Атлант расправил плечи

           "Iwishthey’dfirethatbartender,"hesaid.

           "Forinstance,considerAssociatedSteel.We’vegotthemostmodernplantinthecountryandthebestorganization.Thatseemstometobeanindisputablefact,becausewegottheIndustrialEfficiencyAwardofGlobeMagazinelastyear.Sowecanmaintainthatwe’vedoneourbestandnobodycanblameus.Butwecannothelpitiftheironoresituationisanationalproblem.Wecouldnotgettheore,Jim."

           Taggartsaidnothing.Hesatwithhiselbowsspreadwideonthetabletop.Thetablewasuncomfortablysmall,andthismadeitmoreuncomfortableforhisthreecompanions,buttheydidnotseemtoquestionhisprivilege.

           "Nobodycangetoreanylonger,"saidBoyle."Naturalexhaustionofthemines,youknow,andthewearingoutofequipment,andshortagesofmaterials,anddifficultiesoftransportation,andotherunavoidableconditions."

           "Theoreindustryiscrumbling.That’swhat’skillingtheminingequipmentbusiness,"saidPaulLarkin.

           "It’sbeenprovedthateverybusinessdependsuponeveryotherbusiness,"saidOrrenBoyle."Soeverybodyoughttosharetheburdensofeverybodyelse."

           "Thatis,Ithink,true,"saidWesleyMouch.ButnobodyeverpaidanyattentiontoWesleyMouch.

           "Mypurpose,"saidOrrenBoyle,"isthepreservationofafreeeconomy.It’sgenerallyconcededthatfreeeconomyisnowontrial.Unlessitprovesitssocialvalueandassumesitssocialresponsibilities,thepeoplewon’tstandforit.