\'Isleepincheaplodginghouses,\'theBishopwenton。\'ButIamafraid,andneverstaylonginoneplace。Also,Irenttworoomsinworkingmen\'shousesindifferentquartersofthecity。Itisagreatextravagance,Iknow,butitisnecessary。Imakeupforitinpartbydoingmyowncooking,thoughsometimesIgetsomethingtoeatincheapcoffee—houses。AndIhavemadeadiscovery。Tamales*areverygoodwhentheairgrowschillylateatnight。Onlytheyaresoexpensive。
ButIhavediscoveredaplacewhereIcangetthreefortencents。
Theyarenotsogoodastheothers,buttheyareverywarming。
*AMexicandish,referredtooccasionallyintheliteratureofthetimes。Itissupposedthatitwaswarmlyseasoned。Norecipeofithascomedowntous。
\'AndsoIhaveatlastfoundmyworkintheworld,thankstoyou,youngman。ItistheMaster\'swork。\'Helookedatme,andhiseyestwinkled。\'Youcaughtmefeedinghislambs,youknow。Andofcourseyouwillallkeepmysecret。\'
Hespokecarelesslyenough,buttherewasrealfearbehindthespeech。Hepromisedtocalluponusagain。ButaweeklaterwereadinthenewspaperofthesadcaseofBishopMorehouse,whohadbeencommittedtotheNapaAsylumandforwhomtherewerestillhopesheldout。Invainwetriedtoseehim,tohavehiscasereconsideredorinvestigated。Norcouldwelearnanythingabouthimexceptthereiteratedstatementsthatslighthopeswerestillheldforhisrecovery。
\'Christtoldtherichyoungmantosellallhehad,\'Ernestsaidbitterly。\'TheBishopobeyedChrist\'sinjunctionandgotlockedupinamadhouse。TimeshavechangedsinceChrist\'sday。Arichmanto—daywhogivesallhehastothepooriscrazy。Thereisnodiscussion。Societyhasspoken。\'
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN。
TheGeneralStrike。
OFCOURSEERNESTWASELECTEDtoCongressinthegreatsocialistlandslidethattookplaceinthefallof1912。OnegreatfactorthathelpedtoswellthesocialistvotewasthedestructionofHearst。*
ThisthePlutocracyfoundaneasytask。ItcostHearsteighteenmilliondollarsayeartorunhisvariouspapers,andthissum,andmore,hegotbackfromthemiddleclassinpaymentforadvertising。
Thesourceofhisfinancialstrengthlaywhollyinthemiddleclass。
Thetrustsdidnotadvertise。*（2）TodestroyHearst,allthatwasnecessarywastotakeawayfromhimhisadvertising。
*WilliamRandolphHearst—ayoungCaliforniamillionairewhobecamethemostpowerfulnewspaperownerinthecountry。Hisnewspaperswerepublishedinallthelargecities,andtheyappealedtotheperishingmiddleclassandtotheproletariat。SolargewashisfollowingthathemanagedtotakepossessionoftheemptyshelloftheoldDemocraticParty。Heoccupiedananomalousposition,preachinganemasculatedsocialismcombinedwithanondescriptsortofpettybourgeoiscapitalism。Itwasoilandwater,andtherewasnohopeforhim,thoughforashortperiodhewasasourceofseriousapprehensiontothePlutocrats。
*（2）Thecostofadvertisingwasamazinginthosehelter—skeltertimes。Onlythesmallcapitalistscompeted,andthereforetheydidtheadvertising。Therebeingnocompetitionwheretherewasatrust,therewasnoneedforthetruststoadvertise。
Thewholemiddleclasshadnotyetbeenexterminated。Thesturdyskeletonofitremained;butitwaswithoutpower。ThesmallmanufacturersandsmallbusinessmenwhostillsurvivedwereatthecompletemercyofthePlutocracy。Theyhadnoeconomicnorpoliticalsoulsoftheirown。WhenthefiatofthePlutocracywentforth,theywithdrewtheiradvertisementsfromtheHearstpapers。
