THE REVOLUTIONARY FATHERS
O'Neal, James
THE REVOLUTIONARY FATHERS Reviewed by JAMES O'NEAL ge VOLUTION AKY NEW KNOI.AHD, 'HBM776. By Janes Truaiow Adams. Boston: Tho Atlantic Kanthly Prf»*. Price, $6. , A British author of a...
...Let the wind deafen mm...
...They cannot acc e p t ' t h e fatuous doctrine that "the: intjsaejg of capital and labor are idsw.irfil—whldh is to say that the i n t e r e s t s of landlord and tenant, hangman and condemned, cat and rat a r e Identical...
...This spirit of pereeetttleri is f a r more un-American then Snf* tiling which Bignor Paplnl couldpo*> sibly say or writ* about U | . * * '' Nicholas Murrey Butler*.' The Class Struggle...
...An interest-, ing phase of this article is t h a t it .considers the possibility of a third p a r t y in terms of personalities, Henry Ford...
...He observes that " t h e Socialists a r e watching this situation with interest...
...The state, of foreign affairs is their pretense for arming...
...What gives the revolution the appearance of b e i n g 'a rising of the colonists in general against British authority is t h a t t he aristocratic governing classes of the colonies were generally associated with the colonial governors in tho administration of public power...
...when Poland snatohed territory from Russia, from Germany and from Lithuania...
...Foremost among them must be Included the author of the present work: • This book is a worthy successor to "The Founding of New England," which appeared in 1921...
...Postgate is a Communist and he glories in the resemblance of t he Russian revolution to t h e Commune...
...the state of public opinlon is t h e cause...
...II Col* In "Labor in the C*B> monwealth," Ruling Class Wars, The Immense armies whWh are maintained, and which seme mention ns a proof that the love of war is increasing instead of duninlahinf, a r e merely an evidence that the gaj...
...If they knew t he real history of the " f a t h e r s " they would make it a penal offense to write it...
...the alteration in colonial land policy, the speculation in wilderness lands, and the lessening opportunity fur persons without capital to rise in the social scale...
...As a forecast of t h e Labor p a r t y ' s policy this contribution is of unusual interest.' Murray r King writes on ''FarmerLabor Party Prospects" for this) year, the a r t i c l e dealing largely with I j t he composition of the group* that will attend the n o m i n a t i n g convention in Saint Paul on May 80...
...TRY TO DISFRANCHISE WORKERS Bydntf, W. 8. WV-At tlw recent election here the Labor Party ssamid a largo measure of control ovar thia, tha capital city of Australia, aialtM Conservatives (or KatlonaUtg, as they >H11 themselves) Wars i t j s l ' Now the latter art manMvtrbst W put a bill through the State Lejts* luture to disfranchise the TgaTBtf vote"-—those who lira in hotel* JM rooming houses—unless the*/ gt% possessed of a certain amount of property rights over the rights eg humans...
...The prise-winning peace plan now being marketed is the World Court and the League of Nations dressed up in their bust bib and tucker...
...Other Interesting contributions to this number are an article on ' t he Oklahoma Klan by Louis R. Glavls i and "What Makes Lenin G r e a t ? " by Anna Louise Strong...
...Through 460 pages Mr...
...On t h e whole, Mr...
...By R. W. Postgate...
...How much other historians have missed in considering this neglected period may be gathered from a brief summary of the contents of this book, which we quote from the author's preface: Doling these earlier decades leading up to the revolutionary pericd proper .we have to note, on t h e .me hand, t h e efforts to advance their position by tboee upper classes which were endeavoring to control the life of t h e colonies for their own advsnta" W, and, on t h e o t h e r , the demands made by the less f o r t u n a t e elements for an Increase of power and the betterment of their position...
...Fiction and poetry, book reviews, more serious articles and a delightful collection of news items from many states under the general caption of "Americana" make this initial number of the new monthly a forecast of what is to come in other issues...
...And right glad they a r e to find a decent pretext for,rootectlng themselves from that punishment whirh many of them richly deserve.—Henry Thomas Buck's in h i s essay on Mill's "LibertST...
