The Labor enquirer., 1885-02-21

final moral standard by which you car
unerringly Judge, condemn and execute
those who. though in the wrong. azs
acting out the principles given them by
education, and sustained BY all the
usages and traditions of society? Hyou
have, let it appear in your plan forfuture
society. SO that we can judge you on
your principles and not on your contem-
plated depredations. You have as yet
drawn upno such plan, hence the world
sees in you nothing but destruction.
You talk Of personal liberty then
would punish a man for making the
effort to acquire comfort and honor by
the only course he has learned and
which society still approves.
Examine wen your motives and see il
you find any incentives besides revenge
and wish to put out of the way men
whom you consides dangerous. The FIRST
must not enter into the question Of re-
forming mankind The world has thus
far seen nothing but oppression followed
by REVOLT and retaliation, and ithas made
little progress under that programme.
The second incentive may operate with
out dynamite when it is safe to attempt
it. You may imprison men but not kill
them.
If you blow up a capitalist you destroy
hiapower to oppress, but you have made
enemies of q hundred men who should
be your friends. Besides, the capitalist
will be replaced by anotherof the same
kind. Many men still believe in the
prevailing methods of gaming wealth.
Tell them that all capitalists should be
destroyed and they will not sympathize
with you, but condemn you for crankk.
You should appeA. to their reason and
justice, then yoa will bring them to ~
the relation which exists between
misery and the present system. This con-
verting people is Slow. work, but it is the
cheaper and more effective But You say,
people are suffering all the time you are
educating your majority. So they are,
but as their suffering arises from ignor-
ance, they will suffer whether blood
flows or not, SO long as they are ignorant.
= T
Reform accomplished by majority
depends on the ballot, and that you re-
gard as useless. After you have blown
skyward all existing institutions, You
will resort to the ballot to settle disputes
on the reconstruction, for until we all
agree upon the perfect system, society
will be nothing but a continual dispute.
The ballot Is what We make it. Wemust
submit to majority rule until we all be-
lieve alike, because there is no other ar
bitter except force, and that has been
on trial longer than the ballot. y
In advocating force you are not going
forward. You would adopt methods
that have failed innumerable times.
You claim to teach higher morality
than that which now governs. but when
you advocate force you degrade your
selves to the level of those who think
force is the only argument. As Won are
in minority the force will react on you
and end your career. Have Delescluze
of Paris and his friends been more use
full, under the ground, since 1871, than
if they had lived and continued their
work? No; there is little glory in the
death of martyrs We admire their zeal
and constancy but regret their ill-advised
methods. If reform is accomplished in
France hereafter it will not be because
martyrs died, but because evils still exist
Had those men lived their work now
would hasten the reform. They are
destroyed; SO will you be if Won submit
the problem to the test of physical force
Wait until we acquire majority, OF
executive power. Asevery vote repre-
sents an intellect, the ballot is guage o.
strength. We will command as much
respect as though every ballot was q
musket.
You condemn the ballot but it would
be as sensible to condemn the cup from
which you take a medicine that makes
you sick. Take the right kind Of medi-
cine with it. / viii admit that summary
Justice visited upon oppressors is a legit-
innate result of their acts. Perhaps some
of them deserve the punishment you
propose. But reform is more important
than retributlon. Which course is the
more effective, to preach new doctrine
or to kill the supporters o. the old |?
Who will say that Thomas Paine was
not q true reformed? He was imprisoned
and condemned to death because he
wished to spare the life Of dethroned
king who was by nature but weak.
minded, pliable ltyrant. So must we &c
behind individuals for the cause of evil
Take away their power to do evil and
let them live, learn and grow. ZKNo.
Conflicts are reported to have taken
place between Austrian and Roumanian
soldiers on the Bnkovina frontier. Shots
EWere exchanged