The Labor enquirer., 1884-06-07
International Workmen's Association.

Black Fridays that the world has ever
vet seen. HoNoRIUs.
International workmen's Association.
Within the last year or two there has
sprung up in different parts of the state
groups of the international Workmen's
Association. The especial declared OBJ
jects of this organization are to print and
publish and circulate labor literature to
hold mass meetings; to systematize agi-
tation; to establish labor libraries, labor
halls, and lyceums for discussing social
science to maintain the labor press; to
protect members and all producers from
wrong to aid all labor organizations !;
to aid the establishment of unity and the
maintenance of fraternity between all
labor organizations to bring about an
alliance between the manufacturing and
agricultural producers to encourage the
spirit of brotherhood and inter-depend-
ence among all producers of every state
and country; to ascertain, segregate,
classify, and study the habits and acts of
their enemies; to secure information of
the wrongs perpetrated against them,
and to record and circulate the same; to
arouse a spirit of hostility against and
ostracism of the capitalistic press, to pre-
pare the means for directing the coming
social revolution by enlightning public
opinion on the wrongs perpetrated
against the producers of the world to
obliterate national boundary lines and
sectional prejudices, with view to the
international unifcation of the producers
of all lands and to eradicate the inl-
preston that redress can be obtained by
the ballot.
The Internationalists believe that if
universal suffrage had been capable of
emancipating the working people from
the rule of what they call the "loafng
classes" that it would have been taken
away from them before now, and they
therefore have no faith in the ballot as a
means of righting the wrongs under
which the masses groan, because the
district" system, the division of the
people into political parties, the manipu-
lation of primaries, caucuses, and cleo
tions, the use of money, and the infu-
ence of bourgeoise priest, press and pol
itician make it impossible for real and
| honest representatives of the people to
be elected because no means exist to
punish or recall unfaithful public SER
wants; because there are no means by
which the people themselves can pass
such laws as they may desire; because
participation in politics, as at present
conducted, not only corrupts the leaders
but the rank and file as well because in
order to accomplish their aims it is nee
essary that in the hearts and minds of
the people there shall be developed the
greatest courage, the leftiest unselish-
ness, and the most heroic devotion, and
that the dirty pool of politics" does not
elevate or refine.
They believe that the spoliation of the
producing classes can only be terminated
by bloody and universal revolution
that this revolution will be precipitated
upon them by the ruling class or mo-
nopolists as soon as they understand
that the producers are being educated to
such degree as to make their continued
legal" robbery dangerous to themselves
! and their institutions; and they hold
that only by the education of the masses
can they gain their social and economic
freedom. They, therefore, declare that
their first duty is to educate the masses ;
to prepare for the coming universal rev
olutlon, and to endeavor to so direct it
that there may be secured as its results a
system of cooperative society which
will insure justice to all.
The organization is formed on the
group" system, that is, any person who
subscribes to these principles may be-
come an organizer. He organizes group
of eight besides himself When this
group becomes thoroughly conyersant
with the principles and methods of the
organization each member becomes an