The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 3, 1926, Page 13

Americans Shall Be Fre The stage is in darkness. Looming up are are pedestals of various sizes, on each one oaked figure. Three on each side of the - and in the centre is-the tallest figure 1.) ~ 4 Chased by a spotlight, a man comes slid- downward from the wings at the climax of ng roll of drums and rattle of broken glass. is fully dressed, in hat, coat, shoes, etc., has no trousers on—only B. V. D.’s. He ‘es about him wildly.) a: My God, I must stop sliding. T’ve slid ll the way from New Rochelle; if I can't top ll land in the ocean at Coney Island. ow, down, down to hell; sliding! (Pulls imsjlf together). There, I’ve stopped. Low, ironical laughter off stage.) But hey’re laughing at me again. I can’t es- ape. What’s wrong with me anyway? Tears his hair, beats his breast, and sobs.) ‘es, they’re right; I’m-a toad, a worm, an nt-eater, a buzzard; they’re right to laugh t me. A roach, a snake, a peanut, a lim- urger, a prohibition agent! I’m a sinner, es, laugh at me! But I can’t stand it any aore. Where’s the exit? Where is the exit? Runs in a circle, flapping his arms.) Be alm, choose your exit now, and walk, don’t un! For Christ’s sake, don’t run. (Laugh- er) Oh, my God, there’s no exit. No exit! sthisadream? WhereamI? I'll stand on ny head and find out. (he does so) No, it loesn’t help; (laughter) I’m lost, lost, lost, (rights himself) and I can’t find the exit. (A shot is fired, then bells and broken glass. de screams and falls on his knees.) Oh, 4od, I haven't prayed for twenty years. But ‘orgive me; I admit fully I’ve done a great wrong, but what is it? What is my sin? tt haunts me; it tortures me; and I can’t dis- cover what it is. What’llI do? I’ve always deen a loyal member of the Elks, so, God, eel _ tell me what I did. I want to be : want tombe free! (another shot ana he screams with added terror) Tell me, O Lord, I'll do anything to be forgiven. I'll go to church; Pll quit poker and bootleg: I'll join the national guard—anything. ~ I'll ef. more Bran for breakfast: shave with m?re Mennen’s soap; I'll become a better American. Wear Boston garters round my neck; use that good gas, smoke Prince Al- bert, the joy-smoke; anything you say, O Lord. Heinz’s 57 varieties; cascarets, pe- runa, walk a mile for a Camel. Anything anything—only tell me my sin! (The spotlight shifts to first figure, which drops its cloak.) rst Figure (solemnly): Your sin is lying. s particular father held the working masses of > “democracy.” oa" 9 ' ENJAMIN FRANKLIN is to this day re- garded as one of the great prophets of busi- ss.. He was in many ways a remarkable man. s Fiterary and scientific achievements were ty preditable. But he was also a business man ' great wealth. For example he had no scruples out as he said “turning an honest penny” eculating in the traffic of servant contracts— nds for white slaves brought here from Europe serve long terms in the-most abject servitude. As an accomplished economist, he was one of .e early protagonists of the young colonial cap- uism. He was, before the revolution the post- aster general of the colonies for many years. fter the revolution he served as a diplomat vroad and did many a good turn for American ade and shipping. He was opposed to opening » the lands to the west for free settlement be- vuse, as he put it, a man would not work for ages when he could haye free land to exploit r himself. “The Poor Richard” myth that has been built 9 around this prosperious entrepreneur remains » this day one of the central tenets of the Ro- trian and“Kiwanis faith. Benjamin Franklin as body and souka member of the class of mer- aants and land owners whose sole purpose in avolution was economic freedom—the right to xploit and make profit free frog: alien restraint. we eg By Michael Gold — Man -(frantically): Lying? Lying? Yes, I’m a liar, but I have to be in my’business. I’m a salesman for used cars and I lie to sup- port my wife and children. Every one does; you must admit ighat. First Figure: You’re a liar. (Resumes cloak; spotlight is switched off to next figure; iron- ic laughter.) Man: But everyone’s a liar in Ameria. That isn’t what bothers me. It must be some oth- er sin. ~ Second Figure: (Uncloaking, etc.) Your sin is pride. ’ Man: Pride? You're joking. I’nf not proud, except of my wife and house and children and job and dog and face and bank account and town and state and nation and color of skin and the fact I’m not a foreignér— Second Figure: Your sin is pride. (Cloaks). Man: No, no. I’m just mormal that way; that isn’t my sin. My sin still hurts me. ( laugh- ter) And I still hear them laughing at me. I'm a criminal. Why do they turn from me? (dashes around in circle and stops before third figure.) Third Figure: You are covetous. Man: (tearfully) Covetous? Covetous? All I want is a million dollars, that’s all. That’s all. Isn’t that reasonable? Ill quit when I get that. A million dollars. A man couldn’: ‘really be happy with less. Everyone thinks the same, don’t they? Covetous? Third Figure: You are covetous. Man: No, you haven’t helped me. It still hurts inside. (laughter) Everyone knows what’s wrong with me, but they won’t tell