6 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGB Saturday, January 25, 1919 Fables for Proletarian Children 09 Society nor lutions How the Revolution Began in America Na certain cold and lonely night in January, in him. William English Walling, John Spargo, Jim in the present year of Our Lord 1919, sat up By Louise Bryant Duncan and other loyal Socialists came to the rescue hugging my little coal fire and reading countGerman agents and all the leaders paid by German and got out a pamphlet explaining how he was tricked lecs garhled and absurdly serious accounts of the into the war by the treacherous Bolshevikt, while his spread of the Bolshevik movement in America, the gold. By a special edict of the government, news Lombs found in Philadelphia, the German Revolution, papers were forced to give half their precious space cousin George of England made a public statement for the daily pr. nting or this false evidence.
as to his character; the outcome was a great reconilson visit to the King of Italy. At last utter. in prison, who stil dared to believe in any sort of Anarchy, Red Terror and sentimental ctories of Mr. Feeling ran high in America among the few not ciliation banquet Walich cost the City of New York 100. 000.
ly exhausted attempting to find any truth in this fabric of lies, fell asleep over my paper.
freedom. Intolerance was exibited by all sides. One As time went on and the deposed monarchs began seemed to be in Moscow, although it was a cenday a company of militant suffragists stormed the to get restive on account of inaction and many of them executive niansion and treated President Wilson so went into business. Their ancient coats of arms tury from the present time and I, or my spirit, seemed roughly that the diamond studded wrist watch given appeared on the stationery of every important Trust, pretation of events. walked hurriedly along through him by the Queen of England, was broken. He even became so meek that he committed the first and only special trains and went out over the country, visiting cottage on the edge of the beautiful old city, a friendly impulsive act of his life and offered to go straight different states and being entertained by Mayors and light shone from the window and curiosity prompted generally the formality of me to look inside. The whole trouble seems to have been the outcome stopping to get his high silk hat. Ne. ther the House The great grandchildren of Nicolai Lenin were sitof these journeys. And the fact was that Senate would have any they weary of being guests; they longed to be rulers again.
ting around a cosy log fire and the grandson of Scott thing to do with him. They were busy passing reso Nearing, who was then visiting Moscow as a delegate King Albert of Belgium. an extremely practical a very different nature. They informed the from the All American Republic of Soviets had come country, through the man, conceived the clever idea of changing the Amepress the following morning, that rican states into fourty eight into the nursery to say good night. The children they had no intention of extending Sutfrage. on the were not sleepy and did not want to go to bed, so separate kingdoms. In that way there could easily be a kingdom for each exthey begged the grandson of Scott Nearing tell action to restrict it. And they blamed President Wil ruler, with the large and rich counties divided into them a story. Tell us, they cried, how the revo son for bandying the word democracy until it was dutchies, thereby satisfying everybody, lution began in America. taken seriously by the mob. By this method the Re The kings held a Convention in New York and unanimously adopted Albert proposal; but when seems countless ages, he began, although in reality they came to decide who should rule the greatest grouped themselves comfortably around himel dret sections swept the Democrats off the map in the next Here one of the children interrupted to ask just states, harmony disappeared and the Convention was old men in my country care still remember it. what the fundamental difference was between the in an uproar. As no decision could be reached, the When Nicholas II, the last Czar of Russia was Republicans and Democrats.
outcome was that they all went to lobby before Condeposed, American workmen rejoiced with the rest of There were two great political parties in America gress on their individual claims.
the World, but a few months later when the Soviets explained the grandson of Nearing, both believed Congress in those days was so sorely harrased that came into power they held strangely aloof. American in exactly the same principles private loot of public it was just in the mood to shift its responsibilities on workers were at this time and for a long time after property. The Republicans were dominated by the anybody should. It was forced to levy great wards the most credulous and the least class conscious great corporations and the Democrats were domin public taxes called Royalty Loans, in order to take of any workers in the world and they had been told ated by the little shop keepers. This explanation was care of our uninvited guests; and in spite of the fact that all Russia had gone mad and that the Red Ter of course entirely clear to these class conscious child that these loans were not popular, Congress was ror was an orgy of a depraved and degenerate people. ren. had noticed from the first that they were excepforced to even further. The result was lower also afraid of internationalism. tionally precocious and an increased price of food. Everywhere was The next monarch to lose his crown was the America at this moment he went on was in a starvation and discontent. Even the middle class was haughty Wilhelm of Germany. Charles of Austria very sad state. All foreign loans had been cancelled restless. Fifth Avenue on a sunny afternoon was an followed within a week and all the heads of those small and we were absolutely shut off from trade with the amazing sight: Kings and queens and princesses and countries under their domination. France, England, whole outside world. Even Canada would not have ladies in waiting strutted up and down in shimmering Italy, Spain, Japan and other capitalistic countries any dealings with us. Factories shut down a. the attire. Our troops were often reviewd for their pleastill flourished and still planned to hold a conference poor suffered unspeakably sure. Americans of all classes were ordered by imat Versailles and to create a League of Nations, which It was just about this time that the cast off rulers perial ukase to step off the side walk and remove was in reality a clever scheme for international polic of the old world began to be felt as an influence in their hats presence of foreign aristocracy. There our daily life. One afternoon the Czar and the Czato they still talked boldly of continuing the invasion of was also much talk of removing the statues of rina and the Czarevitch and the four handsome Grand our revolutionary fathers and substituting such arch Russia and the destruction of the Soviets.
