Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-30
TIE 0BIACk HAND"

A London despatch announced the other
day Tint a meeting of the English Revolt
tionary League" had been held in that city
for the purpose of considering the question
OF holding great International convention
of reyolutonists; aud one of the speakers
pleasantly announced that government OIL
cials now recognize the fact that dynamite
is an important factor in political lfe."
Whether the convention is held or not, there
is NJ question that sufficient number OF
people are eligible as delegates 10 fill the
largest hal! in England, and government
officials have painful cause for recognizing
dynamite as Il political factor. They
certainly have hal m elaborate introduction
TO it, anl there is no excuse on their part
for no, recognizing it. There is "blood ON
the noon all over Europe. England has
the l,sh conspirators on her hands France
has the communists, and Russia the Nilll-
lists. Spain, although somewhat behind the
times in most respects, is on this issue fully
up with her sister countries and can show IA
iirst-class brand of conspiracy. 1t is in the
shape of a secret society called the "Black
IIand"-a name said to be derived from Il
popular legend, to the effect that one of the
assassins of General Prim struck his
powder begrimel hand on a white wall,
and that the mark wa. indelible; the
natural inference being that. in like
manner, the mark of the "Black Hand
OH ,Spain is indeliblc. This delectablc
organization proclaims war to the knife
against Spanish Official; and Spanish land
lords. 1t condemns to death in secret tiibu-
nails, and employs the same means of terror
ism as Irish Fenians. Threatening letters
are poured in upon the Spanish authorities
and outragcs of the most ab)minablc char
actcr are pcrpetialed on Spanish farmers and
their families. who have the ill-luck to incur
the displeasurc of the "Black Hand Singu-
| larly enough, the government had no knowl-
| edge of what was going on until the cXis-
tencc of the "Blacl, Hand was revealed by
| a more than usual number of agrarian out
RACES and the order has spread until its rai-
| fcaious now extend throughout all the agti-
| cultural districts of the South of Spain.
| The "Back Hand" has no particular ami
mostly against the government OF Spain
The revolution it seeks TO create is rather
social than political, and its doctrines are a
sort of mixture of French socialism and Rus
sian nimlism. Like French socialism, the
| "Bhck Hand" would make the State the
slc posscssor OF property and capital, on
the condition that it deal it out to all in equal
and fixed proportions. Like Russian Mill
ism, the "Blact Hand seeks to bring about
this community OF worldly possessions by
destroying the present holders of all kinds OF
property, and all institutions which have the
possession Of property us their base. Such
doctrines are likely to find favor among
"a peasanlry poor, Ignorant and super
stltious, like that Of Spain, AMI there.
| fore the association has had an unusually
| favorable field for its work and lis success Is
hardly to be wondered at. The government
is now fairly aroused to the danger, and is
acting with unwontcd energy but the So
cictv LAS made such headway that its cxtinc-
tinn will br "A lonr and troublesome lob.