Why Not a Tory Annex?

WHEN one has been emphatically sat down upon, and that by such venerated ponderosity as the combined weight of the Sons and the Daughters of the Revolution, a reasonable amount of exhilaration is to be expected at the first sign of anything like approval coming from the quarter where severe disapproval was so plain.

Now, our city, close to the Canadian border, had last July an original and unique celebration of Independence Day: a grand military pageant, its conspicuous feature two thousand “ redcoats ” from the Queen’s Dominion, guests of honor; the streets gay with bunting, the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack everywhere intertwined ; the bands playing the national airs of America and of England ; Tommy Atkins listening serenely to the reading of the Declaration of Independence in the public square, his manifest interest in its affirmations contrasting significantly with the indifference of our Grand Army men and the heroes of San Juan. Surely, in the way of something new and interesting, our Independence Day celebration was a grand success ; and as the desire to promote good feeling between “ the States ” and Canada was the inspiration thereof, the fact that the loudest and the longest cheers were given to the redcoats was not to be misinterpreted as disloyalty to the eternal verities of our glorious Constitution, by any means. It was all a novel and welcome departure from the old-time procession, of which the most of us were long since wearied. Such an array of medals on the breasts of gallant British heroes ! — Lucknow medals, Crimea medals, and one, at least, that the press described as having the Alma, Balaklava, and Sebastopol clasps. It was something to behold the representative of the Canadian militia at the Queen’s Jubilee, and to give him a rousing cheer, and the major who wore the Cross of Honor he had won in the great Northwest rebellion, — a succession of heroes; the enthusiastic cheering of the crowd lessening considerably, of course, when such ordinary mortals as Sons of the Revolution, Civil War veterans, and the mayor of the city passed by. Even our boys from the front were of small account, evidently, compared with Canadian Highlanders, with their big pipers tooting a lively, snatchy quickstep, and Royal Dragoons, and the Princess of Wales’s own Rifles, and artillerymen in scarlet coats, — the veritable redcoats our fathers used to burn in effigy when they would do something out of the commonplace on a Fourth of July. Tommy Atkins in his glengarry, — that funny little monkey-cap cocked over his ear, — and his swagger-stick in his hand, had reason to feel himself of much importance. Possibly, the Rough Riders, in their sombreros and leggings, felt somewhat overlooked ; but they saluted the British colors most impressively, all the same, as Tommy did ours. And not a few of those redcoats, it was said, were direct descendants of the Tories of our Revolution, — of the men we drove from our borders, confiscating all they left behind.

Pondering on that fact increased the enjoyment of what was called a memorable and impressive celebration of Independence Day. The Sons of the Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution marching in procession with British redcoats ; the Daughters of the Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution bestrewing them all with flowers, — the redcoat getting his full share of the fairest, — ah, where were the shades of the heroes of Bunker Hill ? And could it have been only some five years before, at the most, that when the suggestion was made, for the consideration of the patriotic societies, that their scope and usefulness be enlarged by the organization of auxiliary branches, the membership of which should include only those who were already members of the Sons or of the Daughters, but who had Tory ancestors as well, the idea was scarcely given a hearing, was called preposterous, — worse than that, ridiculous ? " Establishing fraternal relations with the descendants of Tories, — how absurd! If a Son or a Daughter has Tory blood in his or her veins, the less that is said about it the better.” Nor did the plea of what might be gained for history in the collection of Tory records, etc., have any effect. Affiliation with the descendants of the Tories ? Never.

But after that parade, how can one help asking if the time has not arrived when those of the Sons and Daughters who are descended from loyalists as well as patriots should be organized as auxiliary to those societies, — their special work the collecting of Tory annals, and the promotion of fraternal relations between the Sons and the Daughters and those Canadian organizations of the descendants of the refugees of our Revolution, — that host of our countrymen,

Why, is not this the very link needed for that international chain of true brotherhood that is to bind together as one people hereafter England and the United States ? Is it the mission of our patriotic societies to keep alive the spirit of George Washington when he wrote of the Tory exiles in 1778, “ One or two have done what a greater number ought to have done years ago, — committed suicide ; ” and that of John Adams when he said, " I would have hanged my own brother had he taken part with the enemy ” ? Surely not, if the descendants of patriots can march on a Fourth of July, and to the tune of Rule, Britannia, with as fine a show of redcoats as can be transported from Canada.