Theyarepracticallyunskilledlabor。Theywillnotcount。Theirwageswillgodownandtheirhourswillincrease。Theywillbeslaveslikealltherestofus,andtheywillbecomeaboutthemostbestialofallofus。Theywillbecompelledtowork,justasthefarmersarecompelledtoworknowforthemasterswhorobbedthemoftheirland。Andthesamewithalltheotherunionsoutsidethecombination。Watchthemwobbleandgotopieces,andtheirmembersbecomeslavesdriventotoilbyemptystomachsandthelawoftheland。
\'DoyouknowwhatwillhappentoFarley*andhisstrike—breakers？
I\'lltellyou。Strike—breakingasanoccupationwillcease。Therewon\'tbeanymorestrikes。Inplaceofstrikeswillbeslaverevolts。Farleyandhisgangwillbepromotedtoslave—driving。Oh,itwon\'tbecalledthat;itwillbecalledenforcingthelawofthelandthatcompelsthelaborerstowork。Itsimplyprolongsthefight,thistreacheryofthebigunions。HeavenonlyknowsnowwhereandwhentheRevolutionwilltriumph。\'
*JamesFarley—anotoriousstrike—breakeroftheperiod。Amanmorecourageousthanethical,andofundeniableability。HerosehighundertheruleoftheIronHeelandfinallywastranslatedintotheoligarchclass。Hewasassassinatedin1932bySarahJenkins,whosehusband,thirtyyearsbefore,hadbeenkilledbyFarley\'sstrike—breakers。
\'ButwithsuchapowerfulcombinationastheOligarchyandthebigunions,isthereanyreasontobelievethattheRevolutionwillevertriumph？\'Iqueried。\'Maynotthecombinationendureforever？\'
Heshookhishead。\'Oneofourgeneralizationsisthateverysystemfoundeduponclassandcastecontainswithinitselfthegermsofitsowndecay。Whenasystemisfoundeduponclass,howcancastebeprevented？TheIronHeelwillnotbeabletopreventit,andintheendcastewilldestroytheIronHeel。Theoligarchshavealreadydevelopedcasteamongthemselves;butwaituntilthefavoredunionsdevelopcaste。TheIronHeelwilluseallitspowertopreventit,butitwillfail。
\'InthefavoredunionsarethefloweroftheAmericanworkingmen。
Theyarestrong,efficientmen。Theyhavebecomemembersofthoseunionsthroughcompetitionforplace。EveryfitworkmanintheUnitedStateswillbepossessedbytheambitiontobecomeamemberofthefavoredunions。TheOligarchywillencouragesuchambitionandtheconsequentcompetition。Thuswillthestrongmen,whomightelseberevolutionists,bewonawayandtheirstrengthusedtobolstertheOligarchy。
\'Ontheotherhand,thelaborcastes,themembersofthefavoredunions,willstrivetomaketheirorganizationsintoclosecorporations。Andtheywillsucceed。Membershipinthelaborcasteswillbecomehereditary。Sonswillsucceedfathers,andtherewillbenoinflowofnewstrengthfromthateternalreservoirofstrength,thecommonpeople。Thiswillmeandeteriorationofthelaborcastes,andintheendtheywillbecomeweakerandweaker。Atthesametime,asaninstitution,theywillbecometemporarilyall—powerful。TheywillbeliketheguardsofthepalaceinoldRome,andtherewillbepalacerevolutionswherebythelaborcasteswillseizethereinsofpower。
Andtherewillbecounter—palacerevolutionsoftheoligarchs,andsometimestheone,andsometimestheother,willbeinpower。Andthroughitalltheinevitablecaste—weakeningwillgoon,sothatintheendthecommonpeoplewillcomeintotheirown。\'
ThisforeshadowingofaslowsocialevolutionwasmadewhenErnestwasfirstdepressedbythedefectionofthegreatunions。Ineveragreedwithhiminit,andIdisagreenow,asIwritetheselines,moreheartilythanever;forevennow,thoughErnestisgone,weareonthevergeoftherevoltthatwillsweepalloligarchiesaway。YetI
haveheregivenErnest\'sprophecybecauseitwashisprophecy。Inspiteofhisbeliefinit,heworkedlikeagiantagainstit,andhe,morethananyman,hasmadepossibletherevoltthatevennowwaitsthesignaltoburstforth。*
