How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #4
London went on, "I like to see both sides. S'pose me an' my friends here don't take it, what then?"
"Then we kick you off this place in half an hour. Then we blacklist the whole damn bunch of you. You can't go any place; you can't get a job any place. We'll have five hundred deputy sheriffs if we need 'em. That's the other side. We'll see you can't get a job this side of hell. What's more, we'll jug your pals here, and see they get the limit." (101-102)
London's conversation with the "super" at the orchard shows not only the firepower wielded by the companies, but also the level of organization that the Growers have ready to combat discontented workers. Mac continually suggests that this as the reason why the strikers will probably lose their bid in Torgas Valley, no matter how determined they are.
Quote #5
"We only want to settle this thing peacefully," said Bolter. "American citizens demand order, and I assure you men we're going to have order if we have to petition the governor for troops." (194)
The president of the Growers' Association makes no bones about the Growers' position—even if he does cloak the economic agenda of the companies in the language of order and public safety. Bolter's speech here also highlights the unwillingness on the part of the Growers to acknowledge that the workers are also part of the American public. They are people with as many rights as anyone else, and yet it's clear from Bolter's response here that the Growers will use their considerable pull in the Valley to inflict as much mayhem on the workers as possible if they don't conform.
Quote #6
"We don't want to fight you men," he said. "We want you to come back to work. But if we do have to fight, we have weapons. The health authorities are pretty upset about this camp. And the government doesn't like uninspected meat moving in this country. The citizens are pretty tired of all this riot. And of course we may have to call troops, if we need them." (195)
As it becomes clear that Bolter will not be able to get the men back to work without a raise, he begins to get pretty ugly. The litany of things that the powerful Growers' Association can do to the workers is both impressive and frightening, involving not just run-of-the-mill violence, but also the involvement of state and federal authorities, as well as the ability to sway public opinion to their side. It's a daunting threat, but Mac and London really have no interest in hearing what Bolter has to say. Things are so bad that they really don't feel they have much to lose.