the iron puddler-第26章

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lem　with　a　thirst　for　accurate　knowledge；　and　my　passion　was　not　for　bloodshed　but　for　brotherhood。



CHAPTER　XXXVII

FREE　AND　UNLIMITED　COINAGE


It　was　during　the　panic　in　1894　that　the　strike　vote　was　defeated。　We　worked　on　until　the　first　of　July；　1896；　when　our　agreement　expired。　By　that　time　the　tin　mill　was　on　its　feet。　The　town　of　Elwood　had　grown　from　a　country　cross…roads　to　a　city　of　the　first　class。　As　president　of　the　union；　I　had　steadily　gained　concessions　for　the　workers。　We　were　getting　paid　every　two　weeks。　It　is　not　practical　to　pay　oftener　in　the　tin　trade。　A　man's　work　has　to　be　measured　and　weighed；　and　the　plate　he　rolls　on　Saturday　can　not　be　cut　and　measured　in　time　for　him　to　get　his　pay　for　it　that　week。　For　the　pay　envelope　is　handed　to　him　Saturday　noon；　and　his　Saturday's　rolling　will　not　go　through　the　cutter　until　Monday。　He　can　not　be　paid　for　it　until　it　is　in　shape　to　be　measured。　So　we　were　satisfied　to　be　paid　twice　a　month。

But　the　mill　was　now　making　big　profits　and　we　demanded　a　raise　in　pay。　The　mill　owners　countered　by　refusing　to　〃recognize〃　the　union。　They　would　deal　with　the　men　only　as　individuals。　A　strike　was　called；　and　the　union　won。　We　recovered　our　raise　in　pay　and　signed　a　new　contract。　The　strike　was　off　in　September　after　two　long　months　of　idleness；　and　within　a　few　days　after　the　dust　had　settled　we　smelt　the　fireworks　of　political　oratory。　I　am　telling　it　now　as　it　appeared　to　me　then；　and　of　course　I　beg　the　indulgence　of　those　concerned。

Bryan；　the　bearcat　of　the　Nebraska　ranches；　had　roared　with　his　ears　back；　and　the　land　was　in　a　tumult。　〃Coin's　Financial　School〃　had　already　taught　the　people　that　the　〃gold…bugs〃　owned　the　country　and　that　the　people　could　save　themselves　from　eternal　serfdom　only　by　changing　the　color　of　their　money。　Bryan　told　the　westerners　that　the　East　was　the　〃enemy's　country〃　and　that　the　gold　standard　was　a　game　by　which　the　East　was　robbing　the　West；　and　the　only　way　the　people　of　the　West　could　save　themselves　was　to　move　East　and　clip　bonds　or　else　change　the　color　of　the　money！

This　is　the　way　it　looked　to　me　as　a　working　man；　and　I　hope　my　good　friend　Bryan　will　pardon　me　for　writing　of　his　〃great　paramount　issue〃　in　a　joking　way。　For　after　all　it　was　a　joke；　a　harmless　jokebecause　we　didn't　adopt　it。　I　got　excited　by　the　threatened　〃remedy〃　and　went　into　politics。　While　the　tin　trade　was　on　strike；　crazy　propagandists　from　everywhere　poured　into　Elwood　and　began　teaching　the　men　bi…metalism；　communism；　bolshevism　and　anarchy。　A　communist　propagandist　is　like　a　disease　germ；　he　doesn't　belong　in　healthy　bodies。　If　he　gets　in　he　can't　increase　and　is　soon　thrown　out　again。　But　let　a　strike　weaken　the　body　of　workers；　and　the　germs　swarm　in　and　start　their　scarlet　fever。

As　soon　as　the　strike　was　won；　I　threw　myself　into　the　task　of　combatting　the　rising　tide　of　class　hatred　led　by　Bryan；　representing　agrarians　in　a　fight　against　bankers　and　industrialists。　I　was　chairman　of　the　mill　workers'　Sound　Money　Club。　Bryan　was　running　for　president　on　a　platform　declaring　that　the　laboring　man　should　〃not　be　crucified　upon　a　cross　of　gold。〃　No　laboring　man　wanted　to　be。　I　was　on　the　same　side　of　the　fence　with　Bryan　when　it　came　to　the　crucifixion　question；　but　on　the　opposite　side　of　the　fence　regarding　the　gold　question。　Of　course　I　knew　little　about　finance；　and　could　not　answer　the　Nebraskan。　But　had　he　advocated　the　free　and　unlimited　coinage　of　pig…iron　I　could　have　talked　him　into　a　gasping　hysteria。　For；　we　mill　fellows　figured　that　this　was　exactly　what　Bryan's　money　theory　amounted　to。　His　farmer　friends　had　borrowed　gold　money　from　the　bankers；　spent　it　in　drought　years　plowing　land　that　produced　nothing；　and　then　found　themselves　unable　to　pay　it　back。　They　wanted　to　call　silver　and　paper　cash　and　pay　the　debt　with　this　new　kind　of　money。　He　wanted　a　money　system　by　which　a　farmer　could　borrow　money　to　put　in　his　crop；　then　having　failed　to　raise　a　crop　（I　have　mentioned　the　great　drought　years）　could　yet　pay　back　the　money。　But　no　farming　nation　can　suffer　great　crop　losses　without　being　set　back　financially　and　starved　to　where　it　hurts。　You've　got　to　figure　God's　laws　into　your　human　calculations。

