Astounding British Edition, Vol. 9, No. 7 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Ss nae ace RS = < Sas > Sp RE see ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION camps and blasted cities. From this posi- the Hamilton machine, the politics, and tion, of course, I beg politely to differ. particularly the enforcement of the laws, Literate men also gave us the Magna in this state, are unbelievably corrupt, but : Charta and the Declaration of Indepen- 1 wonder—” dence. Mongery paused. “Just a moment; I : “Now in spite of a lunatic fringe in the see a flash bulletin being brought in.” = Consolidated, [Illiterates’ Organization The novice Literate came to his side and = who want just that, Chester Pelton knows gave him a slip of paper, at which he x that we cannot abolish Literacy entirely. glanced. Then he laughed heartily. : Even with modern audio-visual recording, “It seems that shortly after I began = need exists for some modicum of written speaking, the local blue-ribbon grand jury recording, which can be rapidly scanned issued a summons for Chief Delaney to and selected from—indexing, cataloguing, appear before them, with all his records. tabulating data, et cetera—and for at Unfortunately, the summons could not be - least a few men and women who can_ served; Chief Delaney had just boarded form and interpret the written word. Mr. a strato-rocket from Tom Dewey Field for Pelton, himself, is the owner of a huge Buenos Aires.” He cocked an eye at the department store, employing over a thou- audience. “I know Irish is going to have sand I[lliterates; he must at all times have a nice time, down there in the springtime ’ the services of at least fifty Literates.” of the Southern Hemisphere. And, inciden- “And pays thtough the nose for them, tally, the Argentine is one of the few too!” Pelton growled. It was more than major powers which never signed the fifty; and Russ Latterman had been forced World Extradition Convention of 2087.” . to get twenty extras sent in for the sale. He raised his hand to his audience. “And “Now, since we cannot renounce now, until tomorrow at _ breakfast, Literacy entirely, without sinking to sincerely yours for Cardon’s Black Bottle, fellahin barbarism, and here I definitely Elliot C. Mongery. part company with Mr. Pelton, he fears | “Well, whattaya know; that guy was the potential power of organized Literacy. plugging for you!” Ray said. “And see In a word, he fears a future Literate how he managed to slide in that bit Dictatorship.” about corruption, right before his stooge “Future? What do you think we have handed him that bulletin?” now?” Pelton demanded. “TI guess every Literate has his. price,” “Nobody,” Mongery said, as though Chester Pelton said. “I wonder how much replying to him, “is stupid enough, today, of my money that cost. I always wondered to want to be a dictator. That ended by why Frank Cardon sponsored Mongery. the middle of the Twenty-first Century. Now I know. Mongery can be had.” Everybody knows what happened to “Uh, beg your pardon, Mr. Pelton,” a Mussolini, and Hitler, and Stalin, and all voice from the hall broke in. their imitators. Why, it is as much as the He turned. Olaf Olafsson, the ’copter public fear of Big Government as the driver, was standing at the entrance to breakdown of civil power because of the the breakfast nook, a smudge of oil on administrative handicap of a shortage of his cheek and his straw-colored hair in / Literate administrators that is responsible disorder. “How do I go about startin’ this » for the disgraceful lawlessness of the past new ’copter?” hundred years. Thus, it speaks well for “What?” Olaf had been his driver for the public trust in Chester Pelton’s known ten years. He would have been less sur- integrity and sincerity that so many of prised had the ceiling fallen in. “You our people are willing to agree to his don’t know how to start it?” program for socialized Literacy. They “No sir. The controls is all different feel that he can be trusted, and, violently from on the summer model. Every time . as I disagree with him, I can only say I try to raise it, it backs up; if I try to that that trust is not misplaced. raise it much more, we won’t have no “Of course, there is also the question, wall left on the landing stage.” i so often raised by Mr. Pelton, that under “Well, isn’t there a book?” Comicbooksteom