Hearstmadeagallantfight。Hebroughthispapersoutatalossofamillionandahalfeachmonth。Hecontinuedtopublishtheadvertisementsforwhichhenolongerreceivedpay。AgainthefiatofthePlutocracywentforth,andthesmallbusinessmenandmanufacturersswampedhimwithafloodofnoticesthathemustdiscontinuerunningtheiroldadvertisements。Hearstpersisted。
Injunctionswereservedonhim。Stillhepersisted。Hereceivedsixmonths\'imprisonmentforcontemptofcourtindisobeyingtheinjunctions,whilehewasbankruptedbycountlessdamagesuits。Hehadnochance。ThePlutocracyhadpassedsentenceonhim。ThecourtswereinthehandsofthePlutocracytocarrythesentenceout。AndwithHearstcrashedalsotodestructiontheDemocraticPartythathehadsorecentlycaptured。
WiththedestructionofHearstandtheDemocraticParty,therewereonlytwopathsforhisfollowingtotake。OnewasintotheSocialistParty;theotherwasintotheRepublicanParty。ThenitwasthatwesocialistsreapedthefruitofHearst\'spseudo—socialisticpreaching;forthegreatMajorityofhisfollowerscameovertous。
TheexpropriationofthefarmersthattookplaceatthistimewouldalsohaveswelledourvotehaditnotbeenforthebriefandfutileriseoftheGrangeParty。Ernestandthesocialistleadersfoughtfiercelytocapturethefarmers;butthedestructionofthesocialistpressandpublishinghousesconstitutedtoogreatahandicap,whilethemouth—to—mouthpropagandahadnotyetbeenperfected。SoitwasthatpoliticianslikeMr。Calvin,whowerethemselvesfarmerslongsinceexpropriated,capturedthefarmersandthrewtheirpoliticalstrengthawayinavaincampaign。
\'Thepoorfarmers,\'Ernestoncelaughedsavagely;\'thetrustshavethembothcomingandgoing。\'
Andthatwasreallythesituation。Thesevengreattrusts,workingtogether,hadpooledtheirenormoussurplusesandmadeafarmtrust。
Therailroads,controllingrates,andthebankersandstockexchangegamesters,controllingprices,hadlongsincebledthefarmersintoindebtedness。Thebankers,andallthetrustsforthatmatter,hadlikewiselongsinceloanedcolossalamountsofmoneytothefarmers。
Thefarmerswereinthenet。Allthatremainedtobedonewasthedrawinginofthenet。Thisthefarmtrustproceededtodo。
Thehardtimesof1912hadalreadycausedafrightfulslumpinthefarmmarkets。Priceswerenowdeliberatelypresseddowntobankruptcy,whiletherailroads,withextortionaterates,brokethebackofthefarmer—camel。Thusthefarmerswerecompelledtoborrowmoreandmore,whiletheywerepreventedfrompayingbackoldloans。Thenensuedthegreatforeclosingofmortgagesandenforcedcollectionofnotes。
Thefarmerssimplysurrenderedthelandtothefarmtrust。Therewasnothingelseforthemtodo。Andhavingsurrenderedtheland,thefarmersnextwenttoworkforthefarmtrust,becomingmanagers,superintendents,foremen,andcommonlaborers。Theyworkedforwages。Theybecamevilleins,inshort—serfsboundtothesoilbyalivingwage。Theycouldnotleavetheirmasters,fortheirmasterscomposedthePlutocracy。Theycouldnotgotothecities,forthere,also,thePlutocracywasincontrol。Theyhadbutonealternative,—toleavethesoilandbecomevagrants,inbrief,tostarve。Andeventheretheywerefrustrated,forstringentvagrancylawswerepassedandrigidlyenforced。
Ofcourse,hereandthere,farmers,andevenwholecommunitiesoffarmers,escapedexpropriationbyvirtueofexceptionalconditions。
Buttheyweremerelystraysanddidnotcount,andtheyweregatheredinanywayduringthefollowingyear。*
