The Labor enquirer., 1883-12-29

concur in forming the general will.
Every act against the imprescriptible
| rights Of man by whomsoeyer exercised
even in the name Of the law itself and
within the forms it prescribe6 every
such act is arbitrary and void. The very.
respect due to law forbids submission to
lit. and if the attempt be made to execute
such act by violence or by artifce, it is
not only permitted but enjoined upon
every individual to repel such assaults.
even by force. Resistance to oppression
| is necessary consequence of the other
rights of man. There is oppression
| against the social body whenever one
alone of its members is oppressed.
There is oppression against every mem
I her of it when the social body is op-
pressed. When the government violates
| the rights of the people, insuryectlon is
| for the people and for every portion of
| the people the most sacred of rights and
| the most indispensable of duties. When
| the social contract fails to protect a citi-
zen he resumes his natural right to de-
fend personally all his rights. In either
of the two preceding cases, to subject to
legal forms the resistance to oppression
| is the last refinement to tyranny, and is
both Infamous and void.
XIV.
Public functions cannot be considered
as distinctions nor as recompenses, but
as public duties, The people ought, as
far as possible, to govern themselves
without the interposition of delegates or
representatives. But when these repre-
sentatives are necessary they must be
selected by such a system as will insure
their being real and not pretended MI
crocosrns of their constituents. The
crimes of such representatives should
be severely punished The people have
right to know the operations of their
delegates, and it is the duty of the latter
to render to the people faithful ac-
count Of their behavior,
XVI.
Men of all countries are brothers, and
the people of each ought to yield one
another mutual aid, according to their
ability, like citizens of the same state.
He who opposes or oppresses one peo-
ple is the declared enemv of all. Those
who make war on people to arrest the
progress of liberty and to annihilate the
rights of man ought to be pursued every
where, not as ordinary criminals. but as
social outlaws, assassins and robbers.
Kings, aristocrats, tyrants of every De-
scription are beasts dangerous to the
welfare of mankind. and against them
shonld be raised the hand of every man.
XVII.
| The conditions which will establish
universal happiness upon earth consist
in the free endowment OF the natural
rights of man, combined with the exer-
else of all his faculties upon the highest
plane of mental, moral and physical
worth. The best guarantee of the ex-
istence and perpetuity of these condi-
tions is the loftiest possible elevation of
HUMANITY. There will arrive time, if
progress he not impeded, when govern
ments will be useless. To advance that
| time. education. seems to be the main
| factor. Hence. what prevents or con-,
strains the spread of intelligence is tyr
annous and unjust
| XVIII. u H.
Governments, as at present existing
are machines used for the purpose of
enslaving the people. Such machines
| should be abolished and society be per.
mitted to reorganize upon principles of
equality. The people being too much
governed, all statute or common law,
except broad and simple declarations of
princinles and rights, should be abolish
ed. These principles should be inter
pleted not by Infamous precedent, but
by the light of common, sense, to secure
Justice to all.
Neither sex, age, color nor condition
should ever be made barriers against
equal and exact justice.
XX.
Suppress the right of increase claimed
by the proprietor over anything which
he has stamped as his own property
while maintaining possession, and by
this simple change law, government,
economy and institutions will be revolu-
tionized and evil be driven from the face
of the earth.
DECLARATION.
We believe firmly, that as a necessary
step in advance to that condition of per-
feet anarchy" when governments shall
be no longer needed, it is imperative
that the present competitive system OF
industry and the social structure depend
ent thereon be abolished, and that in its
place shall be substituted system OF
governmental cooperation in all matters
of mental. moral and physical construc-
ton and elevation. No.
We believe in fact that the present
system necessarily is prophetic of a fu-
ture revolution, which must either result
in greater and freer condition. or will
plunge our present civilization back into
barbarism.
We affirm that, believing this, it is our
duty to prepare for the impending con-
fict to lead it when it shall break upon
us, and to bend every energy to SO direct
it as to secure as its result the establish
ment of proper system of government.
tai cooperation.
We affirm, furthermore, that all the
resources of science should be enlisted
in the battle to insure success and the
welfare of the people of the world.
| We declare further that action ought
to be both international and simulta-
neous. e
1t will be remembered that in 1872, at
the Congress of the international held
at Hague, first arose the dSsensionS
which have since divided our ranks. 1t
was at this session that Bakounine was
expelled and carried with him thirty OF
the delegates, with the aid of whom he
esta ablishedr what has since been called
the Black International, as opposed to
those who remained, the Red The be-
| lief of the Red was in the gradual edu-
cation of the people and in taking no
| fnrcibIe action until all the world was