The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-27
Two Soldiers of Freedom

putting down a revolutionary disturb
ance. nagainss
The Mexican War was a war of ag-
gression; nevertheless the character
of the armyswas still quite different
from at present. The Civil War was
again revolutionary. The army was
permeatedq with political life, despite
the draft. It. was not until after 1898
that new type of army began to
develop, with the characteristics of a
permanent. army of occupation"
Meantime ~. S. capitalism was al
ready beginning to pass from free
competition to monopoly. The United
States was in process of becoming a
land of trusts, with an unprecedented
concentration of capitalist strength
against thee workers in the class strug-
gle. In 1894, president Cleveland used
federal troops against the workers in
the big Pullman strike despite the
protest to Governor Altgelt of Illinois,
into whose state the troops were sent.
From then on, use of state and feder-
al forces to break strikes became more
and more frequent.
The so-called democratic" period
Of American capitalism gave place
to the absolute domination of Wall
Streets financial oligarchy. The
United States became the American
empire. 3
The army became an imperial army.
Join the army and see the world"
became the slogan of recruiting bu-
reaus. American soldiers Cor sailors,
or marines) were stationed in the
Hawaiian islands, in the Philippines,
at Porto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Haiti,
Santo Domingo. Central America. The
Americans appeared everywhere as
aliens, clearly marked off from and
entirely out of sympathy with the
native population which they domin-
ated. A new type of officer appeared
in the U. S. military service, the typi-
cal colonial administrator a
familiar figure in the British colonial
possessions of the Far East. Wood,
Lassiter, Russell names indi-
cate the development. Such military
rulers naturally became thoro auto
Gratis among their own soldiers.
Considerable sections of the soldiers
themselves degenerated to the level
Of colonial parasitism and brutality, j
treating the natives with unconcealed
contempt. had several long talks
with Trumbull when he came to Chi
cago, shortly after completing his
term at Alcatraz military prison, and
he recounted numerous instances.
where the soldiers in the Hawaiian
islands went out of their way TO visit
indignities upon the natives. The
phrase, "as good as a white man,
represents the ultimate superlative in
the lingo ofthe u. S. colonial armies.
AT the same time, these very condi-
tons tend to undermine the self
respect and morale OF the soldiers
unless their isolation from the econ.
omic and political currents In the
homeland can be rigidly maintained.
The reactionary role OF the army be-
comes manifest. The inner resistance
to disintegrating influences is weaker.
Thus when the army seems most iden-
titled with Imperialism, when II would
appear to be incapable of being stir
red by an idea OF any kind-precisely
at this point is there the greatest
danger Of the balance being disturbed
at the first contact with the facts and
ideology OF the class struggle.
III.
The World War supplied this con.
tact Professional soldiers were thrown
together with freshly recruited masses
and drafted men direct from the fac.
tories, niaes and mills. The swollen