The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1909-01-24

THE BOYCOTT IN AMERICAN HIS
TORY
(Ncw York CALI

senator SpOoner, Presidents Hadley
and Eliot, to say nothing OF Post, Par
~ and Van Cleave and other gentle
men who wax eloquent or hysterical
IN denouncing the boycott as hostile
to the spirit of American institutions.
presume to forget the American his
tory they must have learned in gram
mar school, II not at their mothers
knees. In fact, one of the most strik-
Ing episodes OF the early struggle for
American independence took the form
of boycott boycott which directly
otected innocent persons In order that
through them 1t might strike and in
jure the real enemy-a boycott. it may
be added. which involved coercion OF
the dlslnterested public" and was
even accompanied by physical vio-
lence.
When the British government re-
solved to make the American colonists
contribute to the public revenues by
imposing slight tax upon tea and GER
tain other articles imported into Amer
lea, and yet refused to allow the col
onlsts the right OF representation and
self-government which they desired,
| the advocates of Independence
| '''' NAtl buA Il OIL llt
lation, but a very active and enicient
minority as well as a growing one
did not confine themselves to passive
resistance or moral suasion They did
not at once appeal to arms, because
they knew they had not yet the
strength to make such an appeal sue
cessful, and because they believed
their purpose might be accomplished
without actual Instruction
The word boycott" was then un-
known. But the thing. by whatever
name 1t might be called, suggested it.
self 10 the patriots as the best means
to defeat the government, either by
the home government to surrender Its
pretensions TO tax the colonists with
out granting them representation or
else by provoking II to more drastic
measures which would inclte the
masses Of the colonial population to
demand and work and fight for nation
al independence
Without any sanction OF law-nay,
in plain defiance OF the law-they or
ganized societies whose members we're
pledged not to buy pound of tea OF
any other article upon which duty had
been paid. They carried on a vigor-
Gus agitation to extend the member
ship OF these societies and enforce
their pledge They did not stop with
this They branded every man or
woman who refused to accent the
pledge and boycott duty-paying ar
ticles as an enemy OF freedom and a
traitor to colonial interests They
made the name 'loyalist" as odlous as
"scab" OF "blaclIleS" has ever since
become. They, ostracised those who
bought duty"payIng goods. re fused to
trade with them. to give them en-
ployment to maintain social lampoons
against them. Knocked and insulted
them in public meetings, in the
streets even in the churches. and by
all means sought to compel those
whom they could not persuade to join
in the boycott
In double sense this policy worked
injury TO others than the British gov.
ernment against which it was directly
aimed In 80 far as ii succeeded In
cutting of the sales OF tea and other
dutiable articles. 1t caused heavy loss
to British and American merchants
who had, in the ordinary course of I
their legitimate business, bought such /
goods and imported them and paid the
duty on them as required by law. On (
a still larger scale did boycott lnjure
vast numbers of colonistS who cared .
nothing about independence or repre- |
sentatlon, who did not mind paying a
few pence a year in taxes. and only
wanted TO be let alone to live their
lives In their own way without med
ding In politics or being meddled with .
by politicians. These were, against
their own will, forced to take sides
and either to share the hardships and
help bear the burdens of the struggle
for Independence or else to endure
persecution at the hands of the active
patriots.
Nor did the boycotters stop even
here On more than one occasion they
rcsorted to intimidation OF violence
against revenue officers. against mcr-
chants who submitted to the imposl.
ton of duties or against citizens who
sympnthlzed with the government.
One particular riot committed by
these boycotters has been immortal.
zed In our school histories and In pa
triotic song and story and has been
held up before us in our childhood
lays DIS d Spltuulu eNdIuDlP oil CIVIC /
virtue on the part of our Puritan fore
fathers, under the name of the Boston
Tea Party.
We would only remind the eminent
gentlemen who now discuss the labor
question and declalm against the boy
,ott as being inhuman. cruel and cow
lrdly un-Amerlcan, and we know not
what else, that they are treading on
dangerous ground that II the boycot
S TO be condemned. many of the
brightest names In our natural history
VIII have to be blackened along with /
hose Of the labor unionists Of today
Experience keeps dear school, !
'ut fools will learn in no other They
hat won't be counseled cannot be
Franklin
We may add also that they deprive
many others OF the help they So great.
y need. :
GOOD COMES OF EVIL. :
Many times. that which is Intended I