Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell (read novel full TXT) 📖
- Author: Robert Tressell
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and to capture the spoils at present enjoyed by the latter for
themselves.
There was a large piece of ground, the property of the town, that was
a suitable site for the works; so in their character of directors of
the Electric Light Coy. they offered to buy this land from the
Municipality - or, in other words, from themselves - for about half
its value.
At the meeting of the Town Council when this offer was considered, all
the members present, with the solitary exception of Dr Weakling, being
shareholders in the newly formed company, Councillor Rushton moved a
resolution in favour of accepting it. He said that every
encouragement should be given to the promoters of the Electric Light
Coy., those public-spirited citizens who had come forward and were
willing to risk their capital in an undertaking that would be a
benefit to every class of residents in the town that they all loved so
well. (Applause.) There could be no doubt that the introduction of
the electric light would be a great addition to the attractions of
Mugsborough, but there was another and more urgent reason that
disposed him to do whatever he could to encourage the Company to
proceed with this work. Unfortunately, as was usual at that time of
the year (Mr Rushton’s voice trembled with emotion) the town was full
of unemployed. (The Mayor, Alderman Sweater, and all the other
Councillors shook their heads sadly; they were visibly affected.)
There was no doubt that the starting of that work at that time would
be an inestimable boon to the working-classes. As the representative
of a working-class ward he was in favour of accepting the offer of the
Company. (Hear. Hear.)
Councillor Didlum seconded. In his opinion, it would be nothing short
of a crime to oppose anything that would provide work for the
unemployed.
Councillor Weakling moved that the offer be refused. (Shame.) He
admitted that the electric light would be an improvement to the town,
and in view of the existing distress he would be glad to see the work
started, but the price mentioned was altogether too low. It was not
more than half the value of the land. (Derisive laughter.)
Councillor Grinder said he was astonished at the attitude taken up by
Councillor Weakling. In his (Grinder’s) opinion it was disgraceful
that a member of the council should deliberately try to wreck a
project which would do so much towards relieving the unemployed.
The Mayor, Alderman Sweater, said that he could not allow the
amendment to be discussed until it was seconded: if there were no
seconder he would put the original motion.
There was no seconder, because everyone except Weakling was in favour
of the resolution, which was carried amid loud cheers, and the
representatives of the ratepayers proceeded to the consideration of
the next business.
Councillor Didlum proposed that the duty on all coal brought into the
borough be raised from two shillings to three shillings per ton.
Councillor Rushton seconded. The largest consumer of coal was the Gas
Coy., and, considering the great profits made by that company, they
were quite justified in increasing the duty to the highest figure the
Act permitted.
After a feeble protest from Weakling, who said it would only increase
the price of gas and coal without interfering with the profits of the
Gas Coy., this was also carried, and after some other business had
been transacted, the Band dispersed.
That meeting was held two years ago, and since that time the Electric
Light Works had been built and the war against the gasworks carried on
vigorously. After several encounters, in which they lost a few
customers and a portion of the public lighting, the Gasworks Bandits
retreated out of the town and entrenched themselves in a strong
position beyond the borough boundary, where they erected a number of
gasometers. They were thus enabled to pour gas into the town at long
range without having to pay the coal dues.
This masterly stratagem created something like a panic in the ranks of
the Forty Thieves. At the end of two years they found themselves
exhausted with the protracted campaign, their movements hampered by a
lot of worn-out plant and antiquated machinery, and harassed on every
side by the lower charges of the Gas Coy. They were reluctantly
constrained to admit that the attempt to undermine the Gasworks was a
melancholy failure, and that the Mugsborough Electric Light and
Installation Coy. was a veritable white elephant. They began to ask
themselves what they should do with it; and some of them even urged
unconditional surrender, or an appeal to the arbitration of the
Bankruptcy Court.
In the midst of all the confusion and demoralization there was,
however, one man who did not lose his presence of mind, who in this
dark hour of disaster remained calm and immovable, and like a vast
mountain of flesh reared his head above the storm, whose mighty
intellect perceived a way to turn this apparently hopeless defeat into
a glorious victory. That man was Adam Sweater, the Chief of the Band.