*ThedestructionoftheRomanyeomanryproceededfarlessrapidlythanthedestructionoftheAmericanfarmersandsmallcapitalists。
Therewasmomentuminthetwentiethcentury,whiletherewaspracticallynoneinancientRome。
Numbersofthefarmers,impelledbyaninsanelustforthesoil,andwillingtoshowwhatbeaststheycouldbecome,triedtoescapeexpropriationbywithdrawingfromanyandallmarket—dealing。Theysoldnothing。Theyboughtnothing。Amongthemselvesaprimitivebarterbegantospringup。Theirprivationandhardshipswereterrible,buttheypersisted。Itbecamequiteamovement,infact。Themannerinwhichtheywerebeatenwasuniqueandlogicalandsimple。ThePlutocracy,byvirtueofitspossessionofthegovernment,raisedtheirtaxes。Itwastheweakjointintheirarmor。Neitherbuyingnorselling,theyhadnomoney,andintheendtheirlandwassoldtopaythetaxes。
Thusitwasthatinthefallof1912thesocialistleaders,withtheexceptionofErnest,decidedthattheendofcapitalismhadcome。Whatofthehardtimesandtheconsequentvastarmyoftheunemployed;whatofthedestructionofthefarmersandthemiddleclass;andwhatofthedecisivedefeatadministeredallalongthelinetothelaborunions;thesocialistswerereallyjustifiedinbelievingthattheendofcapitalismhadcomeandinthemselvesthrowingdownthegauntlettothePlutocracy。
Alas,howweunderestimatedthestrengthoftheenemy！Everywherethesocialistsproclaimedtheircomingvictoryattheballot—box,while,inunmistakableterms,theystatedthesituation。ThePlutocracyacceptedthechallenge。ItwasthePlutocracy,weighingandbalancing,thatdefeatedusbydividingourstrength。ItwasthePlutocracy,throughitssecretagents,thatraisedthecrythatsocialismwassacrilegiousandatheistic;itwasthePlutocracythatwhippedthechurches,andespeciallytheCatholicChurch,intoline,androbbedusofaportionofthelaborvote。AnditwasthePlutocracy,throughitssecretagentsofcourse,thatencouragedtheGrangePartyandevenspreadittothecitiesintotheranksofthedyingmiddleclass。
Neverthelessthesocialistlandslideoccurred。But,insteadofasweepingvictorywithchiefexecutiveofficersandmajoritiesinalllegislativebodies,wefoundourselvesintheminority。Itistrue,weelectedfiftyCongressmen;butwhentheytooktheirseatsinthespringof1913,theyfoundthemselveswithoutpowerofanysort。YettheyweremorefortunatethantheGrangers,whocapturedadozenstategovernments,andwho,inthespring,werenotpermittedtotakepossessionofthecapturedoffices。Theincumbentsrefusedtoretire,andthecourtswereinthehandsoftheOligarchy。Butthisistoofarinadvanceofevents。Ihaveyettotellofthestirringtimesofthewinterof1912。
Thehardtimesathomehadcausedanimmensedecreaseinconsumption。Labor,outofwork,hadnowageswithwhichtobuy。TheresultwasthatthePlutocracyfoundagreatersurplusthaneveronitshands。Thissurplusitwascompelledtodisposeofabroad,and,whatofitscolossalplans,itneededmoney。Becauseofitsstrenuouseffortstodisposeofthesurplusintheworldmarket,thePlutocracyclashedwithGermany。Economicclasheswereusuallysucceededbywars,andthisparticularclashwasnoexception。ThegreatGermanwar—lordprepared,andsodidtheUnitedStatesprepare。
Thewar—cloudhovereddarkandominous。Thestagewassetforaworld—catastrophe,forinalltheworldwerehardtimes,labortroubles,perishingmiddleclasses,armiesofunemployed,clashesofeconomicinterestsintheworld—market,andmutteringsandrumblingsofthesocialistrevolution。*
