Cowper insisted on an answer. “You do see that, Rod? Don’t you? You don’t want to continue to have absolute power over the lives and persons of our community? You don’t want that? Do you?” He waited.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure! I mean, I agree with you.”
“Good! I was sure you would understand. And I must ay that I think you have done a very good job in getting us together. I don’t agree with any who have criticized you. You were doing your best and we should let bygones be bygones.” Cowper grinned that friendly grin and Rod felt as if he were being smothered with kisses.
Cowper turned to Kilroy. “That’s all I have to say, Mr. Chairman.” He flashed his grin and added as he sat down, “Sorry I talked so long, folks. I had to get it off my chest.”
Kilroy clapped his hands once. “The chair will entertam nominations for Hey, Grant, if we don’t call it ‘captain,’ then what should we call it?”
“Mmm . . .” Cowper said judicially. “‘President’ seems a little pompous. I think ‘mayor’ would be about rightmayor of our citystate, our village.”
“The chair will entertain nominations for mayor.
“Hey!” demanded Jimmy Throxton. “Doesn’t anybody else get to shoot off his face?”
“Out of order.”
“No,” Cowper objected, “I don’t think you should rule Jimmy out of order, Roy. Anyone who has something to contribute should be encouraged to speak. We mustn’t act hastily.”
“Okay, Throxton, speak your piece.”
“Oh, I didn’t want to sound off. I just didn’t like the squeeze play.”
“All right, the chair stands corrected. Anybody else? If not, we will entertain”
“One moment, Mr. Chairman!”
Rod saw that it was Arthur Nielsen, one of the Teller University group. He managed to look neat even in these circumstances but he had strayed into camp bereft of all equipment, without even a knife. He had been quite hungry.
Kilroy looked at him. “You want to talk, Waxie?”
“Nielsen is the name. Or Arthur. As you know. Yes.”
“Okay. Keep it short.”
“I shall keep it as short as circumstances permit. Fellow associates, we have here a unique opportunity, probably one which has not occurred before in history. As Cowper pointed out, we must proceed with care. But, already we have set out on the wrong foot. Our object should be to found the first truly scientific community. Yet what do I find? You are proposing to select an executive by counting noses! Leaders should not be chosen by popular whim; they should be determined by rigorous scientific criteria. Once selected, those leaders must have full scientific freedom to direct the biogroup in accordance with natural law, unhampered by such artificial anachronisms as statutes, constitutions, and courts of law. We have here an adequate supply of healthy females; we have the means to breed scientifically a new race, a super race, a race which, if I may say so”
A handful of mud struck Nielsen in the chest; he stopped suddenly. “I saw who did that!” he said angrily. Just the sort of nincompoop who always”
“Order, order, please!” Kilroy shouted. “No mudsling or I’ll appoint a squad of sergeants-at-arms. Are you through, Waxie?”
“I was just getting started.”
“Just a moment,” put in Cowper. “Point of order Mr. Chairman. Arthur has a right to be heard. But I think he speaking before the wrong body. We’re going to have a constitutional committee, I’m sure. He should present his arguments to them. Then, if we like them, we can adopt his ideas.”
“You’re right, Grant. Sit down, Waxie.”
“Huh? I appeal!”
Roy Kilroy said briskly, “The chair has ruled this out of order at this time and the speaker has appealed to the house, a priority motion not debatable. All in favor of supporting the chair’s ruling, which is for Waxie to shut up, make it known by saying ‘Aye.'”
There was a shouted chorus of assent. “Opposed: ‘No.’ Sit down, Waxie.”
Kilroy looked around. “Anybody else?”
“Yes”
“I can’t see. Who is it?”
“Bill Kennedy, Ponce de Leon class. I don’t agree with Nielsen except on one point: we are fiddling around with the wrong things. Sure, we need a group captain but, aside from whatever it takes to eat, we shouldn’t think about anything but how to get back. I don’t want a scientific society; I’d settle for a hot bath and decent food.”