Chapter 4 of 16 · 3'05"
A group of businessmen meet to deal with the iron ore shortage — and with Hank Rearden. They argue that it isn't "in the public interest" to let one man dominate an industry, plan to "bring Rearden down" from the inside, and ask James Taggart to grease the palms of politicians to pass a bill.
❝ Monologue · 4 lines The Businessmen Plot Against Rearden
James Predicts the Rival's End
At a gathering of industrialists, the talk turns to the iron ore shortage and to Hank Rearden. One argues that letting a single man destroy an industry is not in the public interest; another says that to bring Rearden down they must work from the inside. They push the Equalization of Opportunity bill and ask James Taggart to grease the palms of politicians.
The scene is a conspiracy in plain language, and that is what makes it chilling. The men never call it a plot; they call it fairness, public interest and equal opportunity. 'It's not in the public interest to let one man destroy an entire industry,' one says, which sounds like regulation and is actually the cover for taking a competitor apart. The plan is stated without shame — 'If we're gonna bring Rearden down we should do it from the inside' — and the bill is designed to do the work legally: limit how many businesses one person may own. Then comes the price of politics, put plainly: 'We need you to grease the palms of your politicians.' James Taggart only wants to know what his railroad gets, and the answer is the ruin of a rival. The later talk about Francisco and the Mexican ore shows the same men treating business as a game of information and betrayal.
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
“It's not in the public interest to let one man destroy an entire industry.”
It turns a personal attack into a public duty, which is exactly how such plots talk.
Formal
“If we're gonna bring Rearden down we should do it from the inside.”
It states the tactics of the plot without a shred of shame.
Neutral
“We need you to grease the palms of your politicians...”
It names the payoff as a job to be done, making corruption sound routine.
Informal
“What will Taggart Transcontinental get in return?”
He skips the ideals and asks for his cut, exposing the real motive at the table.
Neutral
“He may be a slacker, but he makes business investments that pay off.”
The concession lets them insult him and envy him in the same breath.
Informal
“This time next year, Phoenix/Durango needs to be a memory.”
A calm deadline for wiping out a rival makes the ambition sound matter-of-fact.
Neutral
We are working on a bill. It's called The Equalization of Opportunity. It proposes to limit the number of businesses... ...that any one person owns to one business.
Up next · 05name your priceThe scene: Owen Kellogg Resigns from TaggartThey want to bring Hank Rearden down. They push the Equalization of Opportunity bill to limit how many businesses one person can own, and ask James Taggart to pay off politicians to get it passed.
A proposed law that would limit any one person to owning a single business. In practice it is aimed at breaking up Rearden's holdings.
He wants the Phoenix/Durango railroad's grip on Colorado to end, so his own line can take over. He asks, 'What will Taggart Transcontinental get in return?'
It means to bribe or pay people in power to get what you want. Here the businessmen want James to pay politicians so their bill passes.
James and Orren discuss the Mexican ore mine deal Francisco invested in. They note that his investments pay off, and James says his own Mexican expansion depends on those mines.