*Foralongtimethesemutteringsandrumblingshadbeenheard。
Asfarbackas1906A。D。,LordAvebury,anEnglishman,utteredthefollowingintheHouseofLords:\'TheunrestinEurope,thespreadofsocialism,andtheominousriseofAnarchism,arewarningstothegovernmentsandtherulingclassesthattheconditionoftheworkingclassesinEuropeisbecomingintolerable,andthatifarevolutionistobeavoidedsomestepsmustbetakentoincreasewages,reducethehoursoflabor,andlowerthepricesofthenecessariesoflife。\'
TheWallStreetJournal,astockgamesters\'publication,incommentinguponLordAvebury\'sspeech,said:\'ThesewordswerespokenbyanaristocratandamemberofthemostconservativebodyinallEurope。
Thatgivesthemallthemoresignificance。Theycontainmorevaluablepoliticaleconomythanistobefoundinmostofthebooks。
Theysoundanoteofwarning。Takeheed,gentlemenofthewarandnavydepartments！\'
Atthesametime,SydneyBrooks,writinginAmerica,inHarper\'sWeekly,said:\'YouwillnothearthesocialistsmentionedinWashington。Whyshouldyou？Thepoliticiansarealwaysthelastpeopleinthiscountrytoseewhatisgoingonundertheirnoses。TheywilljeeratmewhenIprophesy,andprophesywiththeutmostconfidence,thatatthenextpresidentialelectionthesocialistswillpolloveramillionvotes。\'
TheOligarchywantedthewarwithGermany。Anditwantedthewarforadozenreasons。Inthejugglingofeventssuchawarwouldcause,inthereshufflingoftheinternationalcardsandthemakingofnewtreatiesandalliances,theOligarchyhadmuchtogain。And,furthermore,thewarwouldconsumemanynationalsurpluses,reducethearmiesofunemployedthatmenacedallcountries,andgivetheOligarchyabreathingspaceinwhichtoperfectitsplansandcarrythemout。SuchawarwouldvirtuallyputtheOligarchyinpossessionoftheworld—market。Also,suchawarwouldcreatealargestandingarmythatneedneverbedisbanded,whileinthemindsofthepeoplewouldbesubstitutedtheissue,\'AmericaversusGermany,\'inplaceof\'SocialismversusOligarchy。\'
Andtrulythewarwouldhavedoneallthesethingshaditnotbeenforthesocialists。AsecretmeetingoftheWesternleaderswasheldinourfourtinyroomsinPellStreet。Herewasfirstconsideredthestandthesocialistsweretotake。Itwasnotthefirsttimewehadputourfootdownuponwar,*butitwasthefirsttimewehaddonesointheUnitedStates。Afteroursecretmeetingwegotintouchwiththenationalorganization,andsoonourcodecableswerepassingbackandforthacrosstheAtlanticbetweenusandtheInternationalBureau。
*ItwasattheverybeginningofthetwentiethcenturyA。D。,thattheinternationalorganizationofthesocialistsfinallyformulatedtheirlong—maturingpolicyonwar。Epitomizedtheirdoctrinewas:\'Whyshouldtheworkingmenofonecountryfightwiththeworkingmenofanothercountryforthebenefitoftheircapitalistmasters？\'
OnMay21,1905A。D。,whenwarthreatenedbetweenAustriaandItaly,thesocialistsofItaly,Austria,andHungaryheldaconferenceatTrieste,andthreatenedageneralstrikeoftheworkingmenofbothcountriesincasewarwasdeclared。Thiswasrepeatedthefollowingyear,whenthe\'MoroccoAffair\'threatenedtoinvolveFrance,Germany,andEngland。
TheGermansocialistswerereadytoactwithus。Therewereoverfivemillionofthem,manyoftheminthestandingarmy,and,inaddition,theywereonfriendlytermswiththelaborunions。Inbothcountriesthesocialistscameoutinbolddeclarationagainstthewarandthreatenedthegeneralstrike。Andinthemeantimetheymadepreparationforthegeneralstrike。Furthermore,therevolutionarypartiesinallcountriesgavepublicutterancetothesocialistprincipleofinternationalpeacethatmustbepreservedatallhazards,eventotheextentofrevoltandrevolutionathome。