...The error lies in exaggerating tha rise of industrial cities a t this period...
...when Lithuania lopped off a corner of German territory...
...He presents fairly conclusive evidence t h a t the main s t r e n g t h of t h e p a r ty consisted of the rural population and especially in the western part of the state, where the party carried ten towns in the election of 1833...
...It l l M i that the lines of division BaMMM 1 classes a r e neither cle*r-*ut not dVf i n i t e ; it is t r u e that the Majority HI all classes has no full aWOronOS* of the nature of the conflict...
...Fatuous lolly still finds a brisk market in the r a n k s of o u r " l i b e r a l s ." THE FREEMAN ( "The Freemen" Is always at Ita best when considering imperialism and the imperialists...
...In other words, we a r e promised War on hokum, political, economic and social...
...Adams refers to the period of 1731-1761 "peipl°jed region in New England history...
...In t h e sphere of imperial relations we have endeavored to indicate the prime importance of the p a r t played by t h e West Indies in complicating and embittering th* relations between otd and Now England...
...The a u t h o r concludes t h at "The Workingmen's movement w as preponderantly a r u r a l and a g r a r i an p a r t y , with an u r b a n complement of carpenters, masons, and ship caulkers— the 'mechanics' of those days...
...Harvey, of course, remained at l a r g e ' w h i le LWIw want to jail, juat-a» H K H U H M I remained at large while Copoer served six months in t h e " j u g . " The theme of D a r l i n g ' s article is the correction of some erroneous im[ press'ions regarding the Workingmen's P a r t y in Massachusetts that have crept into labor histories...
...Inti-i nally, then, the commonwealth today can only express lujMf in terms of a class struggle...
...Those who a r e acquainted with his work will lx>k forward with anticipation to the a n nouncement of his next boot...
...She elected all her own officials, she had practically no communication with the home government, her l a w i were not subject to review, there was no repres e n t s t i v e of the Crown within her borders...
...But theM facts do not Invalidate the MneAsi thesis that, in Its internal relations, the commonwealth tepds more Mm more to express Itself as a strufflf between soclsl classes contending fof economic end political suth^rfty,—U. I...
...Blanqui's s t r e n g t h was his determination, his devotion, his courage, his intelligence...
...e r n l n g classes distrust and suspect the future, and know that their real danger is to be found not abroad hut at home...
...Mary Garden . continues her autobiography and H. G. Wells his novel, "The D r e a m ." The rest Is mainly fiction...
...Thomas Cooper had been imprisoned six months because of some trivial criticisms of President Adants...
...ttd machinery of State ia dominated M the classes which possess the Actual political and ecnnomlo auttaotUV, while the classes whoa* poWgf JB W potential are driven to buUd...
...The Commune W B B a mass movement In t h a t it was in t h e interest of t h e masses, but in t h e sense t h a t it was Individually led by t he only man who could have led it as it was organized it was a one-man movement and depended for i t s success upon the accidental fact t h a t t he leader was alive and well and out of jail at the time of its outbreak...
...What the struggle was leading to was "an attempt to gather all power into t he hands of t h e rommon people, an a t tempt to destroy all privileges,.political, economic and social...
...The the sagacity of a Metternich and1 all the high rectitude of a Pierre Bayard . . . or that a moron run through a university and decorated with a Ph...
...Adams i n t e r r u p t s his n a r r a t i ve for some philosophical observation on events and persons and these passages a r e among the finest to be found in the writings of a n y modern historian...
...The weakness of his movement lay in t h e fact that the revolt depended upon his leadership, and his alone...
...The loyalists were not all scoundrels and the " p a t r i o t s " were not all s a i n t s . There was fraud and profiteering in t he revolutionary armj' and among t he business classes...
...He is a w r i t e r who is pledged to only one master—the modern scientific spirit of research and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . He holds no brief for o r a g a i n s t British officials...
