Chapter 346: Accepting Congressional Questions
"I'm fine. I eat well and sleep well. There's nothing wrong with me." Sheffield held the microphone and listened to McHale's greetings in New Orleans, nodding continuously. "It's still the same old rules. First, Louisiana will pass the housing law, and then the southern states will follow suit. The black community has no property and certainly can't afford the rent. We have to create a vicious cycle in the South to keep them on their knees forever. Of course, it will inevitably hurt some Dixie people, but for the overall interests of the entire South, some sacrifices are inevitable."
"Gail and I will take care of this matter. We are very confident about the state laws here, but the Panama Canal issue? Some shareholders are still worried!" McHale paused and said, "Is it a big problem?"
"Are you worried that their investment will be lost? I can totally understand this worry, but this accident will not threaten the United Company with bankruptcy. The situation in other industries is very good right now, so let them rest assured." Sheffield felt a chill and rolled his eyes. This familiar feeling prevented him from continuing.
After hanging up the phone, she skillfully took off her son's trousers and gestured at William Rockefeller's tender buttocks with her palm. It was a pity that his son was still not big enough to be beaten with a stick to make him a filial son.
"William, huh?" Edith Rockefeller pushed the door open and saw a strange sight in front of her: two men of different ages were both naked. Although she had a close relationship with these two men, it felt so strange.
"Hmm what? My son peed. I'm innocent. Please bring me two pairs of trousers." Sheffield pointed at the crime scene with a bitter face. He didn't want to get his butt exposed in the wind.
Edith Rockefeller raised her lips in a beautiful arc, turned around to find a change of trousers, and packed up with Sheffield. After they were done, they talked about business and said softly, "The news from Washington is that President Roosevelt is very concerned about the Panama Canal. It involves the lives of tens of thousands of citizens and has been identified as a major accident. There is news that you are asked to go to Washington to be questioned by Congress. What should I do?"
"No big deal. It's okay to go once. I haven't been to Congress yet. Morgan can go to the White House, so it's no big deal for me to go to Congress." Sheffield stretched out his hand and fiddled with the soles of William Rockefeller's feet, seeming to be having a lot of fun.
"When something so serious happened, the people who depended on you didn't show any support at all. It's outrageous." Edith Rockefeller complained, "They couldn't even be used at the critical moment."
"You can't say that. I just finished a phone call. Their connections are my connections, and there's too much overlap. It's normal that I can't help. Besides, they have their own things to do. They can't just give up other industries when something happens to the canal, right?" Sheffield comforted Edith Rockefeller. It's just like there are many women, many beauties, but there are not many women with a family background like Edith Rockefeller. This is a fact.
Louisiana's housing law is also very important. This housing law is stuck at the income point that the black community cannot reach. At the same time, it stipulates that the community has the right to drive out the poor. The landlord who owns the house can evict the tenant if the tenant is late for five days of rent. If the tenant does not leave within a week, the police department has the right to carry guns and take compulsory measures.
If tenants cannot take their own luggage away and have to pay the public sector for the cost of moving the luggage, they will fall into a vicious circle: being evicted by the landlord because of inability to pay the rent. Even if you later earn enough money, few landlords will be willing to rent a house to you. If you don't want to become homeless, you can only find a black landlord or live in a motel, which increases your accommodation expenses again.
In fact, the new housing law is not aimed at the black community, but at the working class who have jobs and income. The trigger point of the bill is that black people generally cannot reach such income, so black people should not oppose this bill, because this bill does not treat black people as human beings at all.
"Once this matter is finished, I will discuss with Rockefeller Jr. to pass a medical bill to protect the due rights of your industry. Doctors nowadays are too irregular, and some beverage companies are deceiving people under the guise of curing all diseases. We should restore order." Compared with Edith Rockefeller's gloomy face, Sheffield's condition was obviously too good, showing the qualities that an excellent slave owner should have.
Let the United Company make a public statement to accept congressional questioning. Before going to Washington, Sheffield also had a brief communication with Germany's Bayer Company. The emergence of diseases after the flood is almost a foregone conclusion. At this time, Bayer Company, which has strong technical reserves in the chemical field, will be needed to help. Sheffield repeatedly assured that although this matter is a big deal, it will not bankrupt the United Company and will not delay the two sides' cooperation in multiple fields.
