Атлант расправил плечи
The Non-commercial
Isn’titeviltoworkforprofit?Ididnotworkforprofit—Itookaloss.Doesn’teveryoneagreethatthepurposeandjustificationofanindustrialenterprisearenotproduction,butthelivelihoodofitsemployees?TheSanSebastiánMineswerethemosteminentlysuccessfulventureinindustrialhistory:theyproducednocopper,buttheyprovidedalivelihoodforthousandsofmenwhocouldnothaveachieved,inalifetime,theequivalentofwhattheygotforoneday’swork,whichtheycouldnotdo.Isn’titgenerallyagreedthatanownerisaparasiteandanexploiter,thatitistheemployeeswhodoalltheworkandmaketheproductpossible?Ididnotexploitanyone.IdidnotburdentheSanSebastiánMineswithmyuselesspresence;Ilefttheminthehandsofthemenwhocount.Ididnotpassjudgmentonthevalueofthatproperty.Iturneditovertoaminingspecialist.Hewasnotaverygoodspecialist,butheneededthejobverybadly.Isn’titgenerallyconcededthatwhenyouhireamanforajob,itishisneedthatcounts,nothisability?Doesn’teveryonebelievethatinordertogetthegoods,allyouhavetodoisneedthem?Ihavecarriedouteverymoralpreceptofourage.Iexpectedgratitudeandacitationofhonor.IdonotunderstandwhyIambeingdamned."
Inthesilenceofthosewhohadlistened,thesolecommentwastheshrill,suddengiggleofBettyPope:shehadunderstoodnothing,butshesawthelookofhelplessfuryonJamesTaggart’sface.
PeoplewerelookingatTaggart,expectingananswer.
