The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-04
somehow behaved decently?" asked

"Of course, decently, he even
gave me cigarettes. Since it
paid him to do SO. Forgive me,
Comrade Martuinov, but about
your dad / must say he was a
rogue, and clever one at that.
You remember they called me
the chemist at Slobodka. That
was because Twas very fond of
chemistry, and found way of
tanning leather by more scien-
tific and profitable method. But
/ was fool then and did not take
out patent for my invention,
and your father made use Of it
for nothing. \. He gave me three
roubles. / bought some books for
myself.
''You remember the workmen Of
Slobodka, they We're a rough lot
at that time. The work was ter
ribly hard, the pay small, and the
only relaxation was to get drunk.
II did not drink, as matter OF
fact to this day l don't like vodka,
kept away from the lads, was
busted with my chemistry and
read books. / had nobody to talk
with, so l talked with your dad.
We talked and talked and behold
he brought something new into the
factory, and cut down the number
of workmen by nearly half. 1t
turned out that / was by way Of
being a construction engineer for
him, and getting for that fifteen
kopecks a day, with tips extra.
Sometimes fifty kopecks, some
times a ruble, sometimes three. At
the factory they began to call me
the cheap chemist and it was
true enough that / was cheap.
II was fool but all the same
began to understand little. And
so, said l, Mr.. Martuinov, ! want
to take out a patent for my in
ventions. You will buy them from
me, and l shall be able to study.
l dreamed of becoming an engi-
neer. At that time knew nothing
of politics and had no sort of
class consciousness whatever. All
wanted was to study and read
books.
IF he had only come to terms
with me, perhaps should have
brought him great profit and been
an engineer by now. But your dad
was mean and his meanness ate
him up, and in reply he began to
swear at me. And l don't like IL
when people swear at me. Word
for word we talked pretty straight.
And he turned me off. was very
hard up after that. My mother
died of hunger. And then I went
to Ivanovo-V oznesensk, and met
some good fellows, who began Civ
ing me Pravda to read, and opened
my eyes, and 1 became bit wiser.
"It's terrible to remember in
what a state of oppression they
kept us, and how they lorded it
over US. Z. Well, anyhow, it's
done with, now. There's no going
back to the past. Sergei Zakhar-
itch is in Japan now, perhaps, or
perhaps in America. And in his
factory l am all but master"
"But are you working there
now" asked Martuinov.
"Of course. President of the
Factory Committee. Two months
already"
"Well, and how is the factory
working?"
"Of course-badly. The work
men sabotage, rations are poor and
given out irregularly, the system
of payment is idiotic, the machines
| are old and broken. l swore at
your dad and dislike him heartily,
but there would be no harm for us
in taking lesson from him. (.
To learn this. :" He was silent,
visibly looking for the right word
! -. "this managing. =. He was
hard and cunning and loved his
power, but he loved the factory
still better. Days and nights he
spent in the factory. You remem-
Der him? He knew every machine
in the place, knew how each work.
man worked. And, most important
of all, he had imagination .
managing, business imagination.
That's what we lack just now.
"Take, for example, our director.
He's an engineer, and they sent
him from the All Russian Council
of Public Economy, and he's a
Communist. -. But he never
comes out Of his Office. And can't
hold his own with the non-party
specialists. Do you know him ?"
He named Party comrade, q
member Of the Party Committee
who often spoke at the Party
meetings.
"But I am bad politician" he
went on. an a wore, l was 9
chemist and still am. OF course
understand it all, all his mis-
takes, but l cannot catch him out
One to one, / can still argue will
him, but at meeting he's all ovel
me at once. j don't know wher
you can ask leave to speak ant
when you can't, and he at once
'on the motives Of the voting an,
so on, and SO on. feel that he il
lying and classifying, but catcl
him can't, and If ] do try Z
speak, talk as clumsily as II m.