The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 23, 1926, Page 14

(cee os eens nt THE CONFESSIONS OF A. COUNTER-REVOLUTION- | IST OF 1776. By JAY LOVESTONE. Reminiscences of an American Loyal-| ist 1738-89, Bouchier. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. (Concluded from previous Issue.) How the Pro-Government Men Were Treated in 1776. 'S preacher proudly confesses of having “the honor of being set down as a government man.” Bon- cher* may have had this honor. But he certainly had Paprissure at the hands of the first ican revolu- tionists, as is evident from the fol- lowing: “I was soon restrained from preaching, and the press was no longer open 40 me. The first open and avowed violence I met with was on account of my expressly de- clining, when applied to by some noisy patrivis heretofore of no great ~ note, to preach a‘sermon recom-* ménding the suffering people of Boston to the charity of my parish. Their port was shut up by ‘act of parliament: and it was alleged that they suffered this in the cotmmon cause. Contributions were collect- ed for them all over the continent; the true motive was by these means to raise a sum sufficient to purchase arms and ammunition. I also re- fused to set my hand to various associations and resolves, all, in my estimation, very unnecessary, un- wise. and ufijust. In consequence, of which I soon became a marked man; and tho I endeavored to con- duet myself with all possible temper and even caution, I daily met with insults, indignities and injuries. At length the informations respecting my supposed inimicality to America were regularly sworn to, and laid before the provincial committee sit- ting in Annapolis . . . A body of militia-was ordered to take me im- mediately into custody, and accord- -inmgly not less than two hundred “came to the Governor’s where I was Som %& visit, to seize and \carry me before the commitiee.” What a living picture of the first American Revolution! How our pure ind unhyphenated democrats must chafe to think that it was thru such means that their “glorious American | democracy” scored its decisive ric-! tory over Brifish “monarchism” and| tyranny! To what depths of eloquence | will our Constitutional, peaceful so-!/ elalists who speak so volubly of the | A gradualness, of the peaceable, eiviliz- | ed hods so inherent in and insep- arable from the Anglo-Saxons engag- ed in’ settling political disputes— changing class relationships, And | above all, how our bourgeois law— and order angels can rant against the czarist priests, exploiters, and po- grom agents being denied the use of the press and pulpit for the express purpose of restoring czarism and hoo- iganism. - Fortunately, the second American Revolution, learning from the first in no small measure, will act as deter- minedly in sweeping away the bour- geols opposition to social progress, to a fundamental betterment of the con- ditions of our working and farming masses. ‘ But let Boucher put some finishing touches on this vital historical point. When he preached peaceableness his andience would rise and leave. He} also lets us in on a further pictur- esque and instructive secret about Tite im a revolution: “And for more than six months I preached, when I did, with a pair of loaded pistols lying on the cush- fon; having given notice that if any man, or body of men, could be pos- sibly so lost to all sense of decency and propriety as to attempt really to do what had long been threat- ened, that ts to drag me out of my pulpit, | should think myself justi-, fied before @od and man in repel ling violence by violence.” | 8oe-—to this Reverend, Christ was extraordinarily generous and brought not only peace but also a couple of loaded §=revolvers. This apostle of peacefulness and non-resistence to the oppressive measures of the British cH ee oe ee ruling class was trying to soll the tord to his customers with a sermon in ‘one hand and a loaded: gun in tho lother, Novel methods, indeed. But these were revolutionary days in | America, - Edited by Jonathan Some Questions of a Counter-Revolu- tlonist, ‘When Boucher saw that his ‘sermons could no longer go with the Ameri- cans he decided to flee rather than be deported. Hntertaining the opinion of most of the Tories, he thought the struggle would be of short duration, and prepared to return soon, He left for England fully.convinced that the government would make short shrift of the revolutionists, But before sail- ing Boucher addressed a series of questions to the people of Maryland. Some of these we reproduce as ex- tremely