...developed, a s well as a beautiful sketch, of a great revolutionary hero,, WILLIAM M. F E I G E N B A U M . The American Mercury., This new monthly review appearing in a n a t t r a c t i v e green cover, 1B published by Alfred A. Knopf and edited by H. L. Mencken and George J e a n Nathan...
...The sketch of Blanqui Is a masterpiece of b r i l l i a n t writing, understanding, historical research a nd biography...
...The American Mercury cannot be classified as "liberal," as "radical," as "progressive," or a s "revolutionary...
...Comic Supplement "There Is no more unhappy tendency In pur contemporary Am*ri r an life than to persecute thee* Ihdividuals and those doctrines with which we may not ourselves happen to agree...
...They fear revolution f a r more than invasion...
...His friend, Woodrow Wilson, thought otherwise when he was teaching us t h e "moral forces of t he world" through his Espionage Act...
...It was t h e radical wing of t h e Democ r a t i c party—itself primarily a 'country party' opposed to the wealthier conservative elements, both1 urban and rural, which made up t he Whig- " Party, led by Daniel Webs ter...
...Harold Kellock writes an informing review of Shaw's "Saint...
...Isuoc R. Pennypacker leads with an »n icle on "The Lincoln Legend," in which he challenges the general belief in the humble origin of Lincoln's ancestors...
...One might as well interpret an eruption of Vesuvius in terms of the action of human beings on i ts vine-clad slopes...
...THE NEW REPUBLIC 1 lie mor« or less serious weeklies find in tho recent advance of the British Labor Party a theme for editoriaU and special articles, II N •railsford, editor of "The New Leader," organ of the Independent Labor Party, writes a very Informing article on "What British Labor Will Do" in the current number of "The New Republic...
...Throughout the period discontent rose, radical sentiment develops, ami there is noticeable a slow slipping of political power from the higher to a lower social class, and a steady growth in self-consciousness on t he part of the latter...
...Cooper pursued Hamilton with letters in an attempt to extract an admission from nlm that he w a s tho a u t h or of the attack, but without success...
...AMONG THE MAGAZINES The American Historical Review...
...ACORNS By CLEMENT WOOD 1 (/« think titan is patient...
...In the American Historical Review for July Mr...
...We observe the rapid accumulation of wealth and Ita increasing concentration in relatively fewer hands...
...eSdward VV...
...link's ample funds...
...But when we consider a colony l i k e Connecticut the illusion vanishes...
...when Italy seized Jugo-Slavian land...
...The American revolution was a s much a social revolution and civil war in the minds of large numbers of mechanics, small tradesmen and f a r m e r s of t h e frontier as it was a revolt against royal prerogative in the minds of others...
...An analysis of the vote cast for t h e party shows that it was very small in the f a c t o r y cities of Massachusetts...
...Revolutionary bodies usurped public power, removed judges, magi s t r a t e s and governors, indulged in force and violence, exiled or deported opponents, suppressed meetings a nd publications, and did all t h o s e things which our modern 100 percenters a s sure us are not in...
...The book is u footnote to P o s t d a t e ' s "Revolution," his monumental documentary history of revolution from 1789 to the Russian upheaval in 1905 and 1906...
...The s t r u g g l e against- t h e Governor and h i s colonial associates in class rule therefore, has the appearance of opposition to British rule alone...
...Where they were stupid in j u d g i n g situations and legislating to meet them, he s a y s so...
...OUT OF THE PAST OUT OF THE PAST...
...Here is a work that neither the pro-British nor the antj-British propagandists can accept...
...The Freeman" offers, among other things, the following short summary of the League's feebleness: "The League did nothing when Hungary was invaded by her neighbors...
...It is reported that he will follow thU second volume with another devoted to the social and economic his' y of New England...
...Adams is neither one n o r t h e other...
...R6bert M. La Follette, William G. McAdoo and J u d g e William S. Kenyon...
...On the other hand, New England was by no means composed of groups living on t e r m s of affectionate family relations...
...A British author of a recent volusge of historical studies in considering mediaeval views of history states tk>t in the Middle Ages the historians "had no dividing line between legend and authentic history...
