The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1920-08-13
MAYFL0WER
SPIRIT VICTOR
OVER TYRANNY
TINE WILL. NOT ERASE FROM
HISTORY FACTS INVOLVED
IN THIS CASE
MORE CAMOUFLAGE
BROUGHT TO LIGHT
Actual History OF Pilgrim Fathers
Contrary to MonOpolist
Propaganda

J.-Pierpont Morgan, Judge Gary,
Henry Cabot Lodge. w. Murray
Crane, Charles Deering and some
other choice spirits are the commit
tee in charge OF raising $500 each
from 800 picked descendants OF the
Pilgrim Fathers. "a, tercentenary
pilgrim memorial fund. Persons who
get one OF the engraved invitations
to contribute the s3OO,and who hes
itate: get another letter, in which
they are reminded that:
"The need of stimulating interest
in American traditions is emphasized
by tAe recent attacks by the adher-
ents Of anarchy and bolshevism upon
life and property A knowledge of
the ideals of liberty and the princi-
Pies OF free democracy which guild
ed our forefathers will inspire the
un-Americanized of our peoples
with respect for the tenets of law
and order upon which our country
was founded
Channing's ''History of the Unit
ed States" written at Harvard in
1905. shows that the Pilgrims were
religious refugees who were trap
ped into virtual peonage by group
OF London merchants, and who broke
their seven-year contract at the end
Of three years in order that they
might survive. They rebelled, much
as Gary's steel workers have rebel
led, nut more successfully.
A HARD BARGAIN
The basis of the arrangement
(for their transportation to Ameri-
ca} was the cost of Transporting one
emigrant to America" he says. in
chapter Nj. This was assumed to
be 10 pounds. and the shares in the
enterprise We're given pare value
of that amount. Each emigrant
was rated as holding one share and
each 10 pounds rated as one share
'sFor seven years the colonists
were to be fed and clothed out of the
common stock; for seven years the
products of their labor should go
into the common stock. At the end
of that time there was to be div
sion of all the property of the asso-
citation, each member, whether colo
mist or capitalist. receiving accord
ing to the number of his shares
The Leyden colonist had hoped
for better terms and had understood
that the capitalists would grant
them. They had expected to have
one day in the week for themselves,
and to retain their houses and home
lots at the division. They were
A;ca x,hap thav
found that this could not be: but
BALKS AT GOUGING
After three years Cat length
their eXigencies became so pressing
that it was absolutely necessary to
make other arrangements unless
the settlement was to be abandon
ed, and the whole amount Of human
lives and suffering as we'll as the
money of their friends in England
be absolutely unproductive. In TO-
90. therefore, parcel of land was
assigned to each family, for present
use only
sit is easy to cast blame on Brad
ford and the other principle men at
Plymouth for modifying the agree
AuSil W4tt tHC AZCuuOh
and say that what they did was to
break the contract. In reality they
did the only thing which could have
been done to save the enterprise
from failure. In the end what saw
ed the Plymouth colony from ex
tinction and gave the settlers a
chance to repay the London mer-
chants for their advances was a
well-managed fur trade along the
coast
So. after all, the Pilgrim Fathers
did not turn over their seven years
earnings as the skinflint merchants
had arranged; they simply wiped
out the account by paying back
what the merchants had invested. as
though it we're farm mortgage.
There's the Pilgrim tradition
they refused to yield their right to
freedom in religion. and they refus-
ed to be robbed by the London
Chamber OF Commerce.
Upon this tradition Gary and Nor
gan propose to erect defense for
rredatory wealth in the United
States.