthefarmerstoridthemselvesoftheirmortgages,JohnD。Rockefellerwasmovedalmosttotears;eightmillionswhichhehadthoughttakencareofforyearstocomeatagoodinterestweresuddenlydumpeduponhisdoorstepandtheresetupa—squawkingforanewhome。Thisunexpectedadditiontohisworrimentsinfindingplacesfortheprogenyofhispetroleumandtheirprogenyandtheirprogeny\'sprogenywastoomuchfortheequanimityofamanwithoutadigestion……
\'TheRockefellerswentintomines—ironandcoalandcopperandlead;intootherindustrialcompanies;intostreetrailways,intonational,state,andmunicipalbonds;intosteamshipsandsteamboatsandtelegraphy;intorealestate,intoskyscrapersandresidencesandhotelsandbusinessblocks;intolifeinsurance,intobanking。
Therewassoonliterallynofieldofindustrywheretheirmillionswerenotatwork……
\'TheRockefellerbank—theNationalCityBank—isbyitselffarandawaythebiggestbankintheUnitedStates。ItisexceededintheworldonlybytheBankofEnglandandtheBankofFrance。Thedepositsaveragemorethanonehundredmillionsaday;anditdominatesthecallloanmarketonWallStreetandthestockmarket。
Butitisnotalone;itistheheadoftheRockefellerchainofbanks,whichincludesfourteenbanksandtrustcompaniesinNewYorkCity,andbanksofgreatstrengthandinfluenceineverylargemoneycenterinthecountry。
\'JohnD。RockefellerownsStandardOilstockworthbetweenfourandfivehundredmillionsatthemarketquotations。Hehasahundredmillionsinthesteeltrust,almostasmuchinasinglewesternrailwaysystem,halfasmuchinasecond,andsoonandonandonuntilthemindweariesofthecataloguing。Hisincomelastyearwasabout$100,000,000—itisdoubtfuliftheincomesofalltheRothschildstogethermakeagreatersum。Anditisgoingupbyleapsandbounds。\'
Littlediscussiontookplaceafterthis,andthedinnersoonbrokeup。Allwerequietandsubdued,andleave—takingwasdonewithlowvoices。Itseemedalmostthattheywerescaredbythevisionofthetimestheyhadseen。
\'Thesituationis,indeed,serious,\'Mr。CalvinsaidtoErnest。\'I
havelittlequarrelwiththewayyouhavedepictedit。OnlyIdisagreewithyouaboutthedoomofthemiddleclass。Weshallsurvive,andweshalloverthrowthetrusts。\'
\'Andreturntothewaysofyourfathers,\'Ernestfinishedforhim。
\'Evenso,\'Mr。Calvinansweredgravely。\'Iknowit\'sasortofmachine—breaking,andthatitisabsurd。Butthenlifeseemsabsurdto—day,whatofthemachinationsofthePlutocracy。Andatanyrate,oursortofmachine—breakingisatleastpracticalandpossible,whichyourdreamisnot。Yoursocialisticdreamis……well,adream。Wecannotfollowyou。\'
\'Ionlywishyoufellowsknewalittlesomethingaboutevolutionandsociology,\'Ernestsaidwistfully,astheyshookhands。\'Wewouldbesavedsomuchtroubleifyoudid。\'
CHAPTERTEN。
TheVortex。
FOLLOWINGLIKETHUNDERclapsupontheBusinessMen\'sdinner,occurredeventaftereventofterrifyingmoment;andI,littleI,whohadlivedsoplacidlyallmydaysinthequietuniversitytown,foundmyselfandmypersonalaffairsdrawnintothevortexofthegreatworld—affairs。WhetheritwasmyloveforErnest,ortheclearsighthehadgivenmeofthesocietyinwhichIlived,thatmademearevolutionist,Iknownot;butarevolutionistIbecame,andIwasplungedintoawhirlofhappeningsthatwouldhavebeeninconceivablethreeshortmonthsbefore。