me. (does a series of hop, skip and jumps about stage and then stops short before fourth figure.) Fourth Figure: Stupidity Sloth. Mam: (amazed and indignantY Me stupid? Why, I’m a ten-thousand.dollar,a year than!, And a Harvard man! Fourth Figure: (with a sneer) Stupid! Stupid! (much laughter) Man: Oh, my God, it’s getting worse. What’ll Ido? Where’ll I hide myself? I'll hang my- self; that'll end it all. (finds a rope, and goes up to fifth figure.) Won’t anybody tell me what’s wrong with me? For the last time! Fifth Figure: You blaspheme against creative life. Commercialism, blasphemy. e - - A Modern Morality Play 100% Americand. i Fifth Figure: Blasphemy! (great laughter.) Man: (rushing to sixth figure). Nobody will tell me. All they do is laugh and turn from me. They’re kidding me—me, who has al- Ways been one of the boys. I’ll do the hang- ing from this tree, Sixth Figure: Lust, lust, lust! Man: Lust? Lust? But not in my own town, Only when I’m on the road, or in Havana, Cuba. Sixth Figure: Lust, lust, lust, and leg-shows. (shots are fired, much laughter, broken glass, lightening, thunder, a bull-roarer, drums, whistles, etc., then an awful crash, darkness. When the spotlight is flashed on again, the man is prostrate before the sey- enth figure.) * Man: (sobbing) I’m licked. I can’t even hang myself. O, God, I come before you, a good and solid $10,000 a year Americano. I know I'm a sinner but I can’t find out what my sin is. God, I'm not perfect, but belong ‘to'!" the Elks, and I have a good standing at the” bank, and a good job. I sold Liberty bonds during the war. I love my wife and kiddies. I love my automobile, and grease the crank- case every month. I love my flag. Thou knowest well I eat Bran, smoke Camels, use a Gillette—do anything. Thou wouldst have a good Americano do. So why am I suf- fering now? What is wrong with me? Why won’t someone tell me my sin? Seventh Figure: (unveiling to reveal a white- - Clad angel with a flaming sword.) Thy sin is (bends down and whispers word in his ear.) Man: (screaming) No, no, no! Not that! And none of my friends told me. I’m ruined, ruined! Seventh Figure: (aloud and with grandeur) bi Halitosis! Halitosis! "Man?" (sobbing) Then there’s no hope? Seventh Figure: (solemnly) There is always hope for Americans. (she lifts her sword, and points upward.) A huge electric sign flashes into the legend: LISTERINE! The orchestra plays Yankee Doodle with queer, sour lively notes; there is crashing, lightning, thunder, bells, sirens, drums, shots, Man: Blasphemy? Me? Yes, I swear a lit- and what-not. Man is seen standing with lift- tle; but even ministers swear nowadays. It’s a sign that you're two-fisted, hairy-chested, ed arms and joyful illuminated face. Curtain. SL , UCH in brief and only too inadequately is the story of five of the fathers. They were all wealthy. They were all aristocrats. They were all exploiters. They modeled a government that served admirably the interests of their class and its heirs to this very day. What of the toilers? What of the tillers and blacksmiths and carpenters, the workers? They fought the revolution. They were cajoled by the high-sounding and humanitarian phrases of the Declaration of Independence. After the revolu- tion they found their lot unchanged. It was many years before any but the propertied were given the merest rights of suffrage. It was many years before trade unions battled their way out HE tyranical regulations of New England factory management in President Jackson's time were the sub- ject of many and bitter complaints by the workers, For resting or amusing themselves on Sunday, instead of go- ing to church, they were fined by tlie mill owners, who also taxed the work- ers to aid in supporting the churches” out of their scanty earnings. During working hours the workers were locked in the mills as cattle in a barn, and out of working hours the employers claimed the right of con- , trolling their actions, as absolutely as any southern planter did with the Negroes. Important Facts of illegality. The exploitation of the workers in America after the revolution was every whit as intensive as it was before. Debtors’ prisons continued to hold cheated and unfortunate mem- bers of the “lower classes.” And on top of: all this, a few, the “fathers included” grew richer and richer in the new freedom that allowed prof its to remain in New York, Boston and Phila- delphia instead of being scotched by London. —And on every Fourth of July the same tales of epic devotion to liberty and sacrifice for freec- dom are told. The lineal descendants of that brave band of conspirators who won the freedom of unlimited exploitation keep alive the heroic legends—and continue to exploit. penliaictiatempeereiontinitihjcdibeietten, HE few labor organizations that ex- isted previous to the revolution were mainly social and political in their nature. The Caulkers’ Club of Boston was one of the earliest of ‘ these. It took an active part in the agitation preceding the battle of Lex- -4 ington, and its younger members were t foremost in the demonstrations against the British soldiery, which culminated H in the “Boston massacre” of March, } 1770, LLL LOL EE et he te te tae itera Sense _