Chapter 26: Citizens Committee

"God has buried inexhaustible gold in California and guided us, God's believers, to discover the gold. This gold is given by God to us, the devout believers.

We are all chosen by God!

Now someone wants to monopolize this gold and push us step by step to a dead end. In the name of God, for gold! For a better life! Let's unite!"

In Sacramento, Liang Yao is delivering his inspiring speech. Google Search Reading

"Let's unite!"

"For God! For gold!"

"For a better life!"

The thunderous echoes from the audience poured into Liang Yao's ears.

The citizens of San Francisco have also suffered from Sam Brannan for a long time. Now there is a person who can wrestle with Brannan and is willing to stand up for justice, and they are willing to stand up and resist.

Gold was discovered in California, but the people who benefited from it in San Francisco were Brannan and his shitty security committee.

If it were just this, they could still tolerate it. What the gold diggers could not tolerate was that these vested interests not only did not restrain themselves, but instead relied on their monopoly position to raise prices, levied huge rents and miscellaneous taxes on shops, and sold daily necessities and gold mining tools at outrageous prices, completely blocking their upward path to wealth.

"Rousseau once said in the opening of "The Theory of Contract" that people are born free but are always in chains. Although you seem to be free, you are actually slaves, all Brannan's miners!

You used your hard-working hands to dig in the mines day and night, and finally dug out such a pitiful little bit of gold.

But what was the result? All it took was a word from Brannan, and the price of the gold pan increased by three dollars today! The price of beer increased by two dollars per pound! The price of bread increased by one dollar per pound! He could easily take away the gold in your hands!

Brannan is our shackles! Let us unite together! Break free from this damn shackle!"

Liang Yao struck while the iron was hot and continued to fan the flames.

Looking at Liang Yao, who was giving a speech with great passion, Robinson felt very crazy and incredible.

Liang Yao easily mobilized the emotions of these gold diggers from different places.

Robinson listened carefully to Liang Yao's speech. He used the theories of God's chosen people, destiny, and contract theory flexibly.

Liang Yao's speech was not only inspiring, but also so profound that it would make those experienced politicians in the East feel ashamed.

Robinson became more and more curious about Liang Yao's experience. Is this a speech that only a person of eighteen or nineteen years old can give?

As a person who has just become an adult, Liang Yao is really a bit too mature. He even wondered if Liang Yao was the one chosen by God?

In addition to this explanation, Robinson could not think of any other reason to explain Liang Yao's outstanding personal ability and excessive maturity.

The speech was very successful. Liang Yao successfully established the California Citizens Committee, and he was successfully elected as the chairman of the Citizens Committee as he wished.

Because Robinson had a good reputation, the participants nominated Robinson as the vice chairman of the Citizens Committee.

This made the employees of Boston Company very excited.

Robinson himself felt like sitting on pins and needles. There were many ordinary members of the Citizens Committee. Even if the Citizens Committee failed in this struggle, these ordinary members could retreat unscathed.

As the chairman and vice chairman of Liang Yaohe, he had no way out and could only advance and retreat together.

Robinson was now in a difficult situation and could only reluctantly agree to serve as the vice chairman of the Citizens Committee under the instigation of everyone.

"Please accept my congratulations, Dr. Robinson. Your election as vice chairman can be said to be what everyone expected."

After the meeting, Liang Yao congratulated Robinson.

The current population structure of California is still dominated by white people. The Citizens Committee has a respected white person as vice chairman, and those white people can accept it.

This situation is what Liang Yao is happy to see. In addition to his extraordinary speaking ability, he can serve as the chairman because of his strength. After all, except for Brannan, no one in California has the strength to compete with him.

It can be said that Liang Yao is the only candidate for the chairman of the Citizens Committee. There is no other choice except him.

Robinson's appointment as vice chairman is truly what everyone wants.

"I can't be happy at all. It's like putting me on the fire to be the vice chairman. I just want to be an ordinary doctor."

"An ordinary doctor can't save California, Mr. Robinson."

Liang Yao patted Robinson on the shoulder and said to Robinson meaningfully.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation. Hello, Mr. Chairman, I have something to talk to you about."

A young man of the same age as Liang Yao said cautiously, holding a brand new pair of canvas pants in his hand.

"Of course, please come to my residence to talk, I will treat you to authentic Chinese tea."

Liang Yao said goodbye to Robinson and invited the young man to sit in his yard.

"I am impressed by your extraordinary speaking ability and personal charm. If California becomes a state in the future, I will vote for you like today."

The young man said while looking around Liang Yao's house: "Compared to Mr. Brannan's manor, your house is too simple, but your house is very tasteful and well designed. Unlike Brannan, his house is very simple." There is always only one theme for the house, and that is gold. I am afraid that people all over the world will not know that it is like gold, and you will be much more low-key.”

"I don't think you came to me to discuss residential design issues with me."

Jones clumsily learned how to make tea, and Deng Ying was away. Liang Yao felt very uncomfortable watching Jones' clumsy and unfamiliar tea-making movements, and asked Jones to sort out this month's financial statements, and he made the tea himself.

"I'm a small shopkeeper in San Francisco. I have a project that I think you will be interested in." As he spoke, the young man hurriedly brought the canvas pants in his hand to Liang Yao and asked Liang Yao to take a look.