Thecrisisinmyownfortunescamesimultaneouslywithgreatcrisesinsociety。Firstofall,fatherwasdischargedfromtheuniversity。Oh,hewasnottechnicallydischarged。Hisresignationwasdemanded,thatwasall。This,initself,didnotamounttomuch。
Father,infact,wasdelighted。Hewasespeciallydelightedbecausehisdischargehadbeenprecipitatedbythepublicationofhisbook,\'EconomicsandEducation。\'Itclinchedhisargument,hecontended。
Whatbetterevidencecouldbeadvancedtoprovethateducationwasdominatedbythecapitalistclass？
Butthisproofnevergotanywhere。Nobodyknewhehadbeenforcedtoresignfromtheuniversity。Hewassoeminentascientistthatsuchanannouncement,coupledwiththereasonforhisenforcedresignation,wouldhavecreatedsomewhatofafurorallovertheworld。Thenewspapersshoweredhimwithpraiseandhonor,andcommendedhimforhavinggivenupthedrudgeryofthelectureroominordertodevotehiswholetimetoscientificresearch。
Atfirstfatherlaughed。Thenhebecameangry—tonicangry。Thencamethesuppressionofhisbook。Thissuppressionwasperformedsecretly,sosecretlythatatfirstwecouldnotcomprehend。Thepublicationofthebookhadimmediatelycausedabitofexcitementinthecountry。Fatherhadbeenpolitelyabusedinthecapitalistpress,thetoneoftheabusebeingtotheeffectthatitwasapitysogreatascientistshouldleavehisfieldandinvadetherealmofsociology,aboutwhichheknewnothingandwhereinhehadpromptlybecomelost。Thislastedforaweek,whilefatherchuckledandsaidthebookhadtouchedasorespotoncapitalism。Andthen,abruptly,thenewspapersandthecriticalmagazinesceasedsayinganythingaboutthebookatall。Also,andwithequalsuddenness,thebookdisappearedfromthemarket。Notacopywasobtainablefromanybookseller。Fatherwrotetothepublishersandwasinformedthattheplateshadbeenaccidentallyinjured。Anunsatisfactorycorrespondencefollowed。
Drivenfinallytoanunequivocalstand,thepublishersstatedthattheycouldnotseetheirwaytoputtingthebookintotypeagain,butthattheywerewillingtorelinquishtheirrightsinit。
\'Andyouwon\'tfindanotherpublishinghouseinthecountrytotouchit,\'Ernestsaid。\'AndifIwereyou,I\'dhuntcoverrightnow。You\'vemerelygotaforetasteoftheIronHeel。\'
Butfatherwasnothingifnotascientist。Heneverbelievedinjumpingtoconclusions。Alaboratoryexperimentwasnoexperimentifitwerenotcarriedthroughinallitsdetails。Sohepatientlywenttheroundofthepublishinghouses。Theygaveamultitudeofexcuses,butnotonehousewouldconsiderthebook。
Whenfatherbecameconvincedthatthebookhadactuallybeensuppressed,hetriedtogetthefactintothenewspapers;buthiscommunicationswereignored。Atapoliticalmeetingofthesocialists,wheremanyreporterswerepresent,fathersawhischance。Hearoseandrelatedthehistoryofthesuppressionofthebook。Helaughednextdaywhenhereadthenewspapers,andthenhegrewangrytoadegreethateliminatedalltonicqualities。Thepapersmadenomentionofthebook,buttheymisreportedhimbeautifully。Theytwistedhiswordsandphrasesawayfromthecontext,andturnedhissubduedandcontrolledremarksintoahowlinganarchisticspeech。Itwasdoneartfully。Oneinstance,inparticular,Iremember。Hehadusedthephrase\'socialrevolution。\'Thereportermerelydroppedout\'social。\'ThiswassentoutalloverthecountryinanAssociatedPressdespatch,andfromalloverthecountryaroseacryofalarm。Fatherwasbrandedasanihilistandananarchist,andinonecartoonthatwascopiedwidelyhewasportrayedwavingaredflagattheheadofamoboflong—haired,wild—eyedmenwhoboreintheirhandstorches,knives,anddynamitebombs。