"Someone will definitely take this opportunity to criticize you!" Edith Rockefeller came to see her off at the Chicago train station and muttered, "These so-called congressmen are all bastards."
"It's okay. I'm prepared." Sheffield raised his eyebrows and said nonchalantly, "Sometimes, when a person makes such a big mistake, the country will help cover it up for you."
Congress in Washington is indeed ready to take action. There are not many opportunities throughout the year to exercise power, and taking action against such a large company is even rarer. Many people are ready to plead for the people. At this time, black lives are also lives.
When I got off the train at the train station, there were already countless cars parked outside, nearly a hundred in total. Employees wearing black and gold corporate suits and armbands were waiting for their boss to show up. The scene was jaw-dropping. Even the civil servants in Washington were very surprised by Sheffield's pomp and circumstance. As the huge motorcade started to head to Capitol Hill, the news that the boss of the United Company had arrived in Washington to be questioned was also spread.
"This questioning should be organized by the president. You just wait outside the cordon." Sheffield got off the car and saw the building of the Capitol. It had a strong ancient Roman style and was worthy of being the heart of the modern Roman Empire.
However, the slave owner felt a little disgusted. Why did he feel a bit like Caesar's assassination? It's enough to come to this kind of place once. It's better not to come here in the future. The security personnel in the Congress have come out. They glanced at the black and gold armed forces in front of them, nodded, and led the way, leading the famous entrepreneur into the Congress to be questioned.
Normally, this kind of order is presided over by the vice president who is acting as the speaker of the House. However, it has been special in recent years. Roosevelt is the vice president and should do this kind of work. After the former president William McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt became the regular president, but there was no backup for the vice president, so the position of vice president has been vacant in recent years, and Roosevelt is still the one who presides over the Congress. In a sense, Roosevelt can now be said to be serving as both president and speaker of the House.
Sheffield sat down where the guide pointed out, without any hesitation. He looked around the interior of the Parliament to see what was going on inside the heart of the modern Roman Empire.
This nonchalant attitude made many councillors look at each other in surprise. It seemed that no one in this joint company was nervous at all.
"Regarding the Panama Canal project operated by the United Company, there were heavy casualties due to the dam collapse. I wonder what Mr. William would like to say?" A congressman asked the question first. Sheffield glanced at the other camp, the Democratic camp, and knew everything. He coughed softly and said, "First of all, it is a fact that there were heavy casualties due to the dam collapse. There is nothing to hide."
"So, Mr. William, what kind of responsibility do you think United should bear for the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens?" Another congressman soon followed up on this question and began a sharp accusation.
Sheffield looked at the other person deeply, then retracted his gaze, raised his head slightly and replied indifferently, "Regarding the collapse of the dam, according to the promise made to me by the local person in charge, the dam is extremely solid and will not collapse without reason. If this condition is true and I have not been deceived, then my answer to this question is that neither the United Company nor its subsidiary American Canal Management Company should bear any responsibility for this."
"In this accident, United Company is also a victim. Although United Company is a powerful company, to be modest, no one can be more worthy of being a victim than United Company in terms of the losses caused by this incident! As for other questions, I will have to wait until the results of the investigation come out before I can give you an answer."
"In other words, as the owner of the joint company, Mr. William believes that his company does not bear even the slightest responsibility for such a large number of deaths?" Following this question, some noise appeared in the meeting room. Apparently, many people were discussing among themselves.
"Dear Congressman!" Sheffield knocked on the table and refuted without showing any weakness. "This is an era of evidence. Members of a country ruled by law should have a clear understanding of this. Don't let some personal emotions turn such a serious place as Congress into a stage for canvassing votes. This is not your personal rally."
"As to why the Gatun Lake Dam collapsed, we must wait for the results of the investigation to come out before making a decision. I am here to accept questioning. As a citizen, I have this obligation, but I am not here to be tried. I hope every respectable member of parliament should understand this." Sheffield's words were loud and clear, echoing in the meeting hall.
(End of this chapter)
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