They got the idea of a
National Public Service Commission Convention at French Lick this
August. So two of our set-up went to Washington D.C. to see
Brother Johnson, who is the head of the War Transportation
outfit, and arrange for cars . . . They had their story ready,
and particularly "the importance of the meeting."
Brother Johnson listened attentively until they finished. Then he
uncrossed his legs and spoke about as follows: "There will be no
convention at French Lick this summer. I wouldn't allow you one
seat in one bus for the whole damned convention. We are going to
move an additional 1,000,000 men and equipment in August, and
1,500,000 in September. We don't know how we are going to do it
with what equipment we have left, but I know one way we are going
to help--we are going to set off every god damned railroad
executive and near-railroad executive we can find wherever we
find him. That will help considerably. You go back to Indiana and
tell those Hoosiers there's a War on in case they don't know it,
and the thing for them to do is to stay home where they belong
and not be cluttering up these trains."
That combination, "near-railroad executive," is what cooked our
crowd.
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