Hewasassailedterriblyinthepress,inlongandabusiveeditorials,forhisanarchy,andhintsweremadeofmentalbreakdownonhispart。Thisbehavior,onthepartofthecapitalistpress,wasnothingnew,Ernesttoldus。Itwasthecustom,hesaid,tosendreporterstoallthesocialistmeetingsfortheexpresspurposeofmisreportinganddistortingwhatwassaid,inordertofrightenthemiddleclassawayfromanypossibleaffiliationwiththeproletariat。AndrepeatedlyErnestwarnedfathertoceasefightingandtotaketocover。
Thesocialistpressofthecountrytookupthefight,however,andthroughoutthereadingportionoftheworkingclassitwasknownthatthebookhadbeensuppressed。Butthisknowledgestoppedwiththeworkingclass。Next,the\'AppealtoReason,\'abigsocialistpublishinghouse,arrangedwithfathertobringoutthebook。Fatherwasjubilant,butErnestwasalarmed。
\'Itellyouweareonthevergeoftheunknown,\'heinsisted。\'Bigthingsarehappeningsecretlyallaroundus。Wecanfeelthem。Wedonotknowwhattheyare,buttheyarethere。Thewholefabricofsocietyisa—tremblewiththem。Don\'taskme。Idon\'tknowmyself。Butoutofthisfluxofsocietysomethingisabouttocrystallize。Itiscrystallizingnow。Thesuppressionofthebookisaprecipitation。Howmanybookshavebeensuppressed？Wehaven\'ttheleastidea。Weareinthedark。Wehavenowayoflearning。Watchoutnextforthesuppressionofthesocialistpressandsocialistpublishinghouses。
I\'mafraidit\'scoming。Wearegoingtobethrottled。\'
Ernesthadhishandonthepulseofeventsevenmorecloselythantherestofthesocialists,andwithintwodaysthefirstblowwasstruck。TheAppealtoReasonwasaweekly,anditsregularcirculationamongsttheproletariatwassevenhundredandfiftythousand。Also,itveryfrequentlygotoutspecialeditionsoffromtwotofivemillions。
ThesegreateditionswerepaidforanddistributedbythesmallarmyofvoluntaryworkerswhohadmarshalledaroundtheAppeal。Thefirstblowwasaimedatthesespecialeditions,anditwasacrushingone。
ByanarbitraryrulingofthePostOffice,theseeditionsweredecidedtobenottheregularcirculationofthepaper,andforthatreasonweredeniedadmissiontothemails。
AweeklaterthePostOfficeDepartmentruledthatthepaperwasseditious,andbarreditentirelyfromthemails。Thiswasafearfulblowtothesocialistpropaganda。TheAppealwasdesperate。Itdevisedaplanofreachingitssubscribersthroughtheexpresscompanies,buttheydeclinedtohandleit。ThiswastheendoftheAppeal。Butnotquite。Itpreparedtogoonwithitsbookpublishing。Twentythousandcopiesoffather\'sbookwereinthebindery,andthepresseswereturningoffmore。Andthen,withoutwarning,amobaroseonenight,and,underawavingAmericanflag,singingpatrioticsongs,setfiretothegreatplantoftheAppealandtotallydestroyedit。
NowGirard,Kansas,wasaquiet,peaceabletown。Therehadneverbeenanylabortroublesthere。TheAppealpaidunionwages;and,infact,wasthebackboneofthetown,givingemploymenttohundredsofmenandwomen。ItwasnotthecitizensofGirardthatcomposedthemob。Thismobhadrisenupoutoftheearthapparently,andtoallintentsandpurposes,itsworkdone,ithadgonebackintotheearth。Ernestsawintheaffairthemostsinisterimport。
