The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-22

Tended by them for the reason shat
it was a good policy to make as much
money out of the enemy as possible"
The South too had definite mate
rial interests which brought the large
plantation owners and shareholders
to the support of the war for indie
pendence along with their Northern
colleagues, the merchant smugglers.
Large numbers Of Southerners were
heavily in debt to British merchants
and "saw in the revolution an oppor-
tunity to repudiate their debts" AS
early as 1872 the British Parliament
had passed a law to protect their
merchants. 1t provided that debts
due to British merchants by Colon
lists might be proved by testimony
taken in England" while colonial real
estate was made liable to seizure for
payment.
at is not always" said Wendell
Phillips in 1861, "ideas or moral
principles that push the world for
ward. Selfish interests play a large
part in the work. Our revolution of
1776 succeeded because trade and
wealth joined hands with principle
and enthusiasm union rare in the
history of revolutions. Northern mer-
chants fretted at England's refusal to
allow them direct trade with Holland
and the West Indies. Virginia plant
ers, heavily mortgaged, welcomed
anything that would postpone pay
ment of their debts SO merchant
and planter Joined heartily to get in
dependence. To merchant indepen-
dence meant only direct trade-to
planter cheating his creditors"
That the revolution was successful
is due, not so much to the Continent
al army under Washington's COM
mand but rather, as A. NJ. Simons
says, because it was the American
phase of an English civil war. It
was not so much a conflict between
colonies and English government, as
it was one aspect Of a war between
different divisions Of the English
people on both sides Of the Atlantic.
Indeed, it was, in reality but one bat
tie of a great worldwide struggle
between contending social classes 1t
was part of the violent upheaval of
society by which the capitalist class
overthrow feudalism and came into
power" This struggle in England
was the struggle between the Tories
supporters of the old order) and
the Wings representatives of capt.
talism, free trade, etc, ETC.. Thus the
American revolutionists had powerful
allies right in England who did as
much to aid the cause of the colon
lists as did thd colonists themselves.
1t is important to remember that
General Howe, who was in command
of the British forces in the colonies
during the greater period Of the war,
"was most intensely partisan Wing.
and had been one of the strongest
defenders Of the colonies in the Brit
ish Parliament. He was absolutely
opposed to any use of force against
them; believed them to be in the right
and entitled to victory" Certainly
the American rebels could not have
hoped for better opponent, who
time after time delayed, retreated
and Toasted so as to give the ragged
and poorly equipped forces of Wash
ington every advantage. Time and
again he could have annihilated the
colonial forces had he but desired to
do so. Howe was finally recalled to
England. Parliament investigated his
peculiar conduct and it was only thru
the pleas of influential friends that
he was saved from punishment.
Thus do we discover that the real
facts in the case are quite at odds
with the "made-to-order" histories
which are dished out to us in the
public schools and Fourth Of July
celebrations. OF course, we can UNI
derstand why the real facts are not
taught. If they were, the false glory
which has been built up around the
revolutionary fathers" and the in
stitutions they created would be de-
stroyed-and with that would go the
blind and unreasoning patriotism
which is so necessary to perpetuate
the present system.
Who Were the Revolutionary
Fathers?
John Hancock was known as the
Prince Of Smugglers and was to
stand trial in Boston for smuggling
the very day when the Battle of Lex
ington was fought, which marked the
beginning Of open conflict. Simons
remarks, that like all smugglers,
Hancock cared little for the forms of
law, and trusted to bribery and vio-
lence to secure his ends. When his
sloop, Liberty, was endeavoring to
run the customs he first tried to
bride the officials, and, failing,
locked up the guard in a cabin and
unloaded the sloop under the protec-
tion of gang Of thugs secured for
the occasion"
Another authority speaking of New
England says, "Nine-tenths Of their
merchants were smugglers. One quar-