Changes

In 2011 came the meeting that changed everything for the old Ouray/Uncompaghre site: the meeting of Midas Mulligan and John Galt. In that year, the Twentieth Century Motor Company finally went under, as Galt knew it would. A feckless man named Lee Hunsacker sought to buy the factory, thinking, as he would say later to [[Dagny Taggart]], that at last this was his "one chance at something big." He applied to Mulligan for a business loan, and Mulligan refused, citing his prior abysmal business record.

In 2011 came the meeting that changed everything for the old Ouray/Uncompaghre site: the meeting of Midas Mulligan and John Galt. In that year, the Twentieth Century Motor Company finally went under, as Galt knew it would. A feckless man named Lee Hunsacker sought to buy the factory, thinking, as he would say later to [[Dagny Taggart]], that at last this was his "one chance at something big." He applied to Mulligan for a business loan, and Mulligan refused, citing his prior abysmal business record.

The resentful Hunsacker sued Mulligan and asked for a court order compelling Mulligan to grant the loan. The initial trial judge, [[Judge Narragansett]], told the [[jury]] in his charge to them that he could find no precedent for granting the relief for which Hunsacker had prayed, and believed the law under which Hunsacker had sued to be unconstitutional. The jury, perhaps in a case of [[jury nullification]], found for Mulligan. Hunsacker appealed. In a result that perhaps even John Galt found incredible, the appellate court reversed Judge Narragansett's dismissal and remanded the case for further consideration. A second jury found for Hunsacker, who now had a judgment against Mulligan.

The resentful Hunsacker sued Mulligan and asked for a court order compelling Mulligan to grant the loan. The initial trial judge, [[Judge Narragansett]], told the [[jury]] in his charge to them that he could find no precedent for granting the relief for which Hunsacker had prayed, and believed the law under which Hunsacker had sued to be unconstitutional. The jury, perhaps in a case of [[jury nullification]], found for Mulligan. Galt greeted that result with a mixture of elation and disappointment: elation, because he never thought to see the like of Judge Narragansett on the bench again; disappointment because he knew that the verdict would never stand.

John Galt went straight to Mulligan and told him that this sort of travesty of justice would continue so long as men like Mulligan continued to put up with it. Mulligan would later say that he took all of fifteen minutes to agree to join John Galt's strike. Like Francisco d'Anconia, Mulligan determined to liquidate his enterprise as he left. Unlike Francisco, the liquidation took all of twenty-four hours. He simply called in all his loans and then paid off his deposits and canceled their accounts. With that done, he vanished. A team of bank examiners later found that the books of the Mulligan Bank balanced exactly. The Mulligan Bank was wiped out, but wiped out in a manner by which not a single depositor had lost any money.

 

John Galt went straight to Mulligan. He found him at his desk, reading the court order, and betraying his anger on his fact. John Galt told Mulligan that this sort of travesty of justice would continue so long as men like Mulligan continued to put up with it. Mulligan would later say that he took all of fifteen minutes to agree to join John Galt's strike.

 

Like Francisco d'Anconia, Mulligan determined to liquidate his enterprise as he left. Unlike Francisco, the liquidation took no more than two weeks. He simply sold all his loans to other banks, and then sent word to his depositors to withdraw their deposits and close their accounts. With that done, he vanished. A team of bank examiners later found that the books of the Mulligan Bank balanced exactly. The Mulligan Bank was wiped out, but wiped out in a manner by which not a single depositor had lost any money.

While this was happening, John Galt visited Judge Narragansett in his chambers. Judge Narragansett finally stepped down from the bench and vanished six months following the liquidation of the Mulligan Bank.

While this was happening, John Galt visited Judge Narragansett in his chambers. Judge Narragansett finally stepped down from the bench and vanished six months following the liquidation of the Mulligan Bank.