\'TheBlackHundreds*arebeingorganizedintheUnitedStates,\'hesaid。\'Thisisthebeginning。Therewillbemoreofit。TheIronHeelisgettingbold。\'
*TheBlackHundredswerereactionarymobsorganizedbytheperishingAutocracyintheRussianRevolution。Thesereactionarygroupsattackedtherevolutionarygroups,andalso,atneededmoments,riotedanddestroyedpropertysoastoaffordtheAutocracythepretextofcallingouttheCossacks。
Andsoperishedfather\'sbook。WeweretoseemuchoftheBlackHundredsasthedayswentby。Weekbyweekmoreofthesocialistpaperswerebarredfromthemails,andinanumberofinstancestheBlackHundredsdestroyedthesocialistpresses。Ofcourse,thenewspapersofthelandliveduptothereactionarypolicyoftherulingclass,andthedestroyedsocialistpresswasmisrepresentedandvilified,whiletheBlackHundredswererepresentedastruepatriotsandsavioursofsociety。SoconvincingwasallthismisrepresentationthatevensincereministersinthepulpitpraisedtheBlackHundredswhileregrettingthenecessityofviolence。
Historywasmakingfast。Thefallelectionsweresoontooccur,andErnestwasnominatedbythesocialistpartytorunforCongress。
Hischanceforelectionwasmostfavorable。Thestreet—carstrikeinSanFranciscohadbeenbroken。Andfollowinguponittheteamsters\'
strikehadbeenbroken。Thesetwodefeatshadbeenverydisastroustoorganizedlabor。ThewholeWaterFrontFederation,alongwithitsalliesinthestructuraltrades,hadbackeduptheteamsters,andallhadsmasheddowningloriously。Ithadbeenabloodystrike。Thepolicehadbrokencountlessheadswiththeirriotclubs;andthedeathlisthadbeenaugmentedbytheturninglooseofamachine—gunonthestrikersfromthebarnsoftheMarsdenSpecialDeliveryCompany。
Inconsequence,themenweresullenandvindictive。Theywantedblood,andrevenge。Beatenontheirchosenfield,theywereripetoseekrevengebymeansofpoliticalaction。Theystillmaintainedtheirlabororganization,andthisgavethemstrengthinthepoliticalstrugglethatwason。Ernest\'schanceforelectiongrewstrongerandstronger。Daybydayunionsandmoreunionsvotedtheirsupporttothesocialists,untilevenErnestlaughedwhentheUndertakers\'AssistantsandtheChickenPickersfellintoline。Laborbecamemulish。Whileitpackedthesocialistmeetingswithmadenthusiasm,itwasimpervioustothewilesoftheold—partypoliticians。Theold—partyoratorswereusuallygreetedwithemptyhalls,thoughoccasionallytheyencounteredfullhallswheretheyweresoroughlyhandledthatmorethanonceitwasnecessarytocalloutthepolicereserves。
Historywasmakingfast。Theairwasvibrantwiththingshappeningandimpending。Thecountrywasonthevergeofhardtimes,*causedbyaseriesofprosperousyearswhereinthedifficultyofdisposingabroadoftheunconsumedsurplushadbecomeincreasinglydifficult。
Industrieswereworkingshorttime;manygreatfactorieswerestandingidleagainstthetimewhenthesurplusshouldbegone;andwageswerebeingcutrightandleft。
*Underthecapitalistregimetheseperiodsofhardtimeswereasinevitableastheywereabsurd。Prosperityalwaysbroughtcalamity。
This,ofcourse,wasduetotheexcessofunconsumedprofitsthatwaspiledup。
