When the speaker said something to their liking, they applauded
him; when he crossed them they denounced him openly. Interruptions
were frequent, and sometimes violent, but Dave admired the spirit of
fair play which gave every man a chance to speak his mind. Through it
all he gathered that there were two great forces in the world; Capital
and Labour, and that Capital was a selfish monster with a strangle-hold
on Labour and choking him to death. No, not quite to death, either,
for Capital needed Labour, and therefore only choked him until he was
half dead. Also, there were two classes of people in the world; the
Masters and the Slaves. Dave was a Slave. He had never known it
before, but the speaker made it quite apparent.
"But I'm not a slave," said Dave, suddenly springing to his feet. "I
can quit my job to-morrow, and tell my boss to go to hell."
There were boos and cat-calls, but at last the man on the platform made
himself heard.
"And what will you do, my friend, after you have quit your job?" he
asked, quite courteously.
"Get another one," said Dave, without scenting the trap. "There's lots
of jobs."
"That is, you would get another master," said the Socialist. "You
would still have a master. And as long as you have a master, you are a
slave." And Dave sat down, confused and wondering.
After the main address there was a sort of free-for-all. Half a dozen
sprang to their feet, each seeking to out-talk his neighbour, and it
was with difficulty the chairman obtained order and established a
sequence of events.
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