ThegeneralstrikewastheonegreatvictoryweAmericansocialistswon。On4DecembertheAmericanministerwaswithdrawnfromtheGermancapital。ThatnightaGermanfleetmadeadashonHonolulu,sinkingthreeAmericancruisersandarevenuecutter,andbombardingthecity。NextdaybothGermanyandtheUnitedStatesdeclaredwar,andwithinanhourthesocialistscalledthegeneralstrikeinbothcountries。
ForthefirsttimetheGermanwar—lordfacedthemenofhisempirewhomadehisempirego。Withoutthemhecouldnotrunhisempire。
Thenoveltyofthesituationlayinthattheirrevoltwaspassive。
Theydidnotfight。Theydidnothing。Andbydoingnothingtheytiedtheirwar—lord\'shands。Hewouldhaveaskedfornothingbetterthananopportunitytoloosehiswar—dogsonhisrebelliousproletariat。Butthiswasdeniedhim。Hecouldnotloosehiswar—dogs。Neithercouldhemobilizehisarmytogoforthtowar,norcouldhepunishhisrecalcitrantsubjects。Notawheelmovedinhisempire。Notatrainran,notatelegraphicmessagewentoverthewires,forthetelegraphersandrailroadmenhadceasedworkalongwiththerestofthepopulation。
AndasitwasinGermany,soitwasintheUnitedStates。Atlastorganizedlaborhadlearneditslesson。Beatendecisivelyonitsownchosenfield,ithadabandonedthatfieldandcomeovertothepoliticalfieldofthesocialists;forthegeneralstrikewasapoliticalstrike。Besides,organizedlaborhadbeensobadlybeatenthatitdidnotcare。Itjoinedinthegeneralstrikeoutofsheerdesperation。Theworkersthrewdowntheirtoolsandlefttheirtasksbythemillions。Especiallynotablewerethemachinists。Theirheadswerebloody,theirorganizationhadapparentlybeendestroyed,yetouttheycame,alongwiththeiralliesinthemetal—workingtrades。
Eventhecommonlaborersandallunorganizedlaborceasedwork。
Thestrikehadtiedeverythingupsothatnobodycouldwork。
Besides,thewomenprovedtobethestrongestpromotersofthestrike。
Theysettheirfacesagainstthewar。Theydidnotwanttheirmentogoforthtodie。Then,also,theideaofthegeneralstrikecaughtthemoodofthepeople。Itstrucktheirsenseofhumor。Theideawasinfectious。Thechildrenstruckinalltheschools,andsuchteachersascame,wenthomeagainfromdesertedclassrooms。Thegeneralstriketooktheformofagreatnationalpicnic。Andtheideaofthesolidarityoflabor,soevidenced,appealedtotheimaginationofall。And,finally,therewasnodangertobeincurredbythecolossalfrolic。Wheneverybodywasguilty,howwasanybodytobepunished？
TheUnitedStateswasparalyzed。Nooneknewwhatwashappening。
Therewerenonewspapers,noletters,nodespatches。Everycommunitywasascompletelyisolatedasthoughtenthousandmilesofprimevalwildernessstretchedbetweenitandtherestoftheworld。Forthatmatter,theworldhadceasedtoexist。Andforaweekthisstateofaffairswasmaintained。
InSanFranciscowedidnotknowwhatwashappeningevenacrossthebayinOaklandorBerkeley。Theeffectonone\'ssensibilitieswasweird,depressing。Itseemedasthoughsomegreatcosmicthinglaydead。Thepulseofthelandhadceasedtobeat。Ofatruththenationhaddied。Therewerenowagonsrumblingonthestreets,nofactorywhistles,nohumofelectricityintheair,nopassingofstreetcars,nocriesofnews—boys—nothingbutpersonswhoatrareintervalswentbylikefurtiveghosts,themselvesoppressedandmadeunrealbythesilence。
