The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 6, 1926, Page 8

Orem ee (Continued from page 1). The clashes between the: legitimate government and the dissatisfied pro- pertied classes had come to the point of violent skirmishes. To meet the needs of the situation, and te protect their efforts to evade the custom laws of the government—evasions which are correctly called smuggling—the mer- cantile classes of the American gov- ernment formed a_ secret, under- ground, armed organization under the name of the minute men. Many conferences of the wealthy colonials took place, either secretly ‘or in plates out of reach of the gov- ernment. ‘These conferences became more and more open. The general opinion was not in favor of secession from Great Britain, but for organized resistance against the enforcement of the laws which touched the pocket- books of the colonials. But the isolated complaints against the government’s actions inevitably flowed together and took an ideologic- al form. In France the bourgeois thinkers were putting the complaints of the bourgeoisie against the mon- archy into ideologicai form with a philosophy of republicanism. Free- dom of trade was needed, equality of merchants and manufacturers with the decadent nobles, fraternal soli- darity of the bourgeois for the shap- ing of national institutions—and these material needs were translated into the political slogans, “Liberty, Equali- ty, Fraternity!” The French bourgeois sevolutionary ideology seeped into ali corners of the world and helped to crystallize and clarify the purposes of the bourgeoise everywhere, French thot became an inspiration to the comparatively meagre intellectual circles. of the Brit- ish colonies in America. Elegant mas- ters of great slave estates, such as Thomas Jefferson, sat and enthused over (and plagiarized) French pamph- lets on “Liberty, Equality and Fra- ternity.” George Washington seemed rather immune to the philosophical side of it, perhaps partly because he had very little education, reading was hard work for him, and for any finished writing he had to have assistance. Nevertheless he was a good revolu- tionist in his way and caught some of the spirit of his time. Washington attended as a delegate to the first Continental Congress in 1774, where he made no speeches and generally gave the impression of be- ing rather “dumb”—but he showed some understanding of coming events, for when he did open his mouth it was to say that “blood will be spilled.” As events moved forward more to action and less to oratory, Washing- ton played a more distinct part, The second continental congress came to- gether in March 1775, and here George served very capably on committees for fortifying New York, for collect- {ug ammunition, raising money, and for working out rules for a revolution- ary army. Otherwise he did little but to strut about in the only military uniform at the congress, This is more significant than it sounds. Under the conditions of the time, it was by no means certain whether the wealthy leaders of the different colonies were really going to, hang together in the fight resistance to the government. It was not yet decided that a revolution- ary war for independence would be undertaken. The fighting was going on in Massachusetts, and the com- mercial bourgeoisie of that colony was not sure that the slave cologies would come into the fight and stand together with them. John Adams, fie leader of the Massachusetts delegation to the congress, wanting to énsure the agree- ment of the leading southern colony with the northern merchants, made the shrewd motion that the appoint- meat as military commander be given agreed upon. George Washington was well started to become the “Father of the Country.” He was a capable insurrectionary leader, driving the British army out of Boston for John Adams’ merchant clique, and then plunged into prepa- rations for further fighting. On July 4, 1776, came the famous meeting at Independence Hall in Phi- ladelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The revolu- tion from then on took the form of open, armed insurrection, a civil war for the complete overthrow of the gov- ernment on American soil, A combination of circumstances were favorable to the revolution. Eng- land was involved in a much bigger war with the French empire and com- munication with the scene of the col- onial war was slow and difficult, Eng- land gave up the struggle—the revolu- tion had won, The American revolutionary war shot a great flame into the sky—a flame of revolutionary reality, which was seen in all countries where the bourgeoisie groaned under feudal restrictions. It gave acceleration to the fast deyelop- ment of the great French revolution which broke out within « decade, the successful slave revolution in Haiti, and the Napoleonic wars which open- ed the continent of Europe to modern bourgeois production. It is little to be wondered that its ablest leader in action should stand out Big in history, But Washington hadn’t yet finished his job of becoming the “Father of his Country.” Within a few months after signing the peace with England the American big landlords and merchants turned about and with brutal force