Lassalle was somewhat speechless. He had the distinct feeling of a scholar meeting a soldier.
If he went too deep, the other man would not understand. If he kept it shallow, he could not explain himself clearly.
Lassalle wanted to say that he certainly could, but he feared falling into the trap of having to prove himself.
Fortunately, debate had always been his forte. Since he could not make himself understood, he would let the other side prove itself instead.
"Without the vote, how do you know the Emperor will speak for you?"
"He gave us money, gave us rest days, and killed those bad people. I saw it all with my own eyes."
"Are you sure what you saw was real? Could there not have been other calculations behind it?
"Was he afraid of your strength? Or did he have some other purpose? Or was he trying to cover something up?"
Lassalle's words left the worker somewhat confused. He had never considered so much, nor did he want to. He merely said, "But he is on our side."
Lassalle had been prepared for this and did not dwell on it.
"You saw it, so you believe him. But what if he wanted to do evil? Would you have any way to stop him?
"The meaning of the vote is that you can test whether someone is truly speaking for you.
"If he does well, vote for him again next time. If he does poorly, replace him next time.
"You should have that right. Without it, your current life is nothing but flowers reflected in a mirror and the moon in water—it will vanish sooner or later.
"Whether you are happy or not is merely a word from the monarch."
Yet the man was still doubtful of Lassalle's argument.
"But