Chapter 92: William, the Pioneer of Equal Rights

"It seems like this was done by a competitor!" John Connor defended, "It's not McHale's fault. We can talk about this in a few days. We still have guests."

John Connor reminded Sheffield that Edith Rockefeller was still here and not to say anything in the heat of the moment.

"Competitor? As far as I know, many businessmen in small countries in Central America are supported by Morgan!" Edith Rockefeller didn't want to leave at the most lively time, and directly told what she knew, "Is your competitor called Keane? He got financing from Morgan."

"It's like this, Madam Edith. Someone incited the locals in Guatemala to cause trouble, but our investigation is not that simple. It was done by our domestic competitors!" John Connor nodded, then turned to Sheffield and said, "Master, McHale and Gale have just returned to their country and are a little restrained, so they asked for your opinion."

Keane? Isn't that the real United Fruit Company? Sheffield remembered this person. He remembered him, but that didn't mean he would back down. He twisted his neck and asked, "So what? You know, in the field of agricultural products, we can't take a step back. This is our only remaining dominant field. If the dominant position is taken away, both domestic partners and partners who just returned from Brazil can only serve them."

"Even if it's Morgan, he can't do anything about this. I don't care what Keane or Morgan think. If they dare to raise their hands, I will chop them off. It's useless to say anything else. It's not like I haven't used a gun before and beat those bastards who caused trouble." Sheffield sneered with a cold face, "McHale and his team can't have forgotten how to shoot in just half a year, right? Even if Brazil is weak, it is still stronger than Guatemala and Honduras. We will be ashamed if we can't beat them."

"Let's ask Mrs. Anna about this matter!" John Connor hesitated for a moment, and decided to go to the person who really had the final say to get permission. After all, this was a matter of great importance.

"Of course you can, but I can guess what your grandmother's reply will be. To be honest, if it weren't for the accidents that happened to my grandfather and father, this situation wouldn't have happened. Everything I do now is to get things back on track." Sheffield didn't object to Annabell knowing about this. To be honest, if he made the decision himself, there would still be a possibility of negotiation. But if he, the heir, expressed that he could snatch it, the old lady's attitude would become that he could kill.

"If Mrs. Anna allows, and if McHale and the others can't handle this matter, I will gather the staff of Black Gold Company and go there in person!" John Connor nodded and prepared to go out to send a telegram.

Sheffield stopped John Connor and shook his head, "McHale and his men have fought in Brazil for so many years, it shouldn't be a problem. Even if they can't handle it, we can hire black people from the South to fight. The skin color of the locals is too different from ours, so it's more convenient to use black people. Don't save this kind of money. How much can a black person make? I'll give you three times, 70 dollars a month. I can give you the money, but we can't delay. Let Keane know how powerful we are."

"But can black people fight in wars? This is not a waste!" John Connor felt unacceptable when he thought of such a scene.

"Will they die? After following us for so many years and holding guns, have you learned how to rob with a gun? If you like robbing, you can go abroad to rob!" Sheffield said with a snort, "If they can't even kill people, I really don't see what contribution they can make."

Edith Rockefeller stayed and witnessed the conversation. She seemed to have discovered another side of this big farmer. After John Connor left, she said, "You were just joking, weren't you? What war? Isn't it all about business? You don't need to use guns to solve the problem. Will black people work for you guys?"

"Do you think you have to treat others as you would in the United States when you are abroad? Sometimes problems cannot be solved without guns. Also, do you really think that during the Civil War, no black people joined the army to fight for us? I am only stating a simple point. Not all of us plantation owners are vicious people." Sheffield looked at Edith Rockefeller, whose worldview was challenged, and said with a mouthful of white teeth, "I am only stating a simple fact. Before the Civil War, there was no unemployment problem for black people, and not all black people were willing to be liberated. They did not have much money, but that does not mean we would not give them other property. Of course, your newspapers will not report this. You really think that the Confederate Army is made up of white soldiers."

After the war, some black slaves on the plantations filled the gap in free labor needed for industrial development. But this was only part of the problem. Another part of the black slaves who left the plantations had another way out - unemployment. This is why there were black soldiers fighting in the Union Army during the Civil War. They not only had to defend the Southern system, but also their jobs.

Industrial development requires qualified and strong labor, not the old, weak, sick, or disabled. This is different from the plantations of the past. Many black people cannot enter the industry.

Regarding the issue of the black community, Sheffield felt that just because the Dixies were black, it didn't mean the Yankees were white. We were bastards, and you were hypocrites. When the economy was good, black workers were no better than those on plantations. Once the economy went into recession, blacks were laid off first to preserve white jobs.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but the key is that this hypocrisy is unbearable. Obviously, both parties do similar things, but you just refuse to admit that you treat them differently.

In recent years, due to the economic depression, there have been groups of black people who are idle and wandering aimlessly in major cities in the north. Unemployed black people have nothing to do, which naturally leads to high crime rates.

"Just wait and see. After I acquire the steel mill, I will only hire black people and give them as much watermelon and fried chicken as I can. I will fire all the ordinary white workers and only keep the skilled workers! If other factories hire white people, I will do the same! This is also a contribution to equality in Chicago. I hope the white workers don't scold me then." Sheffield boasted shamelessly, "After all, I am their former master. I can't watch them die in despair."

"How can you be so mean!" Edith Rockefeller came up to Sheffield, stretched out her hand and pulled Sheffield's ear, "Isn't this a typical Southern plantation? Black people are working and you have guns."

"Don't say that. I have always admitted that the South was defeated. Now black people are free and can leave if they don't want to work. This is for the stability of the United States, to ensure the employment rate of the black community, and to respond to the call of you Yankees. All these advantages and disadvantages are what you brought upon yourselves." Sheffield stretched out two fingers and pinched Edith Rockefeller's fingertips to remind her, "Mrs. Edith, you are a married woman, please respect yourself, I am not yet an adult."

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(End of this chapter)