*Everhard\'ssocialforesightwasremarkable。Asclearlyasinthelightofpastevents,hesawthedefectionofthefavoredunions,theriseandtheslowdecayofthelaborcastes,andthestrugglebetweenthedecayingoligarchsandlaborcastesforcontrolofthegreatgovernmentalmachine。
\'ButiftheOligarchypersists,\'Iaskedhimthatevening,\'whatwillbecomeofthegreatsurplusesthatwillfalltoitsshareeveryyear？\'
\'Thesurpluseswillhavetobeexpendedsomehow,\'heanswered;
\'andtrusttheoligarchstofindaway。Magnificentroadswillbebuilt。Therewillbegreatachievementsinscience,andespeciallyinart。Whentheoligarchshavecompletelymasteredthepeople,theywillhavetimetospareforotherthings。Theywillbecomeworshippersofbeauty。Theywillbecomeart—lovers。Andundertheirdirectionandgenerouslyrewarded,willtoiltheartists。Theresultwillbegreatart;fornolonger,asuptoyesterday,willtheartistspandertothebourgeoistasteofthemiddleclass。Itwillbegreatart,Itellyou,andwondercitieswillarisethatwillmaketawdryandcheapthecitiesofoldtime。Andinthesecitieswilltheoligarchsdwellandworshipbeauty。*
*WecannotbutmarvelatEverhard\'sforesight。BeforeeverthethoughtofwondercitieslikeArdisandAsgardenteredthemindsoftheoligarchs,Everhardsawthosecitiesandtheinevitablenecessityfortheircreation。
\'Thuswillthesurplusbeconstantlyexpendedwhilelabordoesthework。Thebuildingofthesegreatworksandcitieswillgiveastarvationrationtomillionsofcommonlaborers,fortheenormousbulkofthesurpluswillcompelanequallyenormousexpenditure,andtheoligarchswillbuildforathousandyears—ay,fortenthousandyears。TheywillbuildastheEgyptiansandtheBabyloniansneverdreamedofbuilding;andwhentheoligarchshavepassedaway,theirgreatroadsandtheirwondercitieswillremainforthebrotherhoodoflabortotreaduponanddwellwithin。*
*Andsincethatdayofprophecy,havepassedawaythethreecenturiesoftheIronHeelandthefourcenturiesoftheBrotherhoodofMan,andto—daywetreadtheroadsanddwellinthecitiesthattheoligarchsbuilt。Itistrue,weareevennowbuildingstillmorewonderfulwondercities,butthewondercitiesoftheoligarchsendure,andIwritetheselinesinArdis,oneofthemostwonderfulofthemall。
\'Thesethingstheoligarchswilldobecausetheycannothelpdoingthem。Thesegreatworkswillbetheformtheirexpenditureofthesurpluswilltake,andinthesamewaythattherulingclassesofEgyptoflongagoexpendedthesurplustheyrobbedfromthepeoplebythebuildingoftemplesandpyramids。Undertheoligarchswillflourish,notapriestclass,butanartistclass。Andinplaceofthemerchantclassofbourgeoisiewillbethelaborcastes。Andbeneathwillbetheabyss,whereinwillfesterandstarveandrot,andeverrenewitself,thecommonpeople,thegreatbulkofthepopulation。Andintheend,whoknowsinwhatday,thecommonpeoplewillriseupoutoftheabyss;thelaborcastesandtheOligarchywillcrumbleaway;andthen,atlast,afterthetravailofthecenturies,willitbethedayofthecommonman。Ihadthoughttoseethatday;butnowI
knowthatIshallneverseeit。\'
Hepausedandlookedatme,andadded:
\'Socialevolutionisexasperatinglyslow,isn\'tit,sweetheart？\'
Myarmswereabouthim,andhisheadwasonmybreast。
\'Singmetosleep,\'hemurmuredwhimsically。\'Ihavehadavisioning,andIwishtoforget。\'
CHAPTERFIFTEEN。
LastDays。