AndduringthatweekofsilencetheOligarchywastaughtitslesson。
Andwellitlearnedthelesson。Thegeneralstrikewasawarning。Itshouldneveroccuragain。TheOligarchywouldseetothat。
Attheendoftheweek,ashadbeenprearranged,thetelegraphersofGermanyandtheUnitedStatesreturnedtotheirposts。Throughthemthesocialistleadersofbothcountriespresentedtheirultimatumtotherulers。Thewarshouldbecalledoff,orthegeneralstrikewouldcontinue。Itdidnottakelongtocometoanunderstanding。
Thewarwasdeclaredoff,andthepopulationsofbothcountriesreturnedtotheirtasks。
ItwasthisrenewalofpeacethatbroughtaboutthealliancebetweenGermanyandtheUnitedStates。Inreality,thiswasanalliancebetweentheEmperorandtheOligarchy,forthepurposeofmeetingtheircommonfoe,therevolutionaryproletariatofbothcountries。AnditwasthisalliancethattheOligarchyafterwardsotreacherouslybrokewhentheGermansocialistsroseanddrovethewar—lordfromhisthrone。ItwastheverythingtheOligarchyhadplayedfor—thedestructionofitsgreatrivalintheworld—market。WiththeGermanEmperoroutoftheway,Germanywouldhavenosurplustosellabroad。Bytheverynatureofthesocialiststate,theGermanpopulationwouldconsumeallthatitproduced。Ofcourse,itwouldtradeabroadcertainthingsitproducedforthingsitdidnotproduce;
butthiswouldbequitedifferentfromanunconsumablesurplus。
\'I\'llwagertheOligarchyfindsjustification,\'Ernestsaid,whenitstreacherytotheGermanEmperorbecameknown。\'Asusual,theOligarchywillbelieveithasdoneright。\'
Andsureenough。TheOligarchy\'spublicdefencefortheactwasthatithaddoneitforthesakeoftheAmericanpeoplewhoseinterestsitwaslookingoutfor。Ithadflungitshatedrivaloutoftheworld—marketandenabledustodisposeofoursurplusinthatmarket。
\'Andthehowlingfollyofitisthatwearesohelplessthatsuchidiotsreallyaremanagingourinterests,\'wasErnest\'scomment。\'Theyhaveenabledustosellmoreabroad,whichmeansthatwe\'llbecompelledtoconsumelessathome。\'
CHAPTERFOURTEEN。
TheBeginningoftheEnd。
ASEARLYASJANUARY,1913,Ernestsawthetruetrendofaffairs,buthecouldnotgethisbrotherleaderstoseethevisionoftheIronHeelthathadariseninhisbrain。Theyweretooconfident。Eventswererushingtoorapidlytoculmination。Acrisishadcomeinworldaffairs。TheAmericanOligarchywaspracticallyinpossessionoftheworld—market,andscoresofcountrieswereflungoutofthatmarketwithunconsumableandunsalablesurplusesontheirhands。Forsuchcountriesnothingremainedbutreorganization。Theycouldnotcontinuetheirmethodofproducingsurpluses。Thecapitalisticsystem,sofarastheywereconcerned,hadhopelesslybrokendown。
Thereorganizationofthesecountriestooktheformofrevolution。
Itwasatimeofconfusionandviolence。Everywhereinstitutionsandgovernmentswerecrashing。Everywhere,withtheexceptionoftwoorthreecountries,theerstwhilecapitalistmastersfoughtbitterlyfortheirpossessions。Butthegovernmentsweretakenawayfromthembythemilitantproletariat。AtlastwasbeingrealizedKarlMarx\'sclassic:\'Theknellofprivatecapitalistpropertysounds。Theexpropriatorsareexpropriated。\'Andasfastascapitalisticgovernmentscrashed,cooperativecommonwealthsaroseintheirplace。
