The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1927-01-07
The SpOkesman's Secretary
Being the Letters of Name to Nom
By UPTON SINCLAIR

/ cialiStS says 1t is not angina pectOriS
of the toe. but only her tight slim
pers. And he started to apologize
because he didn't speak to me but
told him to quit his kidding and let
US talk about international affairs
So we went to another restaurant it
was a cheap hash-house this time
where you get a coarse dinner for
sixty cents and Mr. Edgerton apollo
gized for it but it was the only kind
of a place where he would be sure
not to meet no friends. We had
little booth where we could sit and
talk and Mr.. Edgerton tipped the
waiter some and we sat there a
couple of hours and he brought us
some coffee a couple of times and
something else that was supposed to
be coffee because it was in coffee
cups but seeing amt always believ-
ing.
Well the international situation is
+, like this just now. All them Dago
nations over in Europe wanted a lot
of money from us so they could buy
the guns and things while they was
canning Kayer Bill. They come oven
here and borrowed billions and bill
lions of dollars and now of course the
Kayser is chopping firewood in Holl-
and and we got the job of collecting
the money and we don't know how to
start. They are an unprincipled lot
these fellers in Europe says Mr..
Edgerton.
eyes, l know" l says. 81 read all
about them. The papers call them
Bolshivikis."
NO." says Mr.. Edgerton, 81 don't
mean that crowd they are revolution
lists and they say they won't pay.
What l mean are the French and
Eyetalians and Poles and all them
they say they're willing to pay of
course but then they don't.2
"But Them says l, what is the
difference whether you say you will
or say you won't if you don't?
ooh, there's a lot of difference"
he explains eff you say you will
then you're recognized"
What difference does that make ?"
says.
eff you are recognized" says he,
"then you can borrow as much more
as you want"
my God," says, 81 wished some
body would recognize mel" And then
| felt kind Of mean, for fear he'd
think / meant about him not recog-
nizing me on the street!
He goes on to tell me that the
Spokesman is worried all the time
about these debts. He lies awake at
night and thinks about them it's the
only question He can't seem to leave
alone to settle itself. The reason for
that is because He was born anC
raised in that cold and rocky state
by the way made mistake because
l said the name of that state was
Florida but / was a dumb-bell be-
cause Florida is another place.
know now because today there was q
Teller come in to try to sell US some
lots there it seems there is a boom
and he had some extra-fine land-front
lots that could be had this week ONLY,
he explained that they are called
land-front lots because they are il
the bay but they front on the lane
and they will be on the land wher
the bottom of the bay has been NOV.
ed underneath them.
But the Spokesman was raised in Z
state that is rocky and cold, have
forget it again but l think maybe il
is North Carolina because it is fal
up North. And you see the worst Z
man can do in that state is not t.
pay his debts and collecting debts is
the one thing that the Spokesman
can be sure of knowing how, He has
done it all His life. But He never
had so big a debt to collect in his
, home state in fact Mr.. Edgerton saws
there has never been such big debt
in the world. He says that the
Statesman has nightmares about il
and imagines that the debt has broke
loose and is rolling down over Hin
! like it was one of them mountains Of
North Carolina. He wakes up all il
a sweat and He sends for Mr.. Edger
! ton in a hurry and insists He has GO
to know how He can collect more
money than there is in the world.
] That sounds like a joke but it,
really so because it is supposed t,
be paid in gold and it is tweed a
! much gold as there is. Mr.. Edger
ton says there is a professor in Ger
many that is trying to find out how
to make more but he has not got
paying yet and besides they couldn'
get it away from the professor with
! out another war and that would meal
we would have to lend more none,
again. But something has got to b.
done, else the Spokesman won't eve
be able to get a good nights sleep
: and it is undermining His healtl
something fierce.
So you see Nom there was anoth
er job loaded onto my poor shoulder
that was never trained to carry sucl
: loads. But l told you / was goin,
to see it through and l sat there ant
thought real hard and I says, "Then
Dagoes got goods from us with tina
money, didn't they?" And he say
they did, so l says, "Then the wa,
to pay the debts is for them to sen,
, us back some goods, whatever kin,
they can make that we need"
!, But he says, "No, Miss Riggs tina
would never do at all" he says, "an,
e the reason is that we have got fac
e tories over here to make all tn
y goods for ourselves"
E "Well," says l, "but we can hav
!. tweed as many goods"
l ''No," he says, "our people haven
h got the money to buy so much, an
|, so it would shut our factories dowr