ITWASNEARTHEENDOFJanuary,1913,thatthechangedattitudeoftheOligarchytowardthefavoredunionswasmadepublic。Thenewspaperspublishedinformationofanunprecedentedriseinwagesandshorteningofhoursfortherailroademployees,theironandsteelworkers,andtheengineersandmachinists。Butthewholetruthwasnottold。Theoligarchsdidnotdarepermitthetellingofthewholetruth。Inreality,thewageshadbeenraisedmuchhigher,andtheprivilegeswerecorrespondinglygreater。Allthiswassecret,butsecretswillout。Membersofthefavoredunionstoldtheirwives,andthewivesgossiped,andsoonallthelaborworldknewwhathadhappened。
Itwasmerelythelogicaldevelopmentofwhatinthenineteenthcenturyhadbeenknownasgrab—sharing。Intheindustrialwarfareofthattime,profit—sharinghadbeentried。Thatis,thecapitalistshadstriventoplacatetheworkersbyinterestingthemfinanciallyintheirwork。Butprofit—sharing,asasystem,wasridiculousandimpossible。Profit—sharingcouldbesuccessfulonlyinisolatedcasesinthemidstofasystemofindustrialstrife;forifalllaborandallcapitalsharedprofits,thesameconditionswouldobtainasdidobtainwhentherewasnoprofit—sharing。
So,outoftheunpracticalideaofprofit—sharing,arosethepracticalideaofgrab—sharing。\'Giveusmorepayandchargeittothepublic,\'wasthesloganofthestrongunions。*Andhereandtherethisselfishpolicyworkedsuccessfully。Inchargingittothepublic,itwaschargedtothegreatmassofunorganizedlaborandofweaklyorganizedlabor。Theseworkersactuallypaidtheincreasedwagesoftheirstrongerbrotherswhoweremembersofunionsthatwerelabormonopolies。Thisidea,asIsay,wasmerelycarriedtoitslogicalconclusion,onalargescale,bythecombinationoftheoligarchsandthefavoredunions。
*Alltherailroadunionsenteredintothiscombinationwiththeoligarchs,anditisofinteresttonotethatthefirstdefiniteapplicationofthepolicyofprofit—grabbingwasmadebyarailroadunioninthenineteenthcenturyA。D。,namely,theBrotherhoodofLocomotiveEngineers。P。M。ArthurwasfortwentyyearsGrandChiefoftheBrotherhood。AfterthestrikeonthePennsylvaniaRailroadin1877,hebroachedaschemetohavetheLocomotiveEngineersmaketermswiththerailroadsandto\'goitalone\'sofarastherestofthelaborunionswereconcerned。Thisschemewaseminentlysuccessful。
Itwasassuccessfulasitwasselfish,andoutofitwascoinedtheword\'arthurization,\'todenotegrab—sharingonthepartoflaborunions。Thisword\'arthurization\'haslongpuzzledtheetymologists,butitsderivation,Ihope,isnowmadeclear。
Assoonasthesecretofthedefectionofthefavoredunionsleakedout,therewererumblingsandmutteringsinthelaborworld。
Next,thefavoredunionswithdrewfromtheinternationalorganizationsandbrokeoffallaffiliations。Thencametroubleandviolence。Themembersofthefavoredunionswerebrandedastraitors,andinsaloonsandbrothels,onthestreetsandatwork,and,infact,everywhere,theywereassaultedbythecomradestheyhadsotreacherouslydeserted。
Countlessheadswerebroken,andthereweremanykilled。Nomemberofthefavoredunionswassafe。Theygatheredtogetherinbandsinordertogotoworkortoreturnfromwork。Theywalkedalwaysinthemiddleofthestreet。Onthesidewalktheywereliabletohavetheirskullscrushedbybricksandcobblestonesthrownfromwindowsandhouse—tops。Theywerepermittedtocarryweapons,andtheauthoritiesaidedthemineveryway。Theirpersecutorsweresentencedtolongtermsinprison,wheretheywereharshlytreated;
whilenoman,notamemberofthefavoredunions,waspermittedtocarryweapons。Violationofthislawwasmadeahighmisdemeanorandpunishedaccordingly。
Outragedlaborcontinuedtowreakvengeanceonthetraitors。Castelinesformedautomatically。Thechildrenofthetraitorswerepersecutedbythechildrenoftheworkerswhohadbeenbetrayed,untilitwasimpossiblefortheformertoplayonthestreetsortoattendthepublicschools。Also,thewivesandfamiliesofthetraitorswereostracized,whilethecornergrocerymanwhosoldprovisionstothemwasboycotted。