\'WhydoestheUnitedStateslagbehind？\';\'Getbusy,youAmericanrevolutionists！\';\'What\'sthematterwithAmerica？\'—werethemessagessenttousbyoursuccessfulcomradesinotherlands。Butwecouldnotkeepup。TheOligarchystoodintheway。Itsbulk,likethatofsomehugemonster,blockedourpath。
\'Waittillwetakeofficeinthespring,\'weanswered。\'Thenyou\'llsee。\'
Behindthislayoursecret。WehadwonovertheGrangers,andinthespringadozenstateswouldpassintotheirhandsbyvirtueoftheelectionsoftheprecedingfall。Atoncewouldbeinstitutedadozencooperativecommonwealthstates。Afterthat,therestwouldbeeasy。
\'ButwhatiftheGrangersfailtogetpossession？\'Ernestdemanded。Andhiscomradescalledhimacalamityhowler。
ButthisfailuretogetpossessionwasnotthechiefdangerthatErnesthadinmind。Whatheforesawwasthedefectionofthegreatlaborunionsandtheriseofthecastes。
\'Ghenthastaughttheoligarchshowtodoit,\'Ernestsaid。\'I\'llwagerthey\'vemadeatext—bookoutofhis\"BenevolentFeudalism。\"\'*
*\'OurBenevolentFeudalism,\'abookpublishedin1902A。D。,byW。
J。Ghent。IthasalwaysbeeninsistedthatGhentputtheideaoftheOligarchyintothemindsofthegreatcapitalists。ThisbeliefpersiststhroughouttheliteratureofthethreecenturiesoftheIronHeel,andevenintheliteratureofthefirstcenturyoftheBrotherhoodofMan。To—dayweknowbetter,butourknowledgedoesnotovercomethefactthatGhentremainsthemostabusedinnocentmaninallhistory。
NevershallIforgetthenightwhen,afterahotdiscussionwithhalfadozenlaborleaders,Ernestturnedtomeandsaidquietly:
\'Thatsettlesit。TheIronHeelhaswon。Theendisinsight。\'
Thislittleconferenceinourhomewasunofficial;butErnest,liketherestofhiscomrades,wasworkingforassurancesfromthelaborleadersthattheywouldcallouttheirmeninthenextgeneralstrike。O\'Connor,thepresidentoftheAssociationofMachinists,hadbeenforemostofthesixleaderspresentinrefusingtogivesuchassurance。
\'Youhaveseenthatyouwerebeatensoundlyatyouroldtacticsofstrikeandboycott,\'Ernesturged。
O\'Connorandtheothersnoddedtheirheads。
\'Andyousawwhatageneralstrikewoulddo,\'Ernestwenton。\'WestoppedthewarwithGermany。Neverwastheresofineadisplayofthesolidarityandthepoweroflabor。Laborcanandwillruletheworld。Ifyoucontinuetostandwithus,we\'llputanendtothereignofcapitalism。Itisyouronlyhope。Andwhatismore,youknowit。
Thereisnootherwayout。Nomatterwhatyoudounderyouroldtactics,youaredoomedtodefeat,iffornootherreasonbecausethemasterscontrolthecourts。\'*
*Asasampleofthedecisionsofthecourtsadversetolabor,thefollowinginstancesaregiven。Inthecoal—miningregionstheemploymentofchildrenwasnotorious。In1905A。D。,laborsucceededingettingalawpassedinPennsylvaniaprovidingthatproofoftheageofthechildandofcertaineducationalqualificationsmustaccompanytheoathoftheparent。ThiswaspromptlydeclaredunconstitutionalbytheLuzerneCountyCourt,onthegroundthatitviolatedtheFourteenthAmendmentinthatitdiscriminatedbetweenindividualsofthesameclass—namely,childrenabovefourteenyearsofageandchildrenbelow。Thestatecourtsustainedthedecision。TheNewYorkCourtofSpecialSessions,in1905A。D。,declaredunconstitutionalthelawprohibitingminorsandwomenfromworkinginfactoriesafternineo\'clockatnight,thegroundtakenbeingthatsuchalawwas\'classlegislation。\'Again,thebakersofthattimewereterriblyoverworked。TheNewYorkLegislaturepassedalawrestrictingworkinbakeriestotenhoursaday。In1906A。D。,theSupremeCourtoftheUnitedStatesdeclaredthislawtobeunconstitutional。Inpartthedecisionread:\'Thereisnoreasonablegroundforinterferingwiththelibertyofpersonsortherightoffreecontractbydeterminingthehoursoflaborintheoccupationofabaker。\'