thought-provoking regarding the attitude of the reactionaries of 1776 and their counterpart, the reac- tionarles of 1926, “What good reason can be given for any committees, not known to the laws of the land or the consti- tution, taking upon them to debate and determine on matters of the highest moment, and which affect the very vitals of our constitution?” Certainly, the reactionaries, then, ag now, hated and feared the new organs of state power being set up by the new ruling class. Everything that the subject class does to secure freedom and supremacy is always ilega]. and against the prevailing constitution. “Did one man in a thousand of the people of this province give a vote for any of the members of the said general committee?” ~ SS How strikingly parallel to the com- plaints and attacks of the czarists and capitalists the world over against the Sovtets! Boucher and his colleagues defending the tyranny of his ruling ‘class and absolute nffmarchy in Amer- ic& call dgmocyacy to their rescue! This is also typical of the anti-Bolshe- vists of today—whether they be the Thampions of capitalism in the bour- geols parties or the defenders of the bourgeoisie in the social-democratic leadership. Speaking actually for per petuating bourgeols oppression and ex- ploitation, all of the “ftreedom-lovers” (for the ruling clasa, of course) talk Uke the Bouchers of 1776 of “justice or common sense, or even of the com- mon ideas of Hberty.” But here is another get: “What is tyranny but the assump. tion and exercise of power without authority? “What liberty can the people of this province be said to enjoy, when their arms necessary for their per- sonal defense have been arbitrarily taken away from them; when they no longerhave a free press; when the ministers of the word of god are dictated to and controlled in their holy function and when even the freedom of private debate is over- awed by committee censures and the denunciation of tar and feathers.” The ruling class at any particular historical moment always looks upon itself as the souree of all authority. When Boucher speaks of~ disarmed people, he is expressing his grief at the disarming of the counter-revoln- tionists—those loyal to the govern- ment. ‘ have here of the class dictatorship set up in America by our forefathers in order to secure the victory. for Dour- geois democracy, puzzling and painful. To.the M fan this “contradiction” is a re é which reveals the crux of the whole strategy and tactics of class warfare. A parting shot was fired by Bou- cher in’ his last letter to Washing- ton, dated August 6, 1775, in which he closes: “You are no longer worthy of my friendship; a man of honor can no longer without dishonor be con nected with you. With your cause I renounce you.” This was no longer the day of ver- bal arguments. The day of arms had arrived. The First American Revo- lution“was on. Reverend Boucher em- barked. Afterwards, in common with other Loyalists in general, he obtain- ed a regular pension from the Brit- ish government. A Book Por Students. We have given only a few typical selections from these confessions of a counter-revolutionist of 1776 to let im some welcome light on the First American Révolution. It will take much light to penetrate and break the mist in which our official histor! ang have wrapped our First Revolu- tion and hidden its real class charac- ter and basis from the masses. No student of American history— viewed as a dynamic story of class struggles—can afford to miss this book, .A erftical and thoro examina- tion of its contents will well repay those ‘who are prepared to draw valn- ‘able lessons for the problems of to And what a vivid picture we day from our struggles of yesterday. A WEEK IN CARTOONS By M. P. Bales => INHER MAKE~ OP AS A KED CROSS NURSE wana in (fF YOU-ARE sucH AN ANGEL OF MERLY, JUST AS MUCH AN ENEMY OF THE ‘NN. "eve sone ie at Pine AF, or : QREEN AND CO. AT DEeTiCOT OF A-F.L.“RUN MAD WITH REACTION In the Next Issue THE DREAM OF DEBS, b Lon- don. With photographs and taseonciae taboo y thon mer! ee A new permanent feature in ma con- ducted scientists. ar THE AMERICAN ene... The next seria) article by V. F. Calverton on and Literature” a SLUSH F FUNDS., A humo of senatorial primaries by T, O'Flaherty, ' Mustrated by Hay be lees sits ane THE WOMAN’S PAGE. A short by Rose Pastor Stokes, = Sure,” illustrated by herself, Peers pty ag ne TO BE OFFEND. he Detroit convention illustrated by Grop- KARL MARX. The next. article. And the other permanent features. nen eliy Only- to the super- “ ficial observer is this nae a &