Asaresult,drivenbackuponthemselvesfromeveryside,thetraitorsandtheirfamiliesbecameclannish。Findingitimpossibletodwellinsafetyinthemidstofthebetrayedproletariat,theymovedintonewlocalitiesinhabitedbythemselvesalone。Inthistheywerefavoredbytheoligarchs。Gooddwellings,modernandsanitary,werebuiltforthem,surroundedbyspaciousyards,andseparatedhereandtherebyparksandplaygrounds。Theirchildrenattendedschoolsespeciallybuiltforthem,andintheseschoolsmanualtrainingandappliedsciencewerespecializedupon。Thus,andunavoidably,attheverybeginning,outofthissegregationarosecaste。Themembersofthefavoredunionsbecamethearistocracyoflabor。Theyweresetapartfromtherestoflabor。Theywerebetterhoused,betterclothed,betterfed,bettertreated。Theyweregrab—sharingwithavengeance。
Inthemeantime,therestoftheworkingclasswasmoreharshlytreated。Manylittleprivilegesweretakenawayfromit,whileitswagesanditsstandardoflivingsteadilysankdown。Incidentally,itspublicschoolsdeteriorated,andeducationslowlyceasedtobecompulsory。Theincreaseintheyoungergenerationofchildrenwhocouldnotreadnorwritewasperilous。
Thecaptureoftheworld—marketbytheUnitedStateshaddisruptedtherestoftheworld。Institutionsandgovernmentswereeverywherecrashingortransforming。Germany,Italy,France,Australia,andNewZealandwerebusyformingcooperativecommonwealths。TheBritishEmpirewasfallingapart。England\'shandswerefull。InIndiarevoltwasinfullswing。ThecryinallAsiawas,\'AsiafortheAsiatics！\'
AndbehindthiscrywasJapan,everurgingandaidingtheyellowandbrownracesagainstthewhite。AndwhileJapandreamedofcontinentalempireandstrovetorealizethedream,shesuppressedherownproletarianrevolution。Itwasasimplewarofthecastes,CoolieversusSamurai,andthecooliesocialistswereexecutedbytensofthousands。Fortythousandwerekilledinthestreet—fightingofTokioandinthefutileassaultontheMikado\'spalace。Kobewasashambles;theslaughterofthecottonoperativesbymachine—gunsbecameclassicasthemostterrificexecutioneverachievedbymodernwarmachines。MostsavageofallwastheJapaneseOligarchythatarose。JapandominatedtheEast,andtooktoherselfthewholeAsiaticportionoftheworld—market,withtheexceptionofIndia。
EnglandmanagedtocrushherownproletarianrevolutionandtoholdontoIndia,thoughshewasbroughttothevergeofexhaustion。
Also,shewascompelledtolethergreatcoloniesslipawayfromher。SoitwasthatthesocialistssucceededinmakingAustraliaandNewZealandintocooperativecommonwealths。AnditwasforthesamereasonthatCanadawaslosttothemothercountry。ButCanadacrushedherownsocialistrevolution,beingaidedinthisbytheIronHeel。Atthesametime,theIronHeelhelpedMexicoandCubatoputdownrevolt。TheresultwasthattheIronHeelwasfirmlyestablishedintheNewWorld。IthadweldedintoonecompactpoliticalmassthewholeofNorthAmericafromthePanamaCanaltotheArcticOcean。
AndEngland,atthesacrificeofhergreatcolonies,hadsucceededonlyinretainingIndia。Butthiswasnomorethantemporary。ThestrugglewithJapanandtherestofAsiaforIndiawasmerelydelayed。
EnglandwasdestinedshortlytoloseIndia,whilebehindthateventloomedthestrugglebetweenaunitedAsiaandtheworld。
Andwhilealltheworldwastornwithconflict,weoftheUnitedStateswerenotplacidandpeaceful。Thedefectionofthegreatunionshadpreventedourproletarianrevolt,butviolencewaseverywhere。
