按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃The bosses own you body and soul。 They regard you as slaves。 Your work makes them rich and yet they won't pay for your work。 While they are piling up profits you go around without a nickel in your jeans。 At the end of the week you want your pay。 Why don't they give it to you？ Because they would sooner borrow money without interest from you than go to the bank and pay eight per cent。 for it。 You men are their bankers and don't know it。 You could have your money in the bank instead of in their pocketsit would be drawing interest for you instead of drawing interest for them！ The interest on the wages of you men is five hundred sixty dollars a month。 No wonder they hold your pay for a month and put that five hundred and sixty dollars in their pockets。 But those wages are yours as fast as you earn them。 The interest on your money belongs to you。 That five hundred and sixty dollars a month belongs in your pockets。 But it will go into the bosses' pockets as long as you are willing to be robbed。 You have rights； but they trample on them when you will not fight for your rights。 Are you mice or men？〃
When it was put that way they answered that they were men。 The strike was 〃sold〃 to them before the meeting； without their having had a chance to state their side of it。 I felt that this was wrong。 There are lynch verdicts in this world as well as verdicts of justice。 When men have a chance to make up their own minds their verdict is always just。 But here a little group who knew what they wanted had stampeded the minds of the men； and a verdict won that way is like a mob verdict。
I decided to get up and speak； although it was really too late。 It seemed to me like calling a doctor after the patient is dead。 〃Men；〃 I said； 〃I'm a newcomer here and I never made a speech in my life。 I wouldn't try to now； only I've been asked to by othersby somebody that's been here a long time。 He thinks there ought to be a little more said before we ballot。 It's a hot day and I don't want to keep you here if you don't want to listen to me。 What I've got to say probably don't amount to much。〃
〃Go ahead；〃 somebody said。
〃We've decided to strike； and I don't know how it will turn out。 I've been out of work for several months and you fellows haven't； so I can tell you what it's like。 The country is thronging with idle men。 If we lose this strike we can roam all over the country before we find another job。 I came all the way here from Alabama； where they drove a bunch of iron workers into the peonage camps； and I was glad to get out alive。 Conditions are awful bad in this country and I have been trying to study 'em。 Money is scarcer now than it's ever been before。 They tell us that the bosses are keeping our wages in their pockets。 That's a mistake。 They haven't got anything in their pockets。 They've mortgaged their homes and pledged everything they own。 They're having a devil of a time to rake up the money every month to meet the pay…roll when it's due。 They aren't taking in the money as fast as they're paying it out。 Their salesmen are on the road trying to sell tin plate； but the tinners are so hard up that few of them can buy。
〃I believe we ought to get our pay every week； but how can we get it if the boss hasn't got it？ We've got to look at this thing in the light of facts。 The facts are that we have our jobs and are sure of our pay once a month。 There are a million men who would like to have what we have。 Those men will swarm in and take our jobs。 You can't stop them。 A hungry man can't be stopped by the cry of 'scab。' You all know that there are so many union men now idle that we have to pass around our jobs to keep the men in this town from starving。 When word goes out that we have struck； you'll see the workers swarm in here like locusts。 They'll be glad to take their pay by the month。 What's the use of a strike that hasn't got a chance to win？ We joined the union to make our jobs secure and to get good pay。 We're getting good pay。 Our jobs are secure unless we lose them in this strike。
〃I don't believe we've looked at both sides of the case。 I don't believe the boys really want this strike。 The demand for it originated outside our ranks。 Who started it？ Wasn't it started by fellows who want us to get our pay quicker so they can get it quicker？ They're the ones that worked up this strike。 They tell us that the bosses are robbing us because they hold our pay till the end of the month。 They say we ought to have it in the bank。 They know we wouldn't put it in the bank。 You know we wouldn't put it in the bank。 We don't want to put it in the bank； and you bet your boots they don't want us to put it in the bank。 They're liars when they say they're boosting for the banks。 They're boosting for their own pockets。
〃But we've really got our money in a bankor what's good as a bank。 The mill keeps our money for us just the way a bank would。 No bank in town pays interest on checking accounts； you know that。 Then why take our money out of the mill office and put it in a bank？ It's just as safe in the mill office。 And you've got the right to draw on it if you really need money in the middle of the month。 Only in case of death or accident does a man need money in the middle of the month。 And he can go to the pay window and get it when he needs it。 The doctor doesn't send his bill till the end of the month。 The landlord doesn't collect the rent till the end of the month。 The grocer and butcher let you run a bill till the end of the month。 Some of us are really better off getting our pay at the end of the month。 For it's all there for us and we can pay our bills promptly and hold up our heads as men。 If we didn't leave our money in the office until the end of the month； we might blow it in at a bar； and when the wife wanted money to pay the rent and food bill we would have to tell her we were broke and she would have to hang her head。 When the landlord and butcher came for the money she would have to try to stand them off。 Do we want to let the rent go unpaid until the landlord cusses us out？ Is that what we are striking for？ If the landlord and butcher are willing to wait till we draw our pay； we ought to be willing too。 Isn't it better to wait a month for pay than to wait a year？ I'm right here to tell you that after this strike we'll wait for our pay until hell freezes over and the devil goes skating。
〃Let us make no mistake。 We are calling this strike not of our own free will； but were shoved into it by a lot of slick talkers that are in business and are not workers。 They have hoodwinked us。 They have made fools of us。 A speaker asked are we mice or men。 I ask them are they rats or men。 I want these rats to come out of their holes and stand upon this floor。 Who was the first man that suggested this strike？ I want to see the color of his hair。 Stand up； if he's in the hall。 If he isn't here； why isn't he？〃
No one answered。
〃If this strike was called by outsiders；〃 I cried； 〃why don't the outsiders do the striking？ Whose jobs will be lost in this strikeour jobs or the outsiders' jobs？ If the man who started this strike has a job that won't be lost in the strike； then I claim that we have made a bad mistake。 And if we're making a mistake； men； what are we going to do about it？〃
I sat down； exhausted by the first attempt at public pleading I had ever made。 Everything grew dark about me； and I knew that I had done my best and that I was through。 I was quite young； and I went to pieces like an untrained runner who had overdone himself。
The men were talking to one another； and somebody moved that the meeting take a recess until after supper。 It would give time to think it over and find out what the men really thought about the strike proposition。
CHAPTER XXXII
LOGIC WINS IN THE STRETCH
At seven o'clock we met again and several men made short talks opposing the strike。 Each fellow； when he got up； seemed to have a lot of ideas； but when he tried to express them he grew confused； and after stammering a while he could only put forth the bare opinion； 〃I don't think we ought to strike。〃 This meeting was quite different from the other one。 Here every man was thinking for himself but nobody could say anything。 In the previous meeting the speakers had talked passionately； and the rest had been swept along with them as a unit。 In other words； the first session had become group…minded instead of individual… minded。 It is like the difference between a stampede and a deliberative body。 The second meeting was calmly deliberative and it finally voted a reconsideration； and the strike resolution was overwhelmingly defeated。
If this were a novel； it would be fine to record in this chapter that the young orator who at the last moment turned the tide and saved the day became the hero of the union and was unanimously elected president。 That's the way these things go in fiction。 And that is exactly what happened。 In due time I found myself at the head of the Local； and nearly every man had voted for me。 I started negotiations for more frequent paydays； and a few months later we were being paid on the first and fifteenth of the month。 Life is indeed dramatic；at least it has seemed so to me。 Some men say that life has no meaning； that men are the playth