Part one of two posts:

Pound and Adams

A number of people are suggesting that Pound’s inclusion of the John Adams
materials in the Cantos indicates the poet's support for some aspects of
democracy.  Interpretation of this act of inclusion depends a great deal on
how you interpret  John Adam's role in earliest days of the Republic.

John Adams was the least democratic of the early political figures in
American history, an advocate, insofar as it was possible, of a return to
the aristocratic forms of England.  It is no coincidence that Pound (the
champion of Mussolini’s Fascism and Hitlerian racial doctrine) would also
choose to  support Adams out of all America’s earliest intellectuals and
politicians, and devote more Cantos to him by far than to any other American
figure.

President Adams  did his utmost to eject immigrants who had come to the US
from Ireland, Scotland, France, Poland, and other parts of Europe (deeming
them subversive); he set up "surveillance committees" to spy on harass, grab
hold of, beat (and in some cases, kill) political opponents; tried to make
the US a one-party state by breaking up the opposing party of the
republicans (liberal party of the day, to which Jefferson belonged), and by
jailing journalists, such as B.F. Bache, whose newspaper, the "Aurora," led
in criticizing the government.

Here is one of the many editorial letters printed in the Aurora, which
roused the ire of the Federalist Party (of which Adams was the head, during
his presidency).

TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

SIR . . . You had an active part in bringing about that glorious revolution
that made us an independent nation. ---But, . . . your ideas of government
and policy have become warped . . . . You left this country [to get help
from France during the American revolution], sir, with the warm affections
of the people of America and with violent prejudices in your favor.

The first public act which induced them to doubt the sincerity of your
principles was your book, entitled:  "a Defence of the Constitutions of
America."  In his book, an aristocratical form of government . . . you
boldly avow   . . . is the only one conducive to the happiness of the people
. . . .You may remember the universal acclamation   that you were an enemy
of equal rights, and sorry am I to acknowledge that your subsequent conduct
has evinced the truth of this assertion.

VALERIUS
[Aurora, Apr. 26, 1798]

Like Adams, Pound believed that aristocratic, fascist, and authoritarian
forms were best suited for the government of humankind (or aristo-democratic
forms, for those who prefer that term, which amounts to the same thing).

In the Adams Cantos, Pound neglects virtually all the issues that Adams
faced which should be of interest to the modern democratic reader.   The
issue, for instance, of Adams striving, against all reason, to put the US on
a war footing vis-a-vis France (using as an expedient the XYZ affair) is
ignored by Pound.  This is surprising, since Pound's interest in economics
and politics supposedly sprang from his opposition to the carnage of World
War I.  Yet the considerable amount of historical material concerning Adams
reputation as a "war hawk" (term used by Jefferson) is neglected.

Note the picture of the political climate given in this letter by Jefferson
at the height of Adams' presidency.  Observe the attention given to a number
of issues which have a modern political philosophy-- citizen's rights, the
protection of immigrants rights, safeguards for what was then the minority
party, First Amendment rights, guaranteeing a free press, etc.   Pound and
the fascists he  supported cared for none of these issues, preferring
authoritarian government, hostile treatment of minorities and immigrants of
the wrong race, and a one-party state, which could shut down any press
establishment at will.  Contrast Pound's attitude with the concerns
expressed in Jefferson's Letter (in spite of the fact that Pound professed
an admiration for Jefferson).

[The names Gallatin and Volney refer to politically active immigrants on the
Whig -- or republican -- side, which at that time was the liberal, or left
party in American politics, as opposed to the Federalists.  Bache is the
editor of the Aurora].

By Jefferson-- A Letter to James Madison, April 1798:

One of the war party, in a fit of unguarded passion, declared some time ago
they would pass a citizen bill, an alien bill and a sedition bill;
accordingly, some days ago Coit laid a motion on the table of the House for
modifying the citizen’s law.  Their threats point a Gallatin, and it is
believed they will endeavor to reach him by this bill.  Yesterday Mr., H.
laid on the table of the Senate a motion for an alien bill giving power to
send away suspected aliens.  This is understood to be meant for Volney
[...]. But it will not stop there when it gets into a course of execution.
There is now only wanting to accomplish the whole of declaration before
mentioned, a sedition bill which we shall certainly soon see proposed.  The
object is the suppression of the Whig presses.  Bache's had been
particularly named . . . . If these papers fail, republicanism will be
entirely brow beaten . . . At present, the war hawks talk of septembrizing
[massacring], Deportation, and the examples for quelling sedition by the
French executive.  All the firmness of the human mind is now in a state of
requisition.


(continued in next post)
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