Inadditiontothelabortroubles,andthediscontentofthefarmersandoftheremnantofthemiddleclass,areligiousrevivalhadblazedup。AnoffshootoftheSeventhDayAdventistssprangintosuddenprominence,proclaimingtheendoftheworld。
\'Confusionthriceconfounded！\'Ernestcried。\'Howcanwehopeforsolidaritywithallthesecrosspurposesandconflicts？\'
Andtrulythereligiousrevivalassumedformidableproportions。
Thepeople,whatoftheirwretchedness,andoftheirdisappointmentinallthingsearthly,wereripeandeagerforaheavenwhereindustrialtyrantsenterednomorethancamelspassedthroughneedle—eyes。Wild—eyeditinerantpreachersswarmedovertheland;
anddespitetheprohibitionofthecivilauthorities,andthepersecutionfordisobedience,theflamesofreligiousfrenzywerefannedbycountlesscamp—meetings。
Itwasthelastdays,theyclaimed,thebeginningoftheendoftheworld。Thefourwindshadbeenloosed。Godhadstirredthenationstostrife。Itwasatimeofvisionsandmiracles,whileseersandprophetesseswerelegion。Thepeopleceasedworkbyhundredsofthousandsandfledtothemountains,theretoawaittheimminentcomingofGodandtherisingofthehundredandfortyandfourthousandtoheaven。ButinthemeantimeGoddidnotcome,andtheystarvedtodeathingreatnumbers。Intheirdesperationtheyravagedthefarmsforfood,andtheconsequenttumultandanarchyinthecountrydistrictsbutincreasedthewoesofthepoorexpropriatedfarmers。
Also,thefarmsandwarehouseswerethepropertyoftheIronHeel。
Armiesoftroopswereputintothefield,andthefanaticswereherdedbackatthebayonetpointtotheirtasksinthecities。Theretheybrokeoutineverrecurringmobsandriots。Theirleaderswereexecutedforseditionorconfinedinmadhouses。Thosewhowereexecutedwenttotheirdeathswithallthegladnessofmartyrs。Itwasatimeofmadness。Theunrestspread。Intheswampsanddesertsandwasteplaces,fromFloridatoAlaska,thesmallgroupsofIndiansthatsurvivedweredancingghostdancesandwaitingthecomingofaMessiahoftheirown。
Andthroughitall,withaserenityandcertitudethatwasterrifying,continuedtorisetheformofthatmonsteroftheages,theOligarchy。Withironhandandironheelitmasteredthesurgingmillions,outofconfusionbroughtorder,outoftheverychaoswroughtitsownfoundationandstructure。
\'Justwaittillwegetin,\'theGrangerssaid—CalvinsaidittousinourPellStreetquarters。\'Lookatthestateswe\'vecaptured。
Withyousocialiststobackus,we\'llmakethemsinganothersongwhenwetakeoffice。\'
\'Themillionsofthediscontentedandtheimpoverishedareours,\'
thesocialistssaid。\'TheGrangershavecomeovertous,thefarmers,themiddleclass,andthelaborers。Thecapitalistsystemwillfalltopieces。InanothermonthwesendfiftymentoCongress。
Twoyearshenceeveryofficewillbeours,fromthePresidentdowntothelocaldog—catcher。\'
ToallofwhichErnestwouldshakehisheadandsay:
\'Howmanyrifleshaveyougot？Doyouknowwhereyoucangetplentyoflead？Whenitcomestopowder,chemicalmixturesarebetterthanmechanicalmixtures,youtakemyword。\'
CHAPTERSIXTEEN。
TheEnd。
WHENITCAMETIMEFORErnestandmetogotoWashington,fatherdidnotaccompanyus。Hehadbecomeenamouredofproletarianlife。
Helookeduponourslumneighborhoodasagreatsociologicallaboratory,andhehadembarkeduponanapparentlyendlessorgyofinvestigation。Hechummedwiththelaborers,andwasanintimateinscoresofhomes。Also,heworkedatoddjobs,andtheworkwasplayaswellaslearnedinvestigation,forhedelightedinitandwasalwaysreturninghomewithcopiousnotesandbubblingoverwithnewadventures。Hewastheperfectscientist。
Therewasnoneedforhisworkingatall,becauseErnestmanagedtoearnenoughfromhistranslatingtotakecareofthethreeofus。