The Reign of Terror. The Great Money Trick
During the next four weeks the usual reign of terror continued at `The
Cave’. The men slaved like so many convicts under the vigilant
surveillance of Crass, Misery and Rushton. No one felt free from
observation for a single moment. It happened frequently that a man
who was working alone - as he thought - on turning round would find
Hunter or Rushton standing behind him: or one would look up from his
work to catch sight of a face watching him through a door or a window
or over the banisters. If they happened to be working in a room on
the ground floor, or at a window on any floor, they knew that both
Rushton and Hunter were in the habit of hiding among the trees that
surrounded the house, and spying upon them thus.
There was a plumber working outside repairing the guttering that ran
round the bottom edge of the roof. This poor wretch’s life was a
perfect misery: he fancied he saw Hunter or Rushton in every bush. He
had two ladders to work from, and since these ladders had been in use
Misery had thought of a new way of spying on the men. Finding that he
never succeeded in catching anyone doing anything wrong when he
entered the house by one of the doors, Misery adopted the plan of
crawling up one of the ladders, getting in through one of the upper
windows and creeping softly downstairs and in and out of the rooms.
Even then he never caught anyone, but that did not matter, for he
accomplished his principal purpose - every man seemed afraid to cease
working for even an instant.
The result of all this was, of course, that the work progressed
rapidly towards completion. The hands grumbled and cursed, but all
the same every man tore into it for all he was worth. Although he did
next to nothing himself, Crass watched and urged on the others. He
was `in charge of the job’: he knew that unless he succeeded in
making this work pay he would not be put in charge of another job. On
the other hand, if he did make it pay he would be given the preference
over others and be kept on as long as the firm had any work. The firm
would give him the preference only as long as it paid them to do so.
As for the hands, each man knew that there was no chance of obtaining
work anywhere else at present; there were dozens of men out of
employment already. Besides, even if there had been a chance of
getting another job somewhere else, they knew that the conditions were
more or less the same on every firm. Some were even worse than this
one. Each man knew that unless he did as much as ever he could, Crass
would report him for being slow. They knew also that when the job
began to draw to a close the number of men employed upon it would be
reduced, and when that time came the hands who did the most work would
be kept on and the slower ones discharged. It was therefore in the
hope of being one of the favoured few that while inwardly cursing the
rest for `tearing into it’, everyone as a matter of self-preservation
went and `tore into it’ themselves.
They all cursed Crass, but most of them would have been very to change
places with him: and if any one of them had been in his place they
would have been compelled to act in the same way - or lose the job.
They all reviled Hunter, but most of them would have been glad to
change places with him also: and if any one of them had been in his
place they would have been compelled to do the same things, or lose
the job.
They all hated and blamed Rushton. Yet if they had been in Rushton’s
place they would have been compelled to adopt the same methods, or
become bankrupt: for it is obvious that the only way to compete
successfully against other employers who are sweaters is to be a
sweater yourself. Therefore no one who is an upholder of the present
system can consistently blame any of these men. Blame the system.
If you, reader, had been one of the hands, would you have slogged? Or
would you have preferred to starve and see your family starve? If you
had been in Crass’s place, would you have resigned rather than do such
dirty work? If you had had Hunter’s berth, would you have given it up
and voluntarily reduced yourself to the level of the hands? If you
had been Rushton, would you rather have become bankrupt than treat
your `hands’ and your customers in the same way as your competitors
treated theirs? It may be that, so placed, you - being the
noble-minded paragon that you are - would have behaved unselfishly.
But no one has any right to expect you to sacrifice yourself for the
benefit of other people who would only call you a fool for your pains.
It may be true that if any one of the hands - Owen, for instance - had
been an employer of labour, he would have done the same as other
employers. Some people seem to think that proves that the present
system is all right! But really it only proves that the present
system compels selfishness. One must either trample upon others or be
trampled upon oneself. Happiness might be possible if everyone were
unselfish; if everyone thought of the welfare of his neighbour before
thinking of his own. But as there is only a very small percentage of
such unselfish people in the world, the present system has made the
earth into a sort of hell. Under the present system there is not
sufficient of anything for everyone to have enough. Consequently
there is a fight - called by Christians the `Battle of Life’. In this
fight some get more than they need, some barely enough, some very
little, and some none at all. The more aggressive, cunning, unfeeling
and selfish you are the better it will be for you. As long as this
`Battle of Life’ System endures, we have no right to blame other
people for doing the same things that we are ourselves compelled to
do. Blame the system.
But that IS just what the hands did not do. They blamed each other;
they blamed Crass, and Hunter, and Rushton, but with the Great System
of which they were
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