suppress- ed the small farmers who looked for something for themselves out’ of the revolution as against the exploitation by the big land lords and city mer- to the Virginia leader, George Wash- ington. The appointment of Washington was chants. The class struggle of the small farmers showed frightening pos- sibilities to the wealthy classes, and the chaos of economic breakdown thruout the colonies seemed hopeless, At the same time in the state of Georgia where the slave population vastly outnumbered the white ruling class, an insipient slave revolution was considered to be at the point « outbreak. The revolutionary ferment had gone further than the “revolutionary —_ ers” wanted it to. A unifying force and symbol ‘tia to be found. There was a sérious movement, more or less secret, for the unification of the thirteen colonies - under a king. A German prince was to be imported as the founder of an American dynasty. Many of the Am- erican “revolutionary fathers” were involved in this movement, If »this movement had, succeeded, George Washington would never have been known as the “Father of the Country,” but some German prince would have become the “Father of the Country.” The common danger drove together the leading figures of the propertied classes of the thirteen states. Again they assembled in 1787 at Philadel- phia in a long secret conference which had for its purpose the solution of the crisis. This conference resulted in the adoption of the constitution of United States which for its first time de- clared an end to the separate national existence of the thirteen states and declared all to constitute a single na- tion united whder the. name of the United States of America, The final solution of the question of civil government had been reached. The idea of the German prince was laid aside and George Washington was selected as the best unifying figure to hold the torn little country together. Washington was elected president. George Washington became the “Fa- ther of the Country.” LINCOLN THE “SAVIOR” OF THE UNION - By Robert Minor BRAHAM ‘LINCOLN, bornon & Kentucky farm in 1809 of “poor white” parents of the wandering half- farmer, half-laborer class, spent his early years in small towns of Illi- nois. In his entire life he had alto- gether about twelve months of school- ing, and at the age of twenty-one he could barely read, write and do simple arithmetic. Abe worked as a flat-boat laborer on the Mississippi river and later as a village store clerk at New Salem, Ili- nois, where he soon acquired a reputa- tion as a wrestler and all-around vil- lage athlete, as well as a teller of what are called “smutty stories” and a writer of anti-religious satires to be Tread for amusement to the gaping circle around the stove of the country store. The store failed and Abe, very hard up for a job, decided to use his village reputation ag a candi- date for the Illinois house of repres- entatives. He was then 23 years old. Failing to be elected, Abe joined a military company to fight Indians, Was promoted to be a captain, got into trouble and resigned without hay- ing been in any fight. Lincoln then tried his hand as a storekeeper, but soon failed. because of his partner’s drunken habits, Abe: drifted from job to job as country postmaster, deputy surveyor, ete, But the clouds of the coming big social clash were already gathering in 1834, and Abe, by the very fact of his wandering, shifting habits of life, had acquired a Sensitive mind for so- cial currents. He ‘wag elected to the ce house of representatives in While ‘in the legislature, Lincoln studied law with borrowed books, and two years later was a practicing at- torney. He soon made himself a repu- tation as a railroad lawyer in the struggle that was going on for the breaking down the old legal forms which obstructed the advance of rail- road building. Lincoln was fitting him- self into the currents of history that led forward in the development of American capitalism. In the Mlinois. legislature he quickly learned to enlarge his village social instincts imto instincts for national polities. His early, taste (for ‘tte § crude anti-religious satires was:curbed. The slavery question was slowly un- folding as theequestion on which the politicians of the day would make or break themselves. Lincoln took his position: Slavery was wrong and bad nolicy, but congress had no power to abolish it, and abolition agitation did more harm than good. On this plat- form Lincoln caught many political winds and soared upward and onward in his career. In 1846 he made the race as the eaididate of the Whig party against a preacher on the democratic ticket, and was elected to the national house of representatives. At Washington Lincoln’s political abilities were soon put to the test. Under the domina- tion of the southern cotton oligarchy, the United States entered into a war -of conquest against Mexico—basically a war for more slave territory. Lin- coln opposed the war, an act which for the time being severely. retarded his political career. Abe’s understanding of the part the slavery question was to play in coming history was rapidly developed and he took a more and more definite position. His powers of oratory