Butfatherinsistedonpursuinghisfavoritephantom,andaproteanphantomitwas,judgingfromthejobsheworkedat。Ishallneverforgettheeveninghebroughthomehisstreetpedler\'soutfitofshoe—lacesandsuspenders,northetimeIwentintothelittlecornergrocerytomakesomepurchaseandhadhimwaitonme。AfterthatIwasnotsurprisedwhenhetendedbarforaweekinthesaloonacrossthestreet。Heworkedasanightwatchman,hawkedpotatoesonthestreet,pastedlabelsinacannerywarehouse,wasutilitymaninapaper—boxfactory,andwater—carrierforastreetrailwayconstructiongang,andevenjoinedtheDishwashers\'Unionjustbeforeitfelltopieces。
IthinktheBishop\'sexample,sofaraswearingapparelwasconcerned,musthavefascinatedfather,forheworethecheapcottonshirtofthelaborerandtheoverallswiththenarrowstrapaboutthehips。Yetonehabitremainedtohimfromtheoldlife;healwaysdressedfordinner,orsupper,rather。
IcouldbehappyanywherewithErnest;andfather\'shappinessinourchangedcircumstancesroundedoutmyownhappiness。
\'WhenIwasaboy,\'fathersaid,\'Iwasverycurious。Iwantedtoknowwhythingswereandhowtheycametopass。ThatwaswhyI
becameaphysicist。Thelifeinmeto—dayisjustascuriousasitwasinmyboyhood,andit\'sthebeingcuriousthatmakeslifeworthliving。\'
SometimesheventurednorthofMarketStreetintotheshoppingandtheatredistrict,wherehesoldpapers,ranerrands,andopenedcabs。There,oneday,closingacab,heencounteredMr。Wickson。Inhighgleefatherdescribedtheincidenttousthatevening。
\'WicksonlookedatmesharplywhenIclosedthedooronhim,andmuttered,\"Well,I\'llbedamned。\"Justlikethathesaidit,\"Well,I\'llbedamned。\"Hisfaceturnedredandhewassoconfusedthatheforgottotipme。Buthemusthaverecoveredhimselfquickly,forthecabhadn\'tgonefiftyfeetbeforeitturnedaroundandcameback。Heleanedoutofthedoor。
\'\"Lookhere,Professor,\"hesaid,\"thisistoomuch。WhatcanIdoforyou？\"
\'\"Iclosedthecabdoorforyou,\"Ianswered。\"Accordingtocommoncustomyoumightgivemeadime。\"
\'\"Botherthat！\"hesnorted。\"Imeansomethingsubstantial。\"
\'Hewascertainlyserious—atwingeofossifiedconscienceorsomething;andsoIconsideredwithgravedeliberationforamoment。
\'HisfacewasquiteexpectantwhenIbeganmyanswer,butyoushouldhaveseenitwhenIfinished。
\'\"Youmightgivemebackmyhome,\"Isaid,\"andmystockintheSierraMills。\"\'
Fatherpaused。
\'Whatdidhesay？\'Iquestionedeagerly。
\'Whatcouldhesay？Hesaidnothing。ButIsaid。\"Ihopeyouarehappy。\"Helookedatmecuriously。\"Tellme,areyouhappy？\"\'Iasked。
\'Heorderedthecabmantodriveon,andwentawayswearinghorribly。
Andhedidn\'tgivemethedime,muchlessthehomeandstock;soyousee,mydear,yourfather\'sstreet—arabcareerisbesetwithdisappointments。\'
AndsoitwasthatfatherkeptonatourPellStreetquarters,whileErnestandIwenttoWashington。Exceptforthefinalconsummation,theoldorderhadpassedaway,andthefinalconsummationwasnearerthanIdreamed。Contrarytoourexpectation,noobstacleswereraisedtopreventthesocialistCongressmenfromtakingtheirseats。
Everythingwentsmoothly,andIlaughedatErnestwhenhelookedupontheverysmoothnessassomethingominous。
Wefoundoursocialistcomradesconfident,optimisticoftheirstrengthandofthethingstheywouldaccomplish。AfewGrangerswhohadbeenelectedtoCongressincreasedourstrength,andanelaborateprogrammeofwhatwastobedonewaspreparedbytheunitedforces。InallofwhichErnestjoinedloyallyandenergetically,thoughhecouldnotforbear,nowandagain,fromsaying,aproposofnothinginparticular,\'Whenitcomestopowder,chemicalmixturesarebetterthanmechanicalmixtures,youtakemyword。\'
