The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-03
From Historian to Hysterlan
James Oneals Review of the History of the
American Working Class"
Mr.. Oneal Twists the Facts


this page is another from McMaster,
Vol. VI, PIP. 80-81. Any one having
the slightest acquaintance with Nc
Masters work knows that when the
sixth volume is quoted for the col
onial period Bimba has committed an
other absurd blunder. Turning to this
volume we learn that McMaster is dis
cussing immigration of 1880, not the
colonial period Moreover, the inden-
tured servitude had almost become
extinct by the year 1880 and the So
called free immigration had become
the dominant type. But historical
periods and changes in customs, in
stitutions and policies have no signi-
ficance for our historian
It is not true that l quote McMas-
ter here for the colonial period. In
this chapter, "The White Slaves and
Their Masters" l deal with the i'm
migration and the entire system of
white slavery, which extended into
the 10Th century for a few decades.
Neither is it true that | quote from
McMaster, Vol. VI, to prove the ex-
istence or non-existence of indentured
slavery. On pages IA and Is, on the
characteristics of indentured slavery,
quote McMaster from his book "The
Acquisition" ETC., PIP. 31-35. The quo
tation from McMaster, Vol VI, is
quoted to describe the system of i'm
migration which made white slavery
possible and which prevailed in it's
main phases even as late as 1880 and
later. The quotation in full reads:
"These alluring pictures of land
where work was plenty, where wages
were high, where food was cheap and
good, and tithes unknown, awakened
such interest that even the terrors of
the ocean and the horrors of emigrant
ship were overcome"
Mr. Oneal twists the facts and de-
clares that this quotation is only for
the colonial period, and not for the
Characterization of the entire system
of immigration.
Now about indentured slavery. Here
our pioneer historian 'gets his head
in noose," using his own words. In
his ''review" he claims that by 1880
indentured slavery had disappeared or
had almost become extinct" But in
his book, 'The workers in American
History" he says: "Such was the
slave trade to America from the ear
lest days of colonization down to a
period which closed with the election
Of the seventh president of the
United States" Up. 68), that is, to
1929. On the same page he states
that sit was also resorted to in many
Of the Central States to the time of
the Civil War by owners of negroes
On page SO, he tells us that in Ohio
as late as 1921 new laws were passed
to enforce and strengthen indentured
slavery; in Virginia, the system
existed as late as 1929 Up. ny; and
in Georgia, as late as 1880 the Gen
eral Assembly adopted a law which
provided that the terms and condi-
tons of such indentures should be
recognized and fulfilled under Geor-
gia laws" Up. 69).
l ask: Mr.. Oneal, do you now re-
pudiate that what you wrote in your
"pioneer" book?
IF Mr.. Oneal had read my book
carefully, and not merely for the sake
of discovering Grimes" he would
have learned that l "overstep" the
boundaries of different periods in
more than one instance. / do This on
almost every important subject in or
der to present to the reader the en-
tire picture instead of presenting it
in pieces, cutting it arbitrarily at
certain year. Take, for instance, the
question of Negro slavery. | begin
with its inception and come as far as
the Civil War in one chapter, entirely
disregarding the boundaries of the
colonial period.
(To Be Continued.)