The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-25
BY Upton Sinclair
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE,
Copyright. 1925. by Upton Sinclair,

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He attended for the first time meeting his own trade
union II was at night and lasted till one o'clock in the
ng and the day being Saturday Bunny up to town
and met his father the hotel story of what
had happened Most of the oil employers appeared were
exactly like Arnold Ross in that they left the running
union oheSs there had been forty men at
senatves of the big Five The chairman obviously the
man who the organization attorney Excelsior
e had group which the and voted with
him. 1t had been rather steam-roIer affair,
Bunny all the particulars and Piled his father with
questions Dad had pleaded the SIDE tactfuy as he
could and had found exactly gathering who
willing agree timid with point of view To
the ruling group he had seemed something of renegade
they limited much you know how it is explained
this an open shop town. that's the the crowd feels
you might st as well butt head against as
with them about unions everything to be said
for theheyve had trouble with organized made
them bitter Ihey Dad went on to detail the argu-
ments that had been hurled at him. unions graft unions
unions Socialism.
what they going to do Dadf"
They're tst not a-gon to let the men have unionhas
ALL sad 1t looks if the Federation has strike
breaking organization Naumann-thats the chair
mansnapped back at me, You said it? They'll be
their fedthats the way Raymond put it. vicepresident
of Victor. And then Ben Skutt put in oar"
ben Skutt?"
Eyes he was there; it seems he's been doing some 4nves
cation work for the Federaon-a polite for spyn3
He knew st exactly what I'd said before
Of
tudet amounted givn the strikers support told
Ben that usually took the liberty of saving what hougbt:
taking this meeting and I'd newspapers
they asked Naumann smiled sarcasicay: really
think they're going to ask you, Mr.. Ross"
enough they didnt-either then or laeri The
meeting supposed individual
members allowed be quoted chairman or
meeting had voted against the union
time for all lovers of America uphold countrys
welfare against enemies without and withnso the state
ment in both the morning newspapers
What you going to do?" asked Bunny.
what I do SOM" was grey and deeply
lined he not used to staying late Bunny and
he had probably lain awake until morning, worrying
situation.
yet Bunny could not help making it harder for him
Are going to let those fellows business Dad?"
1T looks we'd have to, position
ly to buck the game"
"But with all the oil you've got?"
1--WE got good OIL it's mostly ground
and what I'd need for this job would be couple Of million dol
lars in the bank"
He explain how affairs were conducted.
never money now Inucn ne nad
he always reaching doing business with the future
to speak He put money into the bank and that him the
right to take than he had in the bank would take
his paper called Here Dad drilling of
wells he buying machinery and materials and for
labor in advancea the certainty of the oil he
get month the after going
get it, and the banks trusted him. the basis of his reputation
and the known value of his property But Dad
to fight the Federation he might s well forget there
such thing bank in the State of California; he'd have
pay cash for everything he'd have stop all his development
work. and then he mightn be able his
they fell due.