Liang Yao poured a cup of tea for the young man. The young man took it and drank it with fear. As a result, the tea was too hot and his mouth turned red.

"You can't drink hot tea in a hurry. The tea is too hot. You can put it on the coffee table first and drink it after it cools down." Liang Yao reminded the young man while looking at the canvas pants.

These canvas pants were very strong. Liang Yao put down the canvas pants, then picked up the teacup, blew on the hot air from the teacup, and took a sip.

"Tell me your name, and what you think."

"My name is Levi Strauss. I just immigrated to New York three years ago. Your accent makes me feel very familiar. You speak English with a very unique New York accent. Are you a New Yorker?"

"I am not a New Yorker, but the tutor who teaches me English is a New Yorker, so my English will inevitably have a New York flavor."

In his previous life, Liang Yao lived in New York for seven or eight years, so it was inevitable that he would pick up some local accent. Now his English accent is different from what it was more than a hundred years ago. Strauss felt that it would be okay if his English had a strange New York accent. Strange.

In his later years, he often dealt with all kinds of customers. Speaking with a local accent can also shorten the distance with local customers, making it easier to negotiate deals.

Levi Strauss, founder of Levi's?

"Were you a Jew who lived in the German-speaking area before immigrating to New York?"

Liang Yao looked at Strauss carefully. The gold rush in California gave birth to the first batch of rich people in the western United States. Many of the companies founded by these rich people have been passed down for hundreds of years, or even longer. Levi's is one example.

However, with the shipping king Vanderbilt in front and rising stars such as oil king Rockefeller and steel king Carnegie behind, this group of Western tycoons appears dim under the shining stars of these three tycoons and is not so well-known.

"How do you know?" Strauss was very surprised.

"Your English has a strong German flavor. For a shrewd businessman like you, I think he is either a Jew or has some Jewish ancestry."

Strauss, like Sartre, spoke a very German English, which was easy to hear.

"You have broader knowledge than Mr. Brannan. It seems that joining the Citizens Committee will be the wisest choice I have made in my life." Strauss sighed, and then he introduced his products.

"Based on my observations in the mining areas these days, I found that the miners' clothes and trousers are in tatters due to long-term wear and tear, and it is very expensive to make new clothes and trousers in California.

So I thought it would be nice if these miners could have a wear-resistant garment, so I used some unsaleable canvas and went to a tailor to make several samples, the one you have is the best sample among them. "

After saying that, Levi looked at Liang Yao anxiously and expectantly.

Strauss, who had just started his business, was now strapped for funds and urgently needed an investment to change his current predicament. Otherwise, he would not have come to Sacramento to listen to Liang Yao's speech after seeing the news about Liang Yao in the newspaper.

Strauss hoped that the young investor would be interested in his project. He had risked everything to come to California to start a business, and he could not afford to lose.

"Canvas is wear-resistant and is indeed suitable for work clothes. I can consider investing in it. However, although canvas work clothes are wear-resistant, the wearing comfort may not be good. This is also an issue that needs to be considered in the future. If you want your products to sell well, you The products must be improved and updated to meet the needs of users, so as not to be abandoned by the market. "

"You are still far-sighted. To tell you the truth, before I came to you with an uneasy mood, I also approached Mr. Brannan. Unfortunately, he was only interested in such lucrative industries as gold mining tools and brothels, casinos and taverns, and was not interested in I don’t plan to reduce my rent.” Seeing Liang Yao confirming his idea, Strauss was extremely happy.

Liang Yao sighed softly: "A place with only brothels, casinos and pubs will not have a future. Gold is just an opportunity given to California by God, not the future of California. Only industry is the future of California."

Strauss strongly agreed with Liang Yao's point of view. He was very excited, as if he had found a soulmate who spoke a common language.

"You are renting Brannan's store now?"

"Yes sir, it's just that the rent charged by Brannan is too expensive. Although my grocery store business is not bad, but with the purchase of goods from Mr. Brannan and the high rent, I have almost no remaining funds to open it." New sales channels.

I tried to find a merchant ship that docked and buy goods directly from the ship owner. This would be much cheaper, but I paid a price for it. After Brannan found out about this, the people from the Security Committee gave me a good beating and warned me that if they found out again, they would confiscate my shop.

Brannan controls everything in San Francisco, which makes us feel very desperate. But fortunately, God sent you to California to save us. "Strauss said with some relief.

"How are other merchants in San Francisco doing?" Liang Yao asked.

"I am already a relatively good store owner. I think you can guess what the other store owners are doing." Strauss shrugged helplessly and spread his hands.

Strauss has such a prosperous business but is still struggling to make ends meet. It is natural that those store owners with average business are in such a difficult situation.

"There are no banks in California yet. Some store owners have to borrow money from Brannan to make a living. "Strauss added.

"Brannan has gone too far. I deeply sympathize with your situation. If you want, you can work for me now and continue your project. Your project has great potential. I am optimistic about it and am willing to lend a hand.

I have also purchased some land in San Francisco. I will build a new commercial street there. The rent there will be very reasonable, and some necessary public services will be provided.

After returning to San Francisco, you will tell the poor shop owners this news. San Francisco will usher in a new era like Sacramento. Let us work together to build a beautiful new California! Build our prosperous new home!"