ThetroublearosefirstwiththeGrangersinthevariousstatestheyhadcapturedatthelastelection。Therewereadozenofthesestates,buttheGrangerswhohadbeenelectedwerenotpermittedtotakeoffice。Theincumbentsrefusedtogetout。Itwasverysimple。Theymerelychargedillegalityintheelectionsandwrappedupthewholesituationintheinterminableredtapeofthelaw。TheGrangerswerepowerless。Thecourtswereinthehandsoftheirenemies。
Thiswasthemomentofdanger。IfthecheatedGrangersbecameviolent,allwaslost。Howwesocialistsworkedtoholdthemback！
ThereweredaysandnightswhenErnestneverclosedhiseyesinsleep。
ThebigleadersoftheGrangerssawtheperilandwerewithustoaman。Butitwasallofnoavail。TheOligarchywantedviolence,anditsetitsagents—provocateurstowork。Withoutdiscussion,itwastheagents—provocateurswhocausedthePeasantRevolt。
Inadozenstatestherevoltflaredup。Theexpropriatedfarmerstookforciblepossessionofthestategovernments。Ofcoursethiswasunconstitutional,andofcoursetheUnitedStatesputitssoldiersintothefield。Everywheretheagents—provocateursurgedthepeopleon。TheseemissariesoftheIronHeeldisguisedthemselvesasartisans,farmers,andfarmlaborers。InSacramento,thecapitalofCalifornia,theGrangershadsucceededinmaintainingorder。Thousandsofsecretagentswererushedtothedevotedcity。Inmobscomposedwhollyofthemselves,theyfiredandlootedbuildingsandfactories。
Theyworkedthepeopleupuntiltheyjoinedtheminthepillage。
Liquorinlargequantitieswasdistributedamongtheslumclassesfurthertoinflametheirminds。Andthen,whenallwasready,appeareduponthescenethesoldiersoftheUnitedStates,whowere,inreality,thesoldiersoftheIronHeel。Eleventhousandmen,women,andchildrenwereshotdownonthestreetsofSacramentoormurderedintheirhouses。Thenationalgovernmenttookpossessionofthestategovernment,andallwasoverforCalifornia。
AndaswithCalifornia,soelsewhere。EveryGrangerstatewasravagedwithviolenceandwashedinblood。First,disorderwasprecipitatedbythesecretagentsandtheBlackHundreds,thenthetroopswerecalledout。Riotingandmob—rulereignedthroughouttheruraldistricts。Dayandnightthesmokeofburningfarms,warehouses,villages,andcitiesfilledthesky。Dynamiteappeared。Railroadbridgesandtunnelswereblownupandtrainswerewrecked。Thepoorfarmerswereshotandhangedingreatnumbers。Reprisalswerebitter,andmanyplutocratsandarmyofficersweremurdered。Bloodandvengeancewereinmen\'shearts。TheregulartroopsfoughtthefarmersassavagelyashadtheybeenIndians。Andtheregulartroopshadcause。Twenty—eighthundredofthemhadbeenannihilatedinatremendousseriesofdynamiteexplosionsinOregon,andinasimilarmanner,anumberoftrainloads,atdifferenttimesandplaces,hadbeendestroyed。Soitwasthattheregulartroopsfoughtfortheirlivesaswellasdidthefarmers。
Asforthemilitia,themilitialawof1903wasputintoeffect,andtheworkersofonestatewerecompelled,underpainofdeath,toshootdowntheircomrade—workersinotherstates。Ofcourse,themilitialawdidnotworksmoothlyatfirst。Manymilitiaofficersweremurdered,andmanymilitiamenwereexecutedbydrumheadcourtmartial。
Ernest\'sprophecywasstrikinglyfulfilledinthecasesofMr。
KowaltandMr。Asmunsen。Bothwereeligibleforthemilitia,andbothweredraftedtoserveinthepunitiveexpeditionthatwasdespatchedfromCaliforniaagainstthefarmersofMissouri。Mr。KowaltandMr。Asmunsenrefusedtoserve。Theyweregivenshortshrift。
Drumheadcourtmartialwastheirportion,andmilitaryexecutiontheirend。Theywereshotwiththeirbackstothefiringsquad。