...Postgate says the P a r is Commune was t h e model for the Soviet revolution, and t h a t Blanqui was the c r e a t o r of t h a t g r e a t revolt half a century ago...
...Hapgood believes that La Follette is t h e man most likely to lead a t h i r d p a r t y this year...
...It was practically an independent republic...
...On the other hand, Hapgood observes that "The Communist element in American unions has about as much judgment as a half-grown hen," whidh many will r e g a r d as a reflection on t h e hen...
...This excellent historical quarterly for October contains two articles of specisl interest, one by Thomas Malone on "The Threatened Prosecution of Alexander Hamilton Under the Sedition Act by Thomas Cooper" and the other on " T h e Workingmen's Party in Massachusetts, 1833-183*," by Arthur B. Darling...
...From its' one editorial the reader gathers that it will scourge bumpeditors do not believe that '"a prairie demagogue promoted to the United States Senate will instantly show all tious ignorance in high places...
...Large sections of the less favored classes in England opposed the r u l i n g classes in t h e i r policy toward the American colonies...
...Editor Hapgood considers the question of a third p a r t y in t h e J a n u a r y number of Hearst's International...
...William MaeDonald considers "The Plight of British Labor" and believes that the Labor Party is "a party not of principle but of compromise.'' The shorter editorials are up to the usual standard...
...Above all, "constitutetl a u t h o r i t y " was not respected...
...THE REVOLUTIONARY FATHERS Reviewed by JAMES O'NEAL ge VOLUTION AKY NEW KNOI.AHD, 'HBM776...
...Adams is today one of t h e foremost of American historians...
...The accidental fact that he was in p r i s o n a t t h e t i m e of t h e outbreak of the Commune meant its failure...
...Factory operatives," writes Darling, "were not represented at t h e convention of the N ew England Association in 1833 because they had not become conscious t h a t they We'f6"a Separate industrial class, 'chained to t h e machines.' They were fully represented by the f a r m e r delegates, who voiced t h a t suspicion of urban capitalists common among all plain country folk...
...Joan" while the Miscellany and book reviews carry their usual interest for Freeman readers...
...Adams reveals...
...Economic factors bulk large in his history, although he does not believe that economic factors alone a r e sufficient to explain the past...
...accord with "Americanism...
...It is reported that t h e first supply was sold within a few weeks snd a second edition was required to supply the demand...
...But there arc forks . . . • / / . Why should that dyiuij sumach {•'lame through the scornful woodlands Burning the shadows...
...Adams' makes c. -aV, is t h e struggle between social classes on both sides of the A t l a n t i c . British society was by no means a happy family of social groups living in harmony with each other...
...He contends that the "obscurity of Lincoln's father wan but an accident in t h e family alsjeesji eaataed by tha Indian's rifle, which left him fatherless at six y e a r s . " He goes no further back than to Mordecal Lincoln, t h e greatgreatgreat-grandfather of Lincoln, who established the first furnace and forge in New England...
...A fascinating series of sketches of revolutionary leaders...
...Within the past 20 years, however, an increasing number of historians hive been s t r i p p i n g the American revolution of its legends...
...New York: Houghton Mifflin...
...link's Dove" as the strong ••st editorial dealing, as It does, with the clever work for the holy League of Nations now being done with Mr...
...But two generations before Mordecal, Samuel Lincoln sailed from London as an indentured servsnt...
...And so t h e hook is a sound and a d e q u a t e critlclsrn of t h e ' Communist revolution In Russia as It has...
...Adams follows t h e struggles of groups and classes down to 1770 a n d documents his work with references to original sources t h a t leave no room for doubting his interpretation...
...It is this antagonism between classes in the colonies which Mr...
...The reason for t h i s is t h a t Mr...
...D. will cease thereby to he a moron...
...These a r i s t o c r a t i c classes had their representatives in the upper chambers of t h e colonial legislative bodies...
...All of these, an<l the other strands in the n a r r a - t t 'V>"J ijvelttricah/;* woven into t he A w * t h e better luiown decades jMtsion and rebellion fol>n:*ntal nspect of the revBi-ug(jle, which Mr...
