Атлант расправил плечи
Their Brothers’ Keepers
Sixweeksago,TrainNumber193hadbeensentwithaloadofsteel,nottoFaulkton,Nebraska,wheretheSpencerMachineToolCompany,thebestmachinetoolconcernstillinexistence,hadbeenidlefortwoweeks,waitingfortheshipment—buttoSandCreek,Illinois,whereConfederatedMachineshadbeenwallowingindebtforoverayear,producingunreliablegoodsatunpredictabletimes.ThesteelhadbeenallocatedbyadirectivewhichexplainedthattheSpencerMachineToolCompanywasarichconcern,abletowait,whileConfederatedMachineswasbankruptandcouldnotbeallowedtocollapse,beingthesolesourceoflivelihoodofthecommunityofSandCreek,Illinois.TheSpencerMachineToolCompanyhadclosedamonthago.ConfederatedMachineshadclosedtwoweekslater.
ThepeopleofSandCreek,Illinois,hadbeenplacedonnationalrelief,butnofoodcouldbefoundforthemintheemptygranariesofthenationatthefranticcallofthemoment—sotheseedgrainofthefarmersofNebraskahadbeenseizedbyorderoftheUnificationBoard—andTrainNumber194hadcarriedtheunplantedharvestandthefutureofthepeopleofNebraskatobeconsumedbythepeopleofIllinois."Inthisenlightenedage,"EugeneLawsonhadsaidinaradiobroadcast,"wehavecome,atlast,torealizethateachoneofusishisbrother’skeeper.