had developed to great proportions, bring- ing him the opportunity of his life- time when he was chosen to oppose the powerful democratic leader, Stephen A. Douglas, in public debates. The Mexican war over, the cotton oligarchy, having conquered Mexico and taken the vast territory of the west thru its control of the United States government and army, was now determined to profit by its gains by extending the slave plantation system thruout the west to Colifornia. Northern capitalist economy also lusted for the extension of its own system into the great empire of the west, and the two ambitions could not both be realized, ° In 1849 discovery of immense gold deposits im California carried a great rush of settlers from the northern states to the coast, stimulating the northern capitalist class’ yearning to take the great golden west for its own. Railroads must pierce the Rocky Mountains and claim that priceless empire as an outlet for the eastern factory system. So, the ‘southern slave oligarchy in 1854, thru its domination. of congress, took the fatal step of repealing the Missouri compromise and opening the west to become either slave or free according to the vote of the settlers. immediately began the rush of slave owners and of free farmers, and be- tween these Opened up a bloody civil war in the territory of Kansas. The completion of the American capitalist class revolution had now to be fulfilled. To obtain this political power—in its own hands alone, without sharing it with another power with which some more compromises would have to be made—it became historically necessary for the industrial capitalist class to haye the absolute possession and direction of a mass political party. The two existing large political par- ties were the Whig party and the dem- ocratic party, But both were products of the past, of the compromises of a time when compromise was still pos- sible, It was necessary to create a new party, owned and controlled complete- ly by the class that was struggling to- ward political power. It became neces- sary for the capitalist class to organ- ze its most conscious elements into + new political party to lead the struggle. In 1854 this political party was form- ed—the republican party. At the first state convention of the new party in Illinois in 1856 the long, lean, backwoods lawyer, Abraham Lin- coln, came in to participate and to play a leading part. His abilities quickly dominated the convention and precipitated him into national politics. As the democratic leader, Stephen A Douglas, was a U. S. senator from ili nois, Lincoln became an “expedient” national leader against Douglas, As the fatal year 1860 approached the political crisis grew in propor- tions. The industrial stagnation con- tinued, and thereby fed the flames of politics and swelled the ranks of the new party. Defeated in 1856, the re- publican party was stronger in 1860, and the leadership of the democrat Douglas increased the {importance of the rival Illinois leader, Lincoln, At the beginning of the presidential election of 1860, the gaunt and slouchy westren railroad lawyét “and | politician, Abraham “Lintulit “Weht”to | New York. All that he did there is not on record, but from that time on he was known to be acceptable to the big business interests of New York— a fact publicly attributed to an able piece of oratory at Cooper Union. At the repubff€an national conven- tion at Chicago in May, 1860, Lincoln appeared as a presidential candidate, with a large crowd of hired “claw quers” employed to make wild out- bursts of applause at every mention of his name. When the voting was in doubt the delegates controlled by an- other candidate, Simon Cameron, were swung to Lincoln, and Lincoln wags nominated. (Later, after his election, Lincoln appointed Simon Cameron as secretary of war.) As the republican platform called for the shutting off of all extension of slavery into the west, the shrewdest men of the day knew that this was an election which would be followed by civil war. After a flaming cam- paign in which Lincoln himself stayed at home and shrewdly kept his mouth shut most of the time, Lincoln was elected on a minority of the popular votes because of the split in the dem- ocratic party. Before the inauguration of Lincoln the southern states began to secede from the Union. Lincoln came inte Washington under conditions which made many believe that he. would be killed on the streets. Lincoln seems to have understood better than most of his colleagues that. he was taking a post. as leader of a civil war. There can be no denial of. his greatness, Ethical duestions of his “moral” character are meaningless, He understood fairly well how to play a part in a Struggle that was In a definite way a revolutionary part. The bourgeoisie has need of ethics; the proletariat has not. Altho Lincoln was not a proletarian revolutionist, he . was a leader of the bourgeoisie at a time when the bourgeoisie still had to complete its revolution, . The government of the “Confederate States of America” was formed by the slave oligarchy at Richmond, basing its action upon a legal cliam (widely credited at the time) that the U. gs, (Continued on page 3) LLL LLL Cees, s