...I heard a child crying . . . IV, The suoiv is bright and blinding ily eyes wince shut, I >» i m(I by the glaring splendor And if they should sec truth-*V. (lod is a vast umbrella Tmt shrivelled man shoves up Between him and the Rotating beat Qf truth...
...How long t he lowly s t a t u s of the family persisted from the time of tho landing of Samuel in 1637 to the time when Mordecai set u p in business Mr...
...One leading editorial considers the Bok prize plan as " a n ingenious, statesmanlike and progressive document...
...They have to decide whether to r u n a national ticket of t h e i r own o r to supiport a possible F a r m e r - L a b o r ticket...
...Pennypacker does not say...
...In that article he prepared his readers for this book, which covers a longer period, but which also embraces the unexplored region he mentions...
...counter-organizations designee fu# the capture of the State end the Ind u s t r i a l machine...
...the changes in business methods which operated to the disadvantage of the poorer classes...
...James Oneal, of t h e editorial staff of The New Loader, contributes an a r ticle on " T h e Communist Hoax," in which he compares t h e Palmer-made Communist delirium with t h e myth of t h e Angels of Mons, an a r m y of ghostly figures which many credulous people believe had saved the left wing of t h e B r i t i s h Army d u r i n g t he Mons r e t r e a t . The a r t i c l e is a brief history of t h e 17 Communist organizations that have appeared in t he United States since 1919...
...Here and there Mr...
...This recalls the fact t h a t during t he reign of Woodrow Wilson George Harvey published a weekly which pilloried Wilson from week to week and which made a scrap of p a p e r of Wilson's Espionage Act...
...It is impossible to overpraise his work...
...when Italy bombarded and occupied a Greek island...
...Truth is a fire in winter, And in the winter chill Icy . . . Icy...
...The tame may be said of many American historians who have written of the American revolutionary period...
...til...
...Here royal usurpation coold not be an issue, yet in Connecticut there was t h e same struggle on the p a r t of t h e lower classes against the governing aristocracy, and this struggle had been going on since e a r l y in t h e 18th century...
...It is therefore misleading to attempt to i n t e r p r e t t h e civil w a r between England and her colonies "in terms of royal governors or of parliamentary acts...
...At t h e same time he does not t h i nk the "orthodox Socialists" a r e important in this country...
...It is evident from this review of this I t h i rd party move that it has a (lis I t l n c t rural cast and t h a t it is main' ly confined to the wheat belt of t h e j Northwest "The Red Man's Bur] d e n , " by Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant, , does not let us forget the politics and pelf that enter into the Indian question that will soon face the brokers in Congress...
...Hearst's International...
...When Hamilton issued his famous letter a t t a c k i n g the President, Cooper believed he s aw a n o p p o r t u n i t y to use the Sedition Act a g a i n s t the g r e at oracle of Federalism itself...
...At t h e same time he does not hesitate to show t h a t many of the leading revolutiona r i e s were interested in making their own class secure from British interference while at the same time a p prehensive of lower classes whose aspirations were denied...
...I t is not too much to s a y that Mr...
...As "orthodox Soc i a l i s t s " we learned long before the rise of Beverldge, Roosevelt, Poindexter and Wilson what value to place on those who stand for a "progressive" capitalism...
...An article by H a r r y E. Barnes on "The Drool Method In H i s t o r y" deals with t h e Pollyanna conception of history, t h e conventional view of our Babbitts, bankers, bunco patriots and other vendors of bunk...
...There were more enlistments of colonists in t h e B r i t ish srmies than in the American armies and1 t h e r e were plenty of desertions from the l a t t e r . Secret org a n i s a t i o n * indulging in terroristic acts tried to bring about that "united nation," which Woodrow Wilson m,ade familiar...
...It is true that there are questions on which the cent tending classes co-operate...
...Readers of the current issue will probably select "Mr...
...when France forcibly occupied the German coal fields...
Vol. 1 • January 1924 • No. 1
