k you a question--I've heard the men talking about this in the
shops. You don't like it if we go off to--fight, but if we join the
union you fire us, no matter how short-handed you are.

ASHER. It's a principle with me,--I won't have any outside agency
dictating to me.

BERT. But if it came to recognizing the union, or shutting down?

ASHER. I'd shut down tomorrow.

(GEORGE, who sees the point, makes a gesture as if about to
interrupt.)

BERT. That's what I'm getting at, Mr. Pindar. You say you'd shut down
for a principle, whether the government gets the machines or not. And
the men say they'd join the union for a principle, whether the government
gets the machines or not. It looks to me as if both was hindering the
war for a principle, and the question is, which principle is it that
agrees best with what we're fighting for?

ASHER. No man joins a union for a principle, but for extortion. I can't
discuss it,--I won't!

BERT. I'm sorry, sir.

(He turns to go out, lower right.)

GEORGE (overtaking him and grasping his hand). So long, Bert. I'll look
you up, over there!

BERT (gazing at him). All right, Mr. George.

GEORGE. Goodbye, Timothy. Don't worry about the boy.

TIMOTHY. It's proud I am to have him go. Mr. George,--but I can't think
why he'd be joining the union, and never telling me.

(He stands for a moment troubled, glancing at ASHER, torn between
loyalty to his employer and affection for his son. Then he goes out
slowly, upper right. All the while DR. JONATHAN has stood in the
rear of the room, occasionally glancing at GEORGE. He now comes
forward, unobtrusively, yet withal impressively.)

ASHER. I never expected to hear such talk from a son of Timothy
Farrell,--a boy I thought was level-headed. (To DR. JONATHAN) What do
you think of that? You heard it.

DR. JONATHAN. Well, he stated the issue, Asher.

ASHER. The issue of what?

DR. JONATHAN. Of the new century.

GEORGE. The issue of the new century

ASHER. You're right, we've got to put these people down. After the war
they'll come to heel,--we'll have a cheap labour market then.

DR. JONATHAN. Humanity has always been cheap, but we're spending it
rather lavishly just now.

ASHER, You mean that there will be a scarcity of labour? And that they
can continue to blackmail us into paying these outrageous wages?

DR. JONATHAN. When you pay a man wages, Asher, you own him,--until he
is turned over to somebody else.