Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1909-01-14
THE BOYCOTT | N
AMERICAN HISTORY

tlemen who wax eloquent or hysteri-
cal in denouncing the boycott as
hostile to the spirit of American in
stitutions" presume to forget the
American, history they must have
learned in the grammar school, if not
at their mothers knees. In fact one of
the most striking episodes of the early
struggle for American independence
took the form of a boycott-a, boycott
which directly affected innocent per-
sons in order that through them it
might, strike and, injure the real
enemy-a boycott, it may be added,
which involved coercion of ;;'the dfsin-
terested public and was even accom-
panied by physical violenee.N
Whe1A the British government re-
solved to make the American col
onists contribute to the public reven-
ues by imposing slight tax upon tea
and certain other articles imported in
to America, and yet refusedito allow
the colonists the rights of representa-
ton and self-gUernment which they
desired the advocates of independ-
ence-who were then but a minority
of the population, but very active
dLu SluCF0uJ lCy a. VIII 40 ~
growing ene--did not confine. them
selves to passive resistance or moral
suasion: They did not at once a1neal
to arms because they knew they had
not yet the strength to make such az
appeal successful, and because they
believed their purpose might be, ac-
complishedS without actual Insured
ton. II
| The word boycott was then, unz
known. But the thing, by whatever
name it. might be called, suggested it.
self to the patriots as the best means
to defeat the government, either. by
the home government to surrender it's
pretensions to tax the colonists with
out granting them representation or
else by provoking it to more drastic
measures which would incite the
masses of the colonial population to
demand and work and fight for ma
tional independence.
Without any sanction of laW-nay
iii plain defiance of the iaw-they Or
ganized societies whose members
were pledged not to buy a pound OF
tea or any other article upon which
duty had been paid They carried on
vigorous agitation to extend 1.-THE
membership of these societies and en-
force their pledge.
They did not stop with this. They
branded every man or woman who re-
fused to accept the pledge and boycott
duty-paying articles as an enemy OF
freedom and a traitor to colonial in
terests. They made the name loyal
ist' as odious as "scab" or "blackleg'
1<0
cized those who bought duty-paying
goods, refused to trade with them, TO
give them employment, to maintain
social intercourse with them, pub
lished satires and lampoons against
them, Knocked and insulted them IN
public meetings, in the streets, even
in the churches. and by all means
sought TO compel these whom they
could not persuade to Join IN the
boycott. .t :,
IN a double sense this policy worked
injury to others than the British gov
eminent, against which it was directly
aimed. In so far as it succeeded in
cutting off the sales of tea and other
dutiable articles, it caused heavy loss
to British and American merchants
who had, in the ordinary course or
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 ia
lure vast numbers of colonists VINO
cared nothing about independence or
representation, who did not mind pay
ing a few pence a year in taxes. and
only wanted to be let alone to live
tbeiy lives in their own way without
meddling in politics or being meddled
with by politicians. These were
against their own will, forced to take
sides and either to share the hard
Ships and help bear the burdens of
the struggle for independence or else
to endure persecution at the hands OF
the active patriots
Nor didlthe Boycotters stop even
here. On more than one occasion they
resorted to intimidation or violence
against revenue officers. against mer-
chants who Submitted to the imposi-
ton Of duties, or against citizens who
sympathized with the government.
One narticuIar riot committed, by
these boycotters has been immortal
lied in our school histories and IN
patriotic song and story and has been
held up before us in our childhood
days as splendid example Of civic
virtue on the part of our Puritan fore
fathers under the name Of the Boston
Tea Party.
The Boston Tea Party was an I'M
lawful and violent assembly, rlot N
the strictest sense of the word. It's
object was to destroy property-and
not the property of the British gov
eminent, but that of certain law-abid-
ing business men who wanted toI
.tcarry on their own business IN their
own way" And its purpose was very
effectually executed.
Far be it from us to decry the Bos-
ton Tea Party or tp say a word in dis
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