Also,thegreatmachiniststrikehadbeenbroken。Twohundredthousandmachinists,alongwiththeirfivehundredthousandalliesinthemetalworkingtrades,hadbeendefeatedinasbloodyastrikeashadevermarredtheUnitedStates。Pitchedbattleshadbeenfoughtwiththesmallarmiesofarmedstrike—breakers*putinthefieldbytheemployers\'associations;theBlackHundreds,appearinginscoresofwide—scatteredplaces,haddestroyedproperty;and,inconsequence,ahundredthousandregularsoldiersoftheUnitedStateshasbeencalledouttoputafrightfulendtothewholeaffair。Anumberofthelaborleadershadbeenexecuted;manyothershadbeensentencedtoprison,whilethousandsoftherankandfileofthestrikershadbeenherdedintobull—pens*（2）andabominablytreatedbythesoldiers。
*Strike—breakers—thesewere,inpurposeandpracticeandeverythingexceptname,theprivatesoldiersofthecapitalists。
Theywerethoroughlyorganizedandwellarmed,andtheywereheldinreadinesstobehurledinspecialtrainstoanypartofthecountrywherelaborwentonstrikeorwaslockedoutbytheemployers。Onlythosecurioustimescouldhavegivenrisetotheamazingspectacleofone,Farley,anotoriouscommanderofstrike—breakers,who,in1906,sweptacrosstheUnitedStatesinspecialtrainsfromNewYorktoSanFranciscowithanarmyoftwenty—fivehundredmen,fullyarmedandequipped,tobreakastrikeoftheSanFranciscostreet—carmen。Suchanactwasindirectviolationofthelawsoftheland。Thefactthatthisact,andthousandsofsimilaracts,wentunpunished,goestoshowhowcompletelythejudiciarywasthecreatureofthePlutocracy。
*（2）Bull—pen—inaminers\'strikeinIdaho,inthelatterpartofthenineteenthcentury,ithappenedthatmanyofthestrikerswereconfinedinabull—penbythetroops。Thepracticeandthenamecontinuedinthetwentiethcentury。
Theyearsofprosperitywerenowtobepaidfor。Allmarketswereglutted;allmarketswerefalling;andamidstthegeneralcrumbleofpricesthepriceoflaborcrumbledfastestofall。Thelandwasconvulsedwithindustrialdissensions。Laborwasstrikinghere,there,andeverywhere;andwhereitwasnotstriking,itwasbeingturnedoutbythecapitalists。Thepaperswerefilledwithtalesofviolenceandblood。AndthroughitalltheBlackHundredsplayedtheirpart。
Riot,arson,andwantondestructionofpropertywastheirfunction,andwelltheyperformedit。Thewholeregulararmywasinthefield,calledtherebytheactionsoftheBlackHundreds。*Allcitiesandtownswerelikearmedcamps,andlaborerswereshotdownlikedogs。
Outofthevastarmyoftheunemployedthestrike—breakerswererecruited;andwhenthestrike—breakerswereworstedbythelaborunions,thetroopsalwaysappearedandcrushedtheunions。Thentherewasthemilitia。Asyet,itwasnotnecessarytohaverecoursetothesecretmilitialaw。Onlytheregularlyorganizedmilitiawasout,anditwasouteverywhere。Andinthistimeofterror,theregulararmywasincreasedanadditionalhundredthousandbythegovernment。
*Thenameonly,andnottheidea,wasimportedfromRussia。TheBlackHundredswereadevelopmentoutofthesecretagentsofthecapitalists,andtheirusearoseinthelaborstrugglesofthenineteenthcentury。Thereisnodiscussionofthis。NolessanauthorityofthetimesthanCarrollD。Wright,UnitedStatesCommissionerofLabor,isresponsibleforthestatement。Fromhisbook,entitled\'TheBattlesofLabor,\'isquotedthedeclarationthat\'insomeofthegreathistoricstrikestheemployersthemselveshaveinstigatedactsofviolence;\'thatmanufacturershavedeliberatelyprovokedstrikesinordertogetridofsurplusstock;
