Title | The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists |
Page | 524 |
Chapter | -- |
Text |
and greengrocers did not buy their stuff from his company, he tried to smash them by opening branches in their immediate neighbourhood and selling below cost. He was a self-made man: an example of what may be accomplished by cunning and selfishness. Then there was the Chief of the Band - Mr Adam Sweater, the Mayor. He was always the Chief, although he was not always Mayor, it being the rule that the latter `honour' should be enjoyed by all the members of the Band in turn. A bright `honour', forsooth! to be the first citizen in a community composed for the most part of ignorant semi-imbeciles, slaves, slave-drivers and psalm-singing hypocrites. Mr Sweater was the managing director and principal shareholder of a large drapery business in which he had amassed a considerable fortune. This was not very surprising, considering that he paid none of his workpeople fair wages and many of them no wages at all. He employed a great number |