Dutchesses appeared in full court regalia in a box defenders of divine right as Napoleon, Bismark and All this was brought sudden end by the out at the Century Theatre in New York, and the audi Peter the Great.
burst of revolution in Italy at the very moment Presi ence was commanded to stand up between acts as a It was while Cor:gress was debating the most dent Wilson was banqueting with the royal family. of workable plan for the separation of the states into This Italian upheaval was of so violent a nature that It had been known for some time that the Czar kingdoms that our revolution began. Your illustrious President Wilson was forced to flee in disguise and grandfather Nicolai Lenin was still alive and when in the short space of time it took him to get aboard had ratheren murdered. All the royalties of the world American revolutionists cabled him the great news British rule, Ireland, India and South Africa revolted tled one morning by the arrival of George and Mary he sent back this jovial reply: America certainly was of England and all their relatives in an aeroplane. hard nut to crack! For us one Csar was enough but and were backed up by. British Labor. After that the They circled over the city and alighted on the roof for you took over fourty regular monarchs and governments of Spain, France, Greece and Rumania of the best hotel. And shortly after they were installed 2, 500 relatives. But remember that the deposing tumbled over like blocks, in rapid sucession. Bolshe in what is vulgarly known in little towns as the bridal a monarch is only the first step in a real revolution, vism spread and embraced Finland, Norway, Sweden, China and even Japan. Within a year the whole suite. Other kings and guests followed with their Now for the great final emancipation! My long world had accepted the new order. That is all but relatives. They lived lavishly, after their custom, and suffering, surpressed comrades welcome to the Society America. She alone remained isolated and reactionary.
being royalty did not bother to pay their bills. Of of International Brotherhood. course the hotels went bankrupt one after the other. There was a loud crash. sat up in my chair and As fast as each European or Asiatic country ac In fact, the hardship caused by foreign potentates on confronted a mangy alley cat, which is in a hurry to cepted Socialism, Mr. Creel and Mr. Sisson, who you our kindly native millionaires was pitiful to behnld. go somewhere or to get out of somebody way had will remember in your histories as two of the most Almost everyone with over a million dollars was inadvertantly jumped through my tenement window ridiculous characters of the old order, aided by a huge forced to take in a crowned head.
and ruined my dream. Now will never know how staff of Special Correspondents, produced documents For some time the Kaiser family was a difficult that comic opera revolution was finally achieved in to prove that each new revolution was the work of problem, as there still lingered an old prejudice against America.
They were in the mark respect.
Concerning the Russian Revolution In our issue of December 28 we published an article By George Russell exaggerated. Canadian acquaintance who was in under the above title by a great French writer. Romain time, and is as the croice of the most western hailing Russia for four years, returning this summer, told me Rolland, we niet reprint from The Voice of Labour. the most castern people of Europe.
that he had seen since his return minute, precise, and the organ of the Irish Transport and General Workers detailed accounts of massacres and the destructign of Union, an article by a great Irish curiter, George 17. Rathgar Avenue, Dublin, buildings in Moscow. was there at the time, he Russell tcho is probably better known to the American 14th November, 1918 said, and there was not a single shot fired and the public under his pen name Dear Brien. hear that a meeting has been buildings were intact. Colonel MacCormick, PresiThe article is in the form of a letter addressed to arranged in Dublin at which some form of recognition dent of the American Society of Engineers, who witWilliam Brien, Secretary of the Irish Labor Party or salutation to the Russian Revolution will be made.
nessed the revolution, wrote this spring in a New York and was intended to be read at a meeting called by hope the mists which have obscured that mighty up paper that nine tenths of the stories of outrages and that body in Dublin for the purpose of supporting the heaval will soon be cleared away and the real characmurders were pure inventions of the old regime, and Soviet Government of Russia. The mceting was pre ter of the revolution made known. have no doubt that they were circulated by the German Government, vented by the armed forces of the British government. in commenting on the article the editor of but have come to the conclusion, partly from per it was the aim of the German Government to widen.
that much to be regretted or deplored has taken place, accepted by the Allied Press, and this helped to inThe Herald, a London left wing Socialist paper, says: sonal statements made to me by people who were in It is a noble tribute from the ablest of living Irish Russia during the revolution, and from confirmation of Even if these stories were true, this could be said in writers and economists of the constructive order to their statements, which have been made public, that extenuation, that the autocracy kept the people of the most brilliant of successful revolutionists of all the stories of violence and bloodshed have been greatly Continued on page seven