George.  And we’ve got to be scientists, too.  Are you fellows willing to take your share in the experiment?

Hillman.  What experiment’s that, Captain?

George.  Now that you’ve got your union, what’s the good of it?

Rench (after a pause).  Why, I thought we’d made that pretty clear, Captain.  We’ve got something to fall back on in case the employers don’t live up to their agreements.  I’m not speaking of you—­

George.  In other words, you’ve got a weapon.

Rench.  Well, you might call it that.

George.  But weapons imply warfare,—­don’t they?

Rench.  We wouldn’t fight with you.

George.  Yes, you would,—­if our interests conflicted.  When I was in the trenches I kept thinking of the quotation Lincoln used, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”  We’re going to try to perpetuate that house, just as he did.

Hillman.  Lincoln had common sense.

George.  Another name for intelligence.  And what we’ve got to decide is whether the old house will do—­for democracy—­industrial democracy?  Can we shore up the timbers—­or shall we have to begin to build a new house?

Rench (glancing at Hillman).  The old one sure enough looks rotten to me. 
I’ve said that all along.

George.  It seems to have served its day.  Has your union got the plans of a new house ready—­consulted an architect?

Rench.  I’m afraid we don’t get you, Captain.

George.  You belong to the American Federation of Labour, don’t you? 
Has it got a new house ready to move into?

Rench.  Well, I haven’t seen any plans.

George.  If the old structure’s too small, one party or the other will have to be shoved out.  The capitalist or the employee.  Which will it be?

Rench (laughing).  If it comes to that—­

George (smiling).  There’s no question in your mind.  But you hadn’t thought about it—­your Federation hasn’t thought about it, or doesn’t want to think about it, and your employers don’t want to, either.

Hillman (stroking his moustache).  That’s so

George.  I’ll tell you who have thought about it—­the Bolshevists and the I. W. W. And because they have a programme,—­some programme, any programme, they’re more intelligent than we, for the time.

Rench.  Those guys?

George.  Exactly,—­those guys.  At least they see that the house isn’t fit to live in.  They want to pull it down, and go back to living in trees and caves.

Hillman.  That’s about right.

George.  But you’re conservatives, you labour union people—­the aristocrats of labour, which means that you don’t think.  What you really object to, when you come down to it, is that men like my father and me, and the bankers,—­we’re all in the same boat, most of ’us own banks, too,—­control the conditions of life for you and men like you.