Manyyoungmenfledintothemountainstoescapeservinginthemilitia。Theretheybecameoutlaws,anditwasnotuntilmorepeacefultimesthattheyreceivedtheirpunishment。Itwasdrastic。Thegovernmentissuedaproclamationforalllaw—abidingcitizenstocomeinfromthemountainsforaperiodofthreemonths。Whentheproclaimeddatearrived,halfamillionsoldiersweresentintothemountainousdistrictseverywhere。Therewasnoinvestigation,notrial。Whereveramanwasencountered,hewasshotdownonthespot。
Thetroopsoperatedonthebasisthatnomannotanoutlawremainedinthemountains。Somebands,instrongpositions,foughtgallantly,butintheendeverydeserterfromthemilitiametdeath。
Amoreimmediatelesson,however,wasimpressedonthemindsofthepeoplebythepunishmentmetedouttotheKansasmilitia。ThegreatKansasMutinyoccurredattheverybeginningofmilitaryoperationsagainsttheGrangers。Sixthousandofthemilitiamutinied。
Theyhadbeenforseveralweeksveryturbulentandsullen,andforthatreasonhadbeenkeptincamp。Theiropenmutiny,however,waswithoutdoubtprecipitatedbytheagents—provocateurs。
OnthenightoftheApril22theyaroseandmurderedtheirofficers,onlyasmallremnantofthelatterescaping。ThiswasbeyondtheschemeoftheIronHeel,fortheagents—provocateurshaddonetheirworktoowell。ButeverythingwasgristtotheIronHeel。Ithadpreparedfortheoutbreak,andthekillingofsomanyofficersgaveitjustificationforwhatfollowed。Asbymagic,fortythousandsoldiersoftheregulararmysurroundedthemalcontents。Itwasatrap。Thewretchedmilitiamenfoundthattheirmachine—gunshadbeentamperedwith,andthatthecartridgesfromthecapturedmagazinesdidnotfittheirrifles。Theyhoistedthewhiteflagofsurrender,butitwasignored。Therewerenosurvivors。Theentiresixthousandwereannihilated。Commonshellandshrapnelwerethrowninuponthemfromadistance,and,when,intheirdesperation,theychargedtheencirclinglines,theyweremoweddownbythemachine—guns。Italkedwithaneye—witness,andhesaidthatthenearestanymilitiamanapproachedthemachine—gunswasahundredandfiftyyards。Theearthwascarpetedwiththeslain,andafinalchargeofcavalry,withtramplingofhorses\'hoofs,revolvers,andsabres,crushedthewoundedintotheground。
SimultaneouslywiththedestructionoftheGrangerscametherevoltofthecoalminers。Itwastheexpiringeffortoforganizedlabor。Three—quartersofamillionofminerswentoutonstrike。Buttheyweretoowidelyscatteredoverthecountrytoadvantagefromtheirownstrength。Theyweresegregatedintheirowndistrictsandbeatenintosubmission。Thiswasthefirstgreatslave—drive。
Pocock*wonhisspursasaslave—driverandearnedtheundyinghatredoftheproletariat。Countlessattemptsweremadeuponhislife,butheseemedtobearacharmedexistence。ItwashewhowasresponsiblefortheintroductionoftheRussianpassportsystemamongtheminers,andthedenialoftheirrightofremovalfromonepartofthecountrytoanother。
*AlbertPocock,anotherofthenotoriousstrike—breakersofearlieryears,who,tothedayofhisdeath,successfullyheldallthecoal—minersofthecountrytotheirtask。Hewassucceededbyhisson,LewisPocock,andforfivegenerationsthisremarkablelineofslave—drivershandledthecoalmines。TheelderPocock,knownasPocockI。,hasbeendescribedasfollows:\'Along,leanhead,semicircledbyafringeofbrownandgrayhair,withbigcheek—bonesandaheavychin,……apaleface,lustrelessgrayeyes,ametallicvoice,andalanguidmanner。\'Hewasbornofhumbleparents,andbeganhiscareerasabartender。Henextbecameaprivatedetectiveforastreetrailwaycorporation,andbysuccessivestepsdevelopedintoaprofessionalstrikebreaker。PocockV。,thelastoftheline,wasblownupinapump—housebyabombduringapettyrevoltoftheminersintheIndianTerritory。Thisoccurredin2073A。D。