〃Bryan　might　as　well　try　to　dodge　the　hungry　days　by　advocating　the　free　and　unlimited　coinage　of　tomato　cans；〃　is　the　way　one　of　the　fellows　put　it；　〃then　every　man　could　borrow　a　dollar　and　buy　a　can　of　tomatoes。　After　eating　the　tomatoes　he　could　coin　the　can　into　a　dollar　and　buy　another　can　of　tomatoes。　And　so　on　until　he　got　too　old　to　eat；　and　then　he　could　use　the　last　dollar　from　the　tin　can　in　paying　back　the　banker。〃　Schemes　like　that　are　all　right　for　orators　and　agitators　who　make　their　living　with　words。　But　farmers　and　iron　workers　know　what　it　is　that　turns　clods　into　corn　and　what　makes　the　iron　wheels　that　bear　it　to　market。　It　is　muscle　applied　with　the　favor　of　God。

Without　labor；　no　crops。　Without　rain；　no　crops。　It　was　world…wide　crop　failures　that　finally　brought　the　lean　years　of　the　nineties。　The　return　of　big　crops　was　already　reviving　the　sick　world。　It　rejected　the　radicals'　〃remedy〃　and　next　year　it　was　well。　Had　we　taken　that　wrong　medicine　in　the　dark　it　would　have　killed　us。　Thirty　years　later　Russia　let　them　shoot　that　medicine　into　her　arm　and　it　paralyzed　her。　The　rain　falls　upon　her　fields　and　the　soil　is　rich；　but　it　brings　forth　no　harvest　and　the　people　starve。

Russia　has　had　famines　before；　but　they　were　acts　of　God。　The　rain　failed　and　there　was　no　harvest。　Their　present　famine　is　an　act　of　man。　Labor　ceased。　And　the　ensuing　hunger　was　man's　own　fault。　Nations　that　think　labor　is　a　curse；　and　adopt　schemes　to　avoid　labor；　must　perish　for　their　folly。

In　1896　we　came　within　an　inch　of　adopting　financial　bolshevism。　This　taught　me　that　a　people　are　poorly　schooled　who　can　not　tell　the　good　from　the　bad。　The　wise　heads　knew　what　was　good　for　the　country。　Hard　work　and　good　crops　would　cure　our　ills。　But　millions　voted　for　a　poison　that　would　have　destroyed　us。　From　that　time　on　I　dreamed　of　a　new　kind　of　school；　not　the　kind　we　had　that　turned　out　men　to　grope　blindly　between　good　and　folly。　But　a　school　based　on　the　fundamental　facts　of　life　and　labor；　the　need　of　food　and　housing；　and　the　sweating　skill　that　brings　man　most　of　his　blessings。　A　school　from　which　no　man　could　come　out　ignorant。　That　school　should　teach　the　eternal　facts；　and　he　that　denied　the　facts　would　then　be　known　for　a　fool　or　a　rogueand　not　be　thought　a　Messiah。

I　love　sentiment；　and　I　believe　in　God。　And　I　believe　that　facts　are　God's　glorious　handiwork。　〃Ye　shall　know　the　truth；　and　the　truth　will　set　you　free。〃　The　man　who　shuns　realities　because　they　belittle　him　is　on　the　wrong　road；　he　is　hopelessly　lost　from　the　beginning。



CHAPTER　XXX　VIII

THE　EDITOR　GETS　MY　GOAT


Madison　county；　Indiana；　was　a　Democratic　stronghold　outside　the　mill　towns；　and　a　few　farming　townships。　Free　silver　orators　were　telling　the　farmers　that　under　a　gold　standard　no　factory　could　run。　The　farmers　could　see　the　smoke　of　the　tin　mills　which　had　built　a　great　city　just　beyond　their　corn…fields。　The　silver　men　explained　that　smoke　as　〃a　dummy　factory　set　up　by　Mark　Hanna　with　Wall　Street　money　to　make　a　smoke　and　fool　the　people　into　thinking　that　it　was　a　real　factory　and　that　industry　was　reviving　under　a　Republican　tariff。〃　The　orators　said　the　best　proof　that　it　was　a　sham　mill　lay　in　the　fact　that　the　plutocrats　claimed　it　was　a　tin　mill；　while　〃everybody　knows　it　is　impossible　to　manufacture　tin　plate　in　America。〃

My　method　of　getting　votes　for　the　tariff　was　to　take　young　Democrats　from　the　mill　and　transport　them　to　Democratic　rallies　in　the　far　corner　of　the　county　where　they　heard　their　Democratic　orators　saying　that　the　mill　was　a　sham　put　up　to　fool　voters　and　that　it　was　not　manufacturing　any　tin。　When　the　young　Democrats　heard　such　rot　they　turned　against　their　party。　They　were　farm　boys　who　had　been　brought　up　in　that　county　and　had　quit　the　farm　and　gone　into　the　tin　mill　because　they　could　earn　twice　as　much　making　tin　as　they　could　farming。　A　worker　at　work　is　hard…headed　enough　to　kn