“You’d better not go too far,” warned Ned, turning round.

It suddenly dawned upon the constable that this was not the ordinary “drunk” and that it was as well to be satisfied with the exhibition of authority already made.  Ned walked off unmolested, chewing the cud of his thoughts.

This sentence of Geisner’s rang in his ears: 

“The slaves who ‘move on’ at the bidding of a policeman.”

CHAPTER VII.

“The world wants masters.”

“It can’t do any good.  We have made up our minds that the matter might just as well be fought out now, no matter what it costs.  We’ve made all our arrangements.  There is nothing to discuss.  We are simply going to do business in our own way.”

“It can’t do any harm.  There is always something to be said on the other side and I always find workingmen fairly reasonable if they’re met fairly.  At any rate, you might as well see how they look at it.  The labour agitation itself can’t be stifled.  The great point, as I regard it, is to make the immediate relations of Capital and Labour as peaceable as possible.  The two parties don’t see enough of each other.”

“I think we see a great deal too much of them.  It’s a pretty condition of things when we can’t go on with our businesses without being interfered with by mobs of ignorant fools incited by loud-tongued agitators.  The fools have got to be taught a lesson some day and we might as well teach it to them now.”

“You know I’m no advocate of Communism or Socialism or any such nonsense.  I look at the matter solely from a business standpoint.  I am a loser by disturbances in trade, so I try to prevent disturbances.  I’ve always been able to prevent them in my own business and I think they can always be prevented.”

“Well, Melsom, you may be right when it’s a question of wages, but this is a question of principle.  We’re willing to confer if they’ll admit ‘freedom of contract.’  That’s all there is to say about it.”

“But what is ‘freedom of contract?’ Besides, if it is questioned, there can’t be much harm in understanding why.  For my part, I find it an interminable point of discussion when it is raised and one of the questions that settles itself easily when it isn’t.”

“It is the key of the whole position.  If we haven’t a right to employ whoever we like at any terms we may make with any individual we employ what rights have we?” “Hear what they think of it, Strong!  It can surely do no harm to find out what makes them fight so.”

And so on for half an hour.

“Well, I don’t mind having a chat with one of them,” conceded Strong at last.  “It’s only because you persist so, Melsom.  I suppose this man you’ve been told is in town is an oily, ignorant fellow, who’ll split words and wrangle up a cloud of dust until nobody can tell what we’re talking about.  I’ve heard these fellows.”