The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-02-13
From Lincoln to Hoover-From Bourgeois
Revolutionary w ar to Bourgeois
Imperialist War

One hundred and twenty years ago. February r. Abe
Lincoln born in log house OF miserable
farm the backwoods of Kentucky the of SHIFT
less carpenter who took farming when work at his trade
slack.
This son of the poor white trash of the South became
partly because of his orgin-one of the most powerful
figures history time when history not standing
STILL During the decades of Lncon maturity occurred the
revolutions of 1848 in Europe the abolition of serfdom in
Russia the reaconay proavery of the secession OF
Texas from Mexico the brutal of conquest against
Mexico by the United States slave power the discovery
of gold California followed by the opening of the West to
settlement the opening of Japan to trade the
Pacific the beginning of railroad building in the West and
finally the tremendous drama of struggle of modern capt.
taism, based upon slavery against the semfeudal
agricultural system based upon chatel saverythe drama
in which Lincoln himself became the preemnent actor
The life of Lincoln the story of the coming of of
the capitalist United States Lincoln became the leader of
the second half of the American bourgeois revouonhe
Revolution of 776 against England having been only the
first half which left the bourgeois revolution uncompeted
For this it perfectly true to that Lncons part
in history to large extent that OF revolutionary
leader Because it was bourgeois revolution and because
the civil of 18665 quickly followed by the brutal
ng effects of the release of capitalist forces for unresraned
exploitation and appropriation OF the tong masses with the
quick transformation of the forces of liberation into forces
of the ensavement-the revolutionary aspect of the
part that Lincoln played in American history is generally
moderated among the preentday revolutionary workers
But in that time this revolutionary aspect recognized by
the great founder of the modern Communist movement Karl
Marx when he wrote behalf of the First International
political letter to Lincoln unfolding his struggle against the
slave power.
Lincolns historic work showed neither the bodness,
the clarity of vision the frank articulation that is found
in great leader of proearan revouton but Lincoln
bourgeois revoutonst and necessarily showed the char
acterstcs of his class role
To whom Lincoln be compared among the other
great political figures of this country and his time? Only to
other This other also born in miserable cabin
farm in the South but not of the poor white trash He
the Legitimate of Negro slave and
known white father. This Frederick Douglass,
who to maturity slave in Maryland escaped from
slavery and became before and during the Civil War period
the greatest of the leaders of the emancipation movement
Douglass perhaps bolder than Lincoln and
consciously revolutionary in his prime of life because Doug
lass, the Negro slave could not and did not become to the
extent expression of bourgeois aims
No one knowing exactly what day of February 1877
Douglass born because of the complete teracy of his
mother and his feowsaves it became the custom to fix
Douglass birthday the date that of Lncon-ahd
it well for the revolutionary workers who reminded
that this is Lncon Birthday to recall that is also the
anniversary of the birth of the great Negro leader who played
also his mighty in the history of the Civil War Because
he Negro American bourgeois history does not
nlze Douglass, but plays up comparative Weaklings.
The free republic that out of the Civil War with the
abolition of chatte slavery has become today the most power
full force for reaction the most dangerous enemy of the
liberation OF ensaved peoples and classes The hegeony of
the most parasitic form of capitalism imperasm-shts
to the United States Imperialism the last form in which
capitalism appears form of decaying reactonay world
wide slavery which in the epoch rushes headong from
to and to its doom in proetarian revolution.
The political party that Lincoln led through civil
what is it today? 1t played part that be described
d
think of violently party
than the Republican Party of today?
Lincoln the republican president of young capitalist
society played role of pushing history forward to the
tent that the Southern slave destroyed and the
forces of advanced method of production
leased
Hoover the republican president of an old, decayng
parasitic predatory mperas society of capitalism plays
the role that be better compared with that of the slave
power itself
Lincoln led bourgeois revolutionary civil Hoover
is scheduled to lead in bourgeois i'm
periast
Marx and Enges, founders of the revolutionary Com
munst movement called upon the workers of the world to
support the that Lincoln led while the Negro esave
Douglass agtated for the ensng of the Negro
into Grants armies fighting destroy the slave power But
in the coming imperiaist what must the revolutionary
successors of Marx and Enges do? They must and will
rally the hundredmon fold against the periaist
which is for slavery Whereas the Communists
Marx and Enges in 1876 did all in their for the
Of Lincolns armies against the slave power the
cassconsous toers under the leadership of the Commu
nists of today in this country will and must do all in their
power to defeat the mperaist of the United
States.
The coming of imperias powers puts before the
workers and farmers and colonial peoples of the world the
yfn