The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-11-25
CHAPTER xlI-continued.
-18-


are absolutely household words in the
country. They may be swine-they
probably are. Thank God Eve very
rarely met any but they amt crimi-
nails"
mo more is Peterson," grinned the
American; "at least not on that book.
See here, Captain, it's pretty clear
what's happening In any country to-
day you've got all sorts and conditions
of people with more wind than brain.
They just can't stop talking, and as yet
it's not criminal offense. Some of
'em believe what they say, like Spin
die-shanks upstairs; some of 'em don't
And if they don't, it makes 'em worse !;
they start writing as well. You've got
clever men-intellectual men-look at
some of those guys in the first-class
general lecturers-and they're the
worst of the lot Then you've got an
other class-the men with the business
brain, who think they're getting the
sticky end Of it, and use the takers
to pull the ,cheStnutS out of the fire for
them. And the chestnuts, who are the
poor blamed decent workingmen, are
promptly dropped in the ashpit to keep
'ein quiet. They all want something for
nothing, and l guess it can't be done.
They all think they're fooling one an
other, and what's really going at the
moment is that Peterson is fooling the
whole bunch. He wants all the strings
in his hands, and it looks to me as if
he'd got 'em there. He's got the money
and we know where he got it from ;
he's got the organization-all either
red-hot revolutionaries, or intellectual
windstorms, or calculating knaves.
He's amalgamated 'em, Captain; and
the whole blamed Lot, whatever they
may think, are really working for
him."
Drummond thoughtfully lit Gig
arctic
'Working toward revolution in
this country" he remarked quietly.
"Sure thing" answered the Ameri-
can. "And when he brings it off,
guess you won't catch Peterson for
dust. He'll pocket the Doodle, and the
boobs will stew in their own juice. I
guessed it in Paris; that book makes
1t q certainty. But it amt criminal.
In court of law he could swear it was
an organization for selling bird-seed."
For a while Drummond smoked in
silence, while the two sleepers shifted
uneasily i'm their chairs. 1t all seemed
so simple i'm spite of the immensely of
the scheme. Like most normal English
men, politics and labor disputes had
left him cold in the past; but no one
who ever glanced at a newspaper
could be ignorant of the volcano that
had been simmering just beneath the
surface for years past.
mot one in hundred"-the Ameri-
cans voice broke into his train of
thought-"of the SO-called revolution
ary leaders in this country are disin-
terested, Captain. They're out for
Number One, and when they've talked
the boys into bloody murder, and your
existing social system is down-and-out,
they'll be the leaders in the new one.
That's what they're playing for
power; and when they've got it, God
help the men who gave it to EN-"
Drummond nodded, and lit another
cigarette. Odd things he had read re-
Cured to him: trade unions refusing
to allow discharged soldiers to join
them; the reiterated threats of direct
action. And to what end?
A passage iii a part of the ledger evil
70 bro ofc thr
speeches of the first-class general lee
turers caught his eye:
TO me, the big fact of modern life is
the war between classes. People
declare that the method of direct ac-
ton inside country will produce
revolution. / agree 1t involves
the creation of an army. ="
And beside the cutting was a note
by Peterson in red ink:
can excellent man! Send for pro-
tracted tour"
The note of exclamation appealed to
Hugh; he could see the writer's
tongue in his cheek as he put it in.
at involves the creation of an army
:" The words of the intimidated
rabbit came back to his mind. 1.-THE
man of stupendous organizing power,
who has brought together and welded
into one the hundreds of societies SIM
liar to mine, who before this have
each, on their own, been feebly strug-
Cling toward the light. Now we are
combined, and our strength is due to
him."
In other words, the army was on the
road to completion, an army where
ninety per cent of the fghters-duped
by the remaining ten-would struggle
blindly towards dim, misunderstood
goal, only to find out too late that the
whip of Solomon had been exchanged
for the scorpion of his son. -.
"Why can't they be made to under
stand, Mr.. Green?" he cried bitterly.
"The working mantle decent fell
low"
HAS anyone tried to make em I'M
derstand, Captain? guess I'm no in
tellectual guy, but there was a French
writer fellow-Victor Hugo-who
wrote something that sure hit the nail
on the head. l copied it out, for it
seemed good to me-" From his pocket
book he produced slip of paper. "HThe
faults of women, children, servants.
the weak, the INDECENT and the ignorant
are the faults of husbands, fathers,
masters, the strong, the rich, and the
learned Wail'!'' he leaned back in his
chair, "there you are Their proper
leaders have sure failed them, so