\'Yourunaheadtoofast,\'O\'Connoranswered。\'Youdon\'tknowallthewaysout。Thereisanotherwayout。Weknowwhatwe\'reabout。We\'resickofstrikes。They\'vegotusbeatenthatwaytoafrazzle。ButI
don\'tthinkwe\'lleverneedtocallourmenoutagain。\'
\'Whatisyourwayout？\'Ernestdemandedbluntly。
O\'Connorlaughedandshookhishead。\'Icantellyouthismuch:
We\'venotbeenasleep。Andwe\'renotdreamingnow。\'
\'There\'snothingtobeafraidof,orashamedof,Ihope,\'Ernestchallenged。
\'Iguessweknowourbusinessbest,\'wastheretort。
\'It\'sadarkbusiness,fromthewayyouhideit,\'Ernestsaidwithgrowinganger。
\'We\'vepaidforourexperienceinsweatandblood,andwe\'veearnedallthat\'scomingtous,\'wasthereply。\'Charitybeginsathome。\'
\'Ifyou\'reafraidtotellmeyourwayout,I\'lltellittoyou。\'
Ernest\'sbloodwasup。\'You\'regoinginforgrab—sharing。You\'vemadetermswiththeenemy,that\'swhatyou\'vedone。You\'vesoldoutthecauseoflabor,ofalllabor。Youareleavingthebattle—fieldlikecowards。\'
\'I\'mnotsayinganything,\'O\'Connoransweredsullenly。\'OnlyIguessweknowwhat\'sbestforusalittlebitbetterthanyoudo。\'
\'Andyoudon\'tcareacentforwhatisbestfortherestoflabor。
Youkickitintotheditch。\'
\'I\'mnotsayinganything,\'O\'Connorreplied,\'exceptthatI\'mpresidentoftheMachinists\'Association,andit\'smybusinesstoconsidertheinterestsofthemenIrepresent,that\'sall。\'
Andthen,whenthelaborleadershadleft,Ernest,withthecalmnessofdefeat,outlinedtomethecourseofeventstocome。
\'Thesocialistsusedtoforetellwithjoy,\'hesaid,\'thecomingofthedaywhenorganizedlabor,defeatedontheindustrialfield,wouldcomeoverontothepoliticalfield。Well,theIronHeelhasdefeatedthelaborunionsontheindustrialfieldanddriventhemovertothepoliticalfield;andinsteadofthisbeingjoyfulforus,itwillbeasourceofgrief。TheIronHeellearneditslesson。Weshoweditourpowerinthegeneralstrike。Ithastakenstepstopreventanothergeneralstrike。\'
\'Buthow？\'Iasked。
\'Simplybysubsidizingthegreatunions。Theywon\'tjoininthenextgeneralstrike。Thereforeitwon\'tbeageneralstrike。\'
\'ButtheIronHeelcan\'tmaintainsocostlyaprogrammeforever,\'
Iobjected。
\'Oh,ithasn\'tsubsidizedalloftheunions。That\'snotnecessary。
Hereiswhatisgoingtohappen。Wagesaregoingtobeadvancedandhoursshortenedintherailroadunions,theironandsteelworkersunions,andtheengineerandmachinistunions。Intheseunionsmorefavorableconditionswillcontinuetoprevail。MembershipintheseunionswillbecomelikeseatsinParadise。\'
\'StillIdon\'tsee,\'Iobjected。\'Whatistobecomeoftheotherunions？Therearefarmoreunionsoutsideofthiscombinationthaninit。\'
\'Theotherunionswillbegroundoutofexistence—allofthem。For,don\'tyousee,therailwaymen,machinistsandengineers,ironandsteelworkers,doallofthevitallyessentialworkinourmachinecivilization。Assuredoftheirfaithfulness,theIronHeelcansnapitsfingersatalltherestoflabor。Iron,steel,coal,machinery,andtransportationconstitutethebackboneofthewholeindustrialfabric。\'
\'Butcoal？\'Iqueried。\'Therearenearlyamillioncoalminers。\'