The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-12-09
(Copyright, ts2e. bv Upton sinclall

"On sinclair
Copyright, 1926, by Upton sinclair)
Bunny was startled. "Is that
really true, Mr.. Roscoe? Have you
been able to buy the oil workers Of
fcials?"
Verne hitched himself few
inches across the desk, and stuck
large finger at Bunny's face. "Kiddo,"
he said, get this straight: / can
buy any officials, just the same as l
can buy any politicians, or anybody
else that bunch of boobs can elect
to Office. And | know what you're
thinking-here's an old cow-puncher,
without any fine ideals, and he's got
barrel O. money and thinks he can
do anything he pleases with it. But
that amt the point, my boy--it's
because l had the brains to make
the money, and got the brains to
use 1t. Money amt power till it's
used. and the reason 1 can buy
power is because men know can
use tor else, by Jees, they
wouldn't sell it to me. You get
that?"
Eyes, but what are you going to
do with the power, Mr.. Roscoe?"
I'm going TO find oil and bring it
to the top of the ground and refine
It and sell it to whoever's got the
price. So long as. the world needs
oil, that's my job; and when they
can get along without oil, I'll do
something else. . And If anybody
wants a share in that job. let him
do like done, get out and sweat,
and work, and play the game"
But, Mr.. Roscoe, that's hardly
practical advice for all the workers.
Everybody can't be an operator"
mo, kiddo, you bet your boots
they can't-only them that's got the
brains. The rest have to work; and
If they work for me, they'll get fair
wages, and the money will be there
every Saturday night for them, no
matter how much worrying and
planning got to do. But when
some feller comes along with the
gift Of CAB, and sticks himself in
between me and my men, and says l
can't deal with them except by pay
ing him rake-off, why then l say,
THE jute mill for him!'"
".
The thing that Bunny carried
away from this interview was Yer
non Roscoe's final appeal. Cant
you see, boy, that your fathers a
sick man? You're not going to have
him with you many years more, and
some day when it's too late you're
going to wake up and realize what
you done to him. That old man
amt had thought in the world but
to make things easier for you; you
can say he shouldn't If you want to,
but all the same, that's what he
lived for. And now-now you're
spittin' on his life! Yes, just that,
and you might as we'll face it.
Everything he's done has been no
good, it's all crooked and dirty, and
the only people with any ideals or
any rights on their side are bunch
of ne'er-do-wells that hate him be-
cause he's made good and they
never will And if you think the old
man don't feel that, if you don't
know it's eating his heart out-well,
you take it from me, and get your
eyes open before it's too late. If
you got to despise your fathers
money, for Christ's sake wait till
this labor struggle actually came to
head?
So Bunny went out from the Of
nee, he was not thinking about the
troubles of the oil workers. Was 1t
true that Dads health was so bad?
And wasn't there some way he
could be got to stop working so
hard? Was it necessary for him to
be on hand and see every new well
that Ross Consolidated brought in,
whether It was at Lobos River or
Paradise or Beach City? And what
was going to happen to Dad when
tais labor struggle actually came to
head?
Early in the spring the union lead
ers held conference, and served
notice on the oil board that the de-
fiance of government authority by
the operators was beyond endur-
ance; either the board must assert
its authority, or else the workers
would take the matter into their
own hands. The board did nothing;
and when the union officials ad-
dressed letters to. the operators
committee the letters were ignored.
A strike was inevitable; and the
lonRer n was postponed, the worse