Smith paused.
"But the Pittsburgh orders are different."
"That money is for the factories. It's for the workers."
"Those cement plants, those steel mills—they are the economic lifeblood of this city. They're the only source of income for countless working-class families."
"If we lose the Pittsburgh orders, the factories will shut down and the workers will lose their jobs. Thousands of families will go hungry. Kids won't have money for school, and the sick won't have money for medicine."
"They won't listen to reason, and they won't listen to your explanations."
"You gave them hope. You told them the factories were reopening, that better days were ahead. And now you're going to snuff out that hope with your own hands?"
"The rage that follows that kind of despair will erupt like a volcano."
"They will riot."
"They'll burn down City Hall. They'll drag us out of our offices. They might even smash up our homes."
"Joe, you need to understand something."
