the iron puddler-第21章

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　back　to　Birmingham；　where　the　strike　was　over。

〃Show　us　that　spieler；〃　they　said；　〃who　told　us　the　wage　system　was　the　worst　kind　of　slavery。　If　daily　wages　is　slavery；　God　grant　that　they　never　set　us　free　again。〃



CHAPTER　XXIX

A　SICK；　EMACIATED　SOCIAL　SYSTEM


The　hard　times　I　have　been　describing　were　in　the　early　nineties。　The　year　before　there　had　been　a　financial　crash。　Nobody　seemed　to　know　what　was　the　matter　at　the　time；　but　it　has　since　been　learned　that　the　hard　times　were　the　fruit　of　crop　failures；　if　one　can　call　failure　fruit。　All　over　the　world　bad　years　had　destroyed　the　harvests。　This　great　loss　of　foodstuffs　was　exactly　the　same　as　if　armies　in　war　had　ravaged　the　fields。　Farmers　had　to　borrow　money　to　buy　food。　They　had　no　other　buying　power。　So　trade　languished；　credit　was　strained；　and　finally　came　the　financial　collapse。　It　happened　after　the　good　crop　years　were　returning。　That's　why　the　people　could　not　understand　it。　Farmers　were　raising　crops　again；　but　labor　was　idle　and　could　not　buy　bread。

The　lesson　is　this；　when　commerce　is　starved　down　to　a　certain　point；　it　goes　to　pieces。　Then　when　the　food　comes　it　can　not　assimilate　it。　It　is　like　a　man　who　has　been　without　food　for　thirty　days。　His　muscles　have　disappeared；　his　organs　have　shrunk；　he　can　not　walk；　he　is　only　skin　and　bones。　The　disappearance　of　the　muscles　is　like　the　disappearance　of　labor's　jobs　in　hard　times。　The　shrinkage　of　the　vital　organs　is　like　the　shrinkage　of　capital　and　values。　When　the　starved　man　is　faced　with　food　he　can　not　set　in　and　eat　a　regular　dinner。　He　must　be　fed　on　a　teaspoonful　of　soup；　and　it　is　many　months　before　his　muscles　come　back；　his　organs　regain　their　normal　size　and　he　is　a　well…fed　man　again。　So　it　is　with　the　industrial　state。　It　can　be　starved　by　crop　failures；　by　war　waste　or　by　labor　slacking　on　the　job。　Anything　that　lessens　the　output　of　field　and　factory；　whether　it　be　heaven's　drought　or　man's　loafing；　starves　the　economic　state　and　starves　all　men　in　it。　If　crop　failure　should　last　long　enough；　as　it　does　in　China；　millions　of　men　would　die。　If　war　lasts　long　enough；　as　it　did　in　Austria；　millions　of　citizens　must　starve。　If　labor　should　try　slacking；　as　it　did　in　Russia；　the　economic　state　would　starve　to　death　and　the　workers　die　with　it。

Men　who　have　been　through　strikes　and　lockouts　until　they　have　been　reduced　to　rags　and　hunger　place　no　trust　in　the　Russian　theory　that　men　can　quit　work　and　loaf　their　way　to　wealth。　We　loafed　our　way　to　hunger；　misery　and　peonage。　We　saw　that　the　whole　world　would　come　to　our　fate；　if　all　should　follow　our　example。　Luckily　we　won　our　point；　so　we　went　back　to　work　and　helped　feed　the　starved　social　state；　and　in　a　few　years　America　was　rich　again。　And　America　continued　rich　and　fat　until　the　World　War　wastage　shrank　her　to　skin　and　bones　again。　Much　of　her　muscle　has　disappeared　（1921：　five　million　workers　are　idle）　and　she　must　be　nursed　back　by　big　crops；　and　big　output　by　labor　before　she　will　be　strong　enough　to　reabsorb　into　her　system　every　muscle　in　America。

That's　my　belief。　That's　my　gospel。　I　did　not　make　this　gospel。　It　is　God's　law　and　we　can　not　alter　it。　If　I　were　asked　to　write　the　BIBLE　OF　LABOR；　this　chapter　would　be　the　law　and　the　prophets。　And　from　these　truths　I　would　advise　each　man　to　write　his　own　Ten　Commandments。



CHAPTER　XXX

BREAKING　INTO　THE　TIN　INDUSTRY


I　decided　to　leave　Birmingham　as　soon　as　my　stomach　had　got　used　to　regular　meals　and　my　pocket　knew　what　real　money　felt　like　again。

The　dry　years　had　ended　and　once　more　the　northern　farms　were　yielding　mammoth　crops。　But　the　country　was　so　sick　that　it　couldn't　sit　up　and　eat　as　it　ought　to。　So　the　farmers　were　selling　their　crops　at　steadily　falling　prices。　This　drove　some　of　them　frantic。　They　couldn't　pay　interest　on　their　mortgaged　farms；　and　they　were　seeking　to　find　〃the　way　out〃　by　issuing　paper　money；　or　money　from　some　cheap　metal　with　which　they　could　repudiate　their　debts。　Banks　could　not　collect　their　loans；　merchants　could　not　get　money　for　their　goods；　manufacturers　were　swamped　by　their　pay…rolls　and　had　to　discharge　their　men。　Coxey　was　raising　a　great　army　of　idle　men　to　march　on　Washington　and　demand　that　the　government　should　feed　and　clothe　the　people。

