“Not to the extent of revoking unfairly your promise, given orally, to be sure, but still given, to employ local labor.” Sorenson was the speaker and his heavy face wore an expression of ill-disguised contempt.
“Agreed. Local labor was to be hired,” said Pollock. “But our company isn’t a philanthropic institution; it’s run on strictly business principles. Any agreement we made implied that local workmen should give exactly what other workmen would give in work.”
“They did so,” Judge Gordon affirmed.
“There was no trouble until this man came,” Sorenson remarked. “I suppose he felt that he had to show his authority.”
“Ah, but there was if not trouble at any rate dissatisfaction on our part,” Pollock stated, tapping a finger on the table. “Construction wasn’t progressing as we knew it should, which was the very reason for getting a new manager, one who could speed it up. But as I said, it all comes down to a question of fact. You gentlemen offer your workmen’s avowals of industry to support your claim; Mr. Weir, on the other hand, gives us some definite records to back up his side. Here they are for the last week the workmen from San Mateo and neighborhood worked––his first week here; and for the succeeding weeks under the men shipped in; in material used, in cubic yards of concrete construction, and in percentage of work finished. Examine them if you please. They show daily and weekly results to be just a trifle less than double for the corresponding time the imported workmen have been here. In other words, the new men have, while shortening the time of completion, given twice as much work for exactly 131 the same wage paid your Mexicans. In other words, too, your local laborers cancelled our agreement by their own incompetence.”
“Your manager could easily have doctored those records,” Sorenson stated, coldly.
“You scarcely mean that, sir,” Pollock instantly replied icily, his amiability vanishing.
“Come, Judge, we may as well go, I think. We’re appealing to a prejudiced court.” And Sorenson arose.
“Our decision to view the matter like Mr. Weir is because his position is sustained by these facts, not because we’re prejudiced, as you insinuate. But I may add that it would not be strange if we were prejudiced, as we’ve become convinced that you gentlemen haven’t been sincere in your attitude towards our company and if anything are strongly hostile. Any one may be deceived for a time, and we were, but not permanently. You would have done much better to have recognized that we have a perfect right to build this project on land that we bought and with water that we acquired. For it will be built in any case and in spite of such local opposition as may be made.” Pollock flicked the ash from his cigar with a careful finger. “That is a mere piece of information or a declaration of war, whichever way you wish to take it.”
“I told you we were wasting our time coming here,” the cattleman said to his companion.