andthatfreightcarshavebeenburnedbyemployers\'agentsduringrailroadstrikesinordertoincreasedisorder。ItwasoutofthesesecretagentsoftheemployersthattheBlackHundredsarose;anditwasthey,inturn,thatlaterbecamethatterribleweaponoftheOligarchy,theagents—provocateurs。
Neverhadlaborreceivedsuchanall—aroundbeating。Thegreatcaptainsofindustry,theoligarchs,hadforthefirsttimethrowntheirfullweightintothebreachthestrugglingemployers\'
associationshadmade。Theseassociationswerepracticallymiddle—classaffairs,andnow,compelledbyhardtimesandcrashingmarkets,andaidedbythegreatcaptainsofindustry,theygaveorganizedlaboranawfulanddecisivedefeat。Itwasanall—powerfulalliance,butitwasanallianceofthelionandthelamb,asthemiddleclasswassoontolearn。
Laborwasbloodyandsullen,butcrushed。Yetitsdefeatdidnotputanendtothehardtimes。Thebanks,themselvesconstitutingoneofthemostimportantforcesoftheOligarchy,continuedtocallincredits。TheWallStreet*groupturnedthestockmarketintoamaelstromwherethevaluesofallthelandcrumbledawayalmosttonothingness。AndoutofalltherackandruinrosetheformofthenascentOligarchy,imperturbable,indifferent,andsure。Itsserenityandcertitudewasterrifying。Notonlydidituseitsownvastpower,butitusedallthepoweroftheUnitedStatesTreasurytocarryoutitsplans。
*WallStreet—sonamedfromastreetinancientNewYork,wherewassituatedthestockexchange,andwheretheirrationalorganizationofsocietypermittedunderhandedmanipulationofalltheindustriesofthecountry。
Thecaptainsofindustryhadturneduponthemiddleclass。Theemployers\'associations,thathadhelpedthecaptainsofindustrytotearandrendlabor,werenowtornandrentbytheirquondamallies。
Amidstthecrashingofthemiddlemen,thesmallbusinessmenandmanufacturers,thetrustsstoodfirm。Nay,thetrustsdidmorethanstandfirm。Theywereactive。Theysowedwind,andwind,andevermorewind;fortheyaloneknewhowtoreapthewhirlwindandmakeaprofitoutofit。Andsuchprofits！Colossalprofits！Strongenoughthemselvestoweatherthestormthatwaslargelytheirownbrewing,theyturnedlooseandplunderedthewrecksthatfloatedaboutthem。
Valueswerepitifullyandinconceivablyshrunken,andthetrustsaddedhugelytotheirholdings,evenextendingtheirenterprisesintomanynewfields—andalwaysattheexpenseofthemiddleclass。
Thusthesummerof1912witnessedthevirtualdeath—thrusttothemiddleclass。EvenErnestwasastoundedatthequicknesswithwhichithadbeendone。Heshookhisheadominouslyandlookedforwardwithouthopetothefallelections。
\'It\'snouse,\'hesaid。\'Wearebeaten。TheIronHeelishere。Ihadhopedforapeaceablevictoryattheballot—box。Iwaswrong。
Wicksonwasright。Weshallberobbedofourfewremainingliberties;theIronHeelwillwalkuponourfaces;nothingremainsbutabloodyrevolutionoftheworkingclass。Ofcoursewewillwin,butI
shuddertothinkofit。\'
AndfromthenonErnestpinnedhisfaithinrevolution。Inthishewasinadvanceofhisparty。Hisfellow—socialistscouldnotagreewithhim。Theystillinsistedthatvictorycouldbegainedthroughtheelections。Itwasnotthattheywerestunned。Theyweretoocool—headedandcourageousforthat。Theyweremerelyincredulous,thatwasall。ErnestcouldnotgetthemseriouslytofearthecomingoftheOligarchy。Theywerestirredbyhim,buttheyweretoosureoftheirownstrength。Therewasnoroomintheirtheoreticalsocialevolutionforanoligarchy,thereforetheOligarchycouldnotbe。
\'We\'llsendyoutoCongressanditwillbeallright,\'theytoldhimatoneofoursecretmeetings。
\'AndwhentheytakemeoutofCongress,\'Ernestrepliedcoldly,\'andputmeagainstawall,andblowmybrainsout—whatthen？\'
\'Thenwe\'llriseinourmight,\'adozenvoicesansweredatonce。
\'Thenyou\'llwelterinyourgore,\'washisretort。\'I\'veheardthatsongsungbythemiddleclass,andwhereisitnowinitsmight？\'
CHAPTERELEVEN。
TheGreatAdventure。
MR。WICKSONDIDNOTSENDforfather。Theymetbychanceontheferry—boattoSanFrancisco,sothatthewarninghegavefatherwasnotpremeditated。Hadtheynotmetaccidentally,therewouldnothavebeenanywarning。Notthattheoutcomewouldhavebeendifferent,however。FathercameofstoutoldMayflower*stock,andthebloodwasimperativeinhim。
*OneofthefirstshipsthatcarriedcoloniestoAmerica,afterthediscoveryoftheNewWorld。Descendantsoftheseoriginalcolonistswereforawhileinordinatelyproudoftheirgenealogy;butintimethebloodbecamesowidelydiffusedthatitranintheveinspracticallyofallAmericans。
\'Ernestwasright,\'hetoldme,assoonashehadreturnedhome。
\'Ernestisaveryremarkableyoungman,andI\'dratherseeyouhiswifethanthewifeofRockefellerhimselfortheKingofEngland。\'
\'What\'sthematter？\'Iaskedinalarm。
\'TheOligarchyisabouttotreaduponourfaces—yoursandmine。
Wicksonasmuchastoldmeso。Hewasverykind—foranoligarch。Heofferedtoreinstatemeintheuniversity。Whatdoyouthinkofthat？He,Wickson,asordidmoney—grabber,hasthepowertodeterminewhetherIshallorshallnotteachintheuniversityofthestate。Butheofferedmeevenbetterthanthat—offeredtomakemepresidentofsomegreatcollegeofphysicalsciencesthatisbeingplanned—theOligarchymustgetridofitssurplussomehow,yousee。
\'\"DoyourememberwhatItoldthatsocialistloverofyourdaughter\'s？\"hesaid。\"Itoldhimthatwewouldwalkuponthefacesoftheworkingclass。Andsoweshall。Asforyou,Ihaveforyouadeeprespectasascientist;butifyouthrowyourfortunesinwiththeworkingclass—well,watchoutforyourface,thatisall。\"Andthenheturnedandleftme。\'
\'Itmeanswe\'llhavetomarryearlierthanyouplanned,\'wasErnest\'scommentwhenwetoldhim。
Icouldnotfollowhisreasoning,butIwassoontolearnit。ItwasatthistimethatthequarterlydividendoftheSierraMillswaspaid—
or,rather,shouldhavebeenpaid,forfatherdidnotreceivehis。
Afterwaitingseveraldays,fatherwrotetothesecretary。Promptlycamethereplythattherewasnorecordonthebooksoffather\'sowninganystock,andapoliterequestformoreexplicitinformation。
\'I\'llmakeitexplicitenough,confoundhim,\'fatherdeclared,anddepartedforthebanktogetthestockinquestionfromhissafe—depositbox。
\'Ernestisaveryremarkableman,\'hesaidwhenhegotbackandwhileIwashelpinghimoffwithhisovercoat。\'Irepeat,mydaughter,thatyoungmanofyoursisaveryremarkableyoungman。\'
Ihadlearned,wheneverhepraisedErnestinsuchfashion,toexpectdisaster。
\'Theyhavealreadywalkeduponmyface,\'fatherexplained。\'Therewasnostock。Theboxwasempty。YouandErnestwillhavetogetmarriedprettyquickly。\'
Fatherinsistedonlaboratorymethods。HebroughttheSierraMillsintocourt,buthecouldnotbringthebooksoftheSierraMillsintocourt。Hedidnotcontrolthecourts,andtheSierraMillsdid。
Thatexplaineditall。Hewasthoroughlybeatenbythelaw,andthebare—facedrobberyheldgood。