All　my　savings　had　long　since　gone；　and　from　the　high　life　in　the　Pie　Boarding…House　I　had　descended　to　my　days　of　bread　and　water。　All　men　were　in　a　common　misery。　If　a　hobo　managed　to　get　a　steak　and　cook　it　in　the　bushes　by　the　railroad　track；　the　smell　of　it　would　draw　a　score　of　hungry　men　into　the　circle　of　his　firelight。　It　was　a　trying　time；　and　it　took　all　the　fortitude　I　had　to　look　hopefully　forward　toward　a　day　when　things　would　begin　picking　up　and　the　wheels　of　industry　would　whirl　again。　The　idle　men　who　had　camped　by　the　railroads　had　drunk　their　water　from；　and　cooked　their　mulligan　stews　in；　tomato　cans。　The　tin　can　had　become　the　badge　of　hoboing。　The　tin　trade　was　new　in　America　and　I　foresaw　a　future　in　the　industry；　for　all　kinds　of　food　were　now　being　put　up　in　tin；　whereas　when　I　was　a　child　a　tin　can　was　rarely　seen。　I　decided　that　two　trades　were　better　than　one；　and　I　would　learn　the　tin　plate　trade。　I　went　to　Elwood；　Indiana；　and　found　a　place　there　in　a　tin　mill。　My　knowledge　of　puddling；　heating　and　rolling；　occasionally　working　in　a　sheet　mill　similar　to　a　tin　mill；　prepared　me　for　this　new　work。　In　tin　making　a　piece　of　wrought　iron　is　rolled　thin　and　then　covered　with　a　thinner　coating　of　pure　tin。　After　this　is　done　the　plate　remains　soiled　and　discolored；　and　the　next　process　is　to　remove　the　stain　and　polish　the　tin　until　it　shines　like　silver。

To　have　a　job　and　eat　pie　again　made　me　happy。　Our　union　contained　several　hundred　members；　so　I　had　a　lot　of　prospective　friends　to　get　acquainted　with。　I　was　then　nearly　twenty…one　and　a　pretty　good　mixer；　I　liked　men　and　enjoyed　mingling　with　them　and　learning　all　I　could　from　what　they　told　me。　When　they　drifted　into　a　saloon　I　went　along　for　the　company。　I　did　not　care　to　drink；　so　I　would　join　some　impromptu　quartet　and　we　would　sing　popular　songs　while　the　other　fellows　cheered　us　with　the　best　will　in　the　world。　A　drink　of　beer　or　two　heightens　a　man's　appreciation　of　music；　and　the　way　the　boys　applauded　my　singing　makes　me　rather　regret　the　Volstead　Act。　It　queered　my　act。　Since　beer　disappeared　nobody　has　asked　me　to　sing。　Prohibition　may　be　good　for　the　health　but　it　is　sure　death　to　art。

Those　were　happy　days。　But　just　when　all　my　troubles　seemed　ended　and　the　rainbow　of　promise　in　the　sky；　a　new　cloud　appeared；　black　and　threatening。　In　fact　it　swept　down　like　a　tornado。　The　men　decided　to　strike。

A　strike！　Of　all　things！　We　owned　about　the　only　jobs　in　Indiana。　Our　strike　wouldn't　last　longfor　the　mills。　For　us　it　would　last　forever。　The　day　we　walked　out；　others　would　walk　in。　And　it　would　be　so　small　a　part　of　Coxey's　army　that　the　main　body　would　march　on　and　never　miss　it。　I　had　just　gone　through　that　long；　soul…killing　period　of　idleness　and　had　barely　managed　to　find　a　job　before　I　collapsed。　Now　that　we　were　to　strike　I　would　have　to　push　that　job　aside　and　sink　back　into　the　abyss。

In　reaching　Elwood；　I　had　tramped　from　Muncie；　Indiana；　to　Anderson；　a　long　weary　walk　for　one　whose　feet；　like　mine；　were　not　accustomed　to　it。　From　Anderson　I　tramped　to　Frankton；　and　there　I　caught　a　freight　and　rode　the　bumpers　to　Elwood。　The　train　took　me　right　into　the　mill。　It　was　summer　and　the　mill　had　been　shut　down　by　the　hard　times。　The　boss　was　there　looking　over　the　machinery。　They　were　getting　ready　to　start　up。　I　faced　him　and　he　said：　〃Do　you　want　a　job？〃

〃Yes；〃　I　said。

〃What　at？　Greasing　up　to…night；〃　he　said。　Weary　and　hungry　as　I　was　from　my　hoboing；　I　went　right　to　work；　and　all　night　I；　with　a　few　others；　greased　the　bearings。　The　next　day　he　gave　me　a　job　as　a　catcher。　A　catcher　is　one　who　seizes　the　rolled　plate　as　it　comes　out　and　throws　it　back　to　the　roller。　It　has　to　be　rolled　many　times。　The　boss　who　gave　me　this　much…wanted　job　was　Daniel　G。　Reid；　who　afterward　became　one　of　the　big　men　in　the　tin　industry。